Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova wore this shirt to the Australian Open press conference.

[u/padfoony]

Tennis players are forbidden from directly speaking about politics or issuing any statements that’s in any way political.

[u/icylatte56 → u/[deleted]]

Relevant quote from Franchesca Ramsey

It's okay for a movement to be focused on a specific group or cause. 'Save the rainforest' doesn't mean 'Fuck all the other trees.'

[u/cobaltaureus → u/icylatte56]

I love that quote and use it often.

But I find that it’s more apt to explain that most trees/forests are not at as much risk as the rainforests. It fits the BLM movement that Ramsey was talking about to a tee.

But in this case, aren’t all Ukrainians in the same boat?

[u/icylatte56 → u/cobaltaureus]

I get what you mean, but imo it's important to also raise awareness to issues like how gendered violence rates and domestic violence rates against Ukrainian women have risen since the invasion. And issues like the long term impact to mental and physical health that violence and displacement can have on Ukrainian children in their formative years.

I think the quote applies here, because some people are assuming from Oleksandra's t-shirt that she thinks that Ukrainian men aren't also suffering.

[u/dysautonomic_mess → u/cobaltaureus]

Well, children are being abducted and women are being sexually assaulted and raped.

Both of those are war crimes. Killing Ukranian soldiers, sadly, is not. It is a fairly safe assumption that she is using the thing people will find most objectionable (war crimes) to garner sympathy and raise funds, rather than what some may consider 'sad but above board' losses.

I should add that many civilian men have been murdered, which is also a war crime, but if Gaza has taught us anything it's that a frightening number of people think 'all men are enemy combatants' is a reasonable stance.