The new president of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, discussed various topics during his interview with Stavros Theodorakis on Alpha TV‘s Protagonistes show on Thursday evening (Greece time). Kasselakis opened up about his journey, including being a massive Panathinaikos fan and coming out as a gay man to his family.
Addressing the criticism he faces, Kasselakis responded with humour, saying, “Those who see an American in me will soon realise they’ve found a true Cretan.”
“In America there is homophobia and racism, too, sometimes, people can look at you intensely.”
Delving into his work experience and performance at Goldman Sachs, he responded, “You have your degrees from school, and then you go through a very thorough interview process.”
He denied that he was let go due to reduced performance.
“That wasn’t the case,” he said, explaining that working at Goldman Sachs for five years managing significant risks and receiving recommendation letters for studies at MIT while being of diminished performance doesn’t align. “Certainly not,” noted the SYRIZA President.
Politics
In reference to his previous statements, Kasselakis reaffirmed his commitment, stating that he doesn’t back down from his principles.
He recalled his introduction in a previous interview where he expressed his desire to focus on rights and credited Alexis Tsipras for giving him the opportunity. He also revealed that he had voted for PASOK and George Papandreou in 2009.
He also discussed various political issues, including the border fence at the Evros border and non-state universities.
When asked about his common ground with Pavlos Polakis, he highlighted their shared sense of justice and concern for safeguarding the future of children. He praised Pavlos Polakis for his dynamism and dedication to advocating for those without a voice.
Responding to accusations of being compared to “Beppe Grillo” or “Trump-like,” Kasselakis clarified his identity as Stefanos of Greece and highlighted the importance of learning from everyone, as advised by President Alexis Tsipras.
“First of all, I am Stefanos of Greece. Secondly, one of the pieces of advice President Alexis Tsipras gave me is that you can learn something good from everyone.”
He stated that he doesn’t think he came out any differently from the meeting with Alexis Tsipras the day after the election.
As for the praisε he had signed off for Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he replied, “I wrote about Kyriakos Mitsotakis in comparison to Adonis Georgiadis and Vangelis Meimarakis.”
He stressed that Mitsotakis said one thing then and did another afterward, reiterating his characterisation of him as “dangerous.”
Additionally, Kasselakis did not hide that he considered Yanis Varoufakis “dangerous” during his tenure as Minister of Finance under the SYRIZA government.
In a moment of self-critique on SYRIZA itself, he said, “SYRIZA made a mistake by not passing it,” referring to marriage equality, and added, “Everyone makes mistakes,” and “SYRIZA offered a lot in 2015-2019.”
When asked about caricatures depicting him as a suitable president for New Democracy, Kasselakis responded with humour, saying that he would simply laugh at them.
Coming Out
Regarding his sexual orientation, he said, for years he prayed for himself not to be gay, describing it as the shackles of a prejudiced society.
“As a society, we must provide full equality, an open heart, and open arms for everyone,” he noted.
“In 2012, when I was 24, I was actually in a relationship with a woman in New York, and I had a lot of anxiety about not disappointing both her and my parents,” he confessed.
When at age 31 his mother asked him about his new partner, he responded with a question: “Does it bother you that he’s a man?”
His mother was taken aback and blurted: “What did you say?”
Kasselakis explained that his mother thought he was going through a phase due to work-related stress, and she had noticed that he was crying a lot every night.
He continued, “It was my introduction to Tyler that made me come out,” characterising his own example as an eye-opener for parents to engage in discussions with their children about such issues.
Listing his vulnerabilities, he admitted, “I can be very persistent” and added, “I am not patient; if I know we are wasting time in a discussion, I may raise my tone.”
He summed up himself, stating, “I am neither a marketing product nor a passer by to be underestimated; one day, the bill will come.”
In conclusion, Kasselakis briefly touched on his dreams of starting his own family, he said, “Tyler and I would like to expand our family with two boys, Apollon and Elias, with a surrogate mother because we would like each of our personalities to be transferred to the children.”
