Editor's note: For an alternate take on T.A.T.U., read The Problem With T.A.T.U.

There has been an extensive amount of controversy surrounding the Russian pop duet tATu, and an astonishing barrage of criticism directed at them. The media seem to be the driving force behind this attack, but the arguments they have conjured up against tATu have internal flaws that many have overlooked.

What is the press' role in the controversial discussion about tATu? What kind of information do we receive from the press? And can we take this kind of information at face value, or at the very least as something we can call objective?

When it comes to tATu, the media tend to gather their information and hastily piece it together from so-called "scandalous appearances" in interviews or press conferences, which allows many of tATU's quotes and actions to be taken out of context. The information from the press does not hold up as a reliable source mainly because tATu like to play games with them (hence the inconsistent and ambiguous remarks).

Why do they do this? The press always ask the same provocative, normally leading questions over and over, and the girls and their producer, Ivan Shapovalov, answer partly sarcastically or sometimes they just say what the press wants to hear out of pure annoyance. The result of all this is that the press got their headlines and the group got their publicity; hence, the difficulty in believing anything said or written about tATu.

The safest way to build an opinion about them is to search for complete interviews on video in order to see the context, the mannerisms, the way the questions are being posed and how they are being answered should be closely analyzed.

What have been the main criticisms directed towards tATu? What are the main reasons for these harsh criticisms? Are they really valid? Judge for yourself.

Some have accused tATu’s manager, Ivan Shapovalov, of marketing pedophilia, which he himself called "an underserved market." Shapovalov’s comment was brought to the forefront when tATu's English-speaking debut-single “All The Things She Said” and album “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane” succeeded in the charts. While a younger generation of Britons welcomed tATu, the older ones, especially the conservative ones on British television and in the newspapers, claimed that tATu is a "threat" to their children--but these are the same people who are against allowing almost any portrayals of homosexuality (or bisexuality) in television or film.

Shapovalov was partly responsible for making this accusation possible by some of his statements, but people seem to forget that these were intended to create media attention (although the strategy clearly backfired). But his words were also put into a misleading context, and then cunningly used by many as an excuse to openly criticize this group without fear of being labeled as bigots.

Another argument is that tATu was mainly intended for a male audience. Through their imagery as young, innocent school girls that kiss each other, their image seems to play up to male fantasies. Then why all the female admiration? There are a number of official and unofficial tATu-boards and tATu-fan clubs in which the majority of fans are young women. The young people—especially young women--were the ones responsible for making tATu so successful, since the proverbial "dirty old man" does not buy pop albums.

So if the message is still getting through to the ideal audience (young girls struggling with sexuality issues), then why concern ourselves with whether men are getting off on it or not?

One might claim that Yulia and Lena are giving contradicting statements concerning their sexual orientation, but they have always been clear in their statements that they love each other, they don't care what others say about them and that everyone should be free to love who they want to. This is quite a clear statement for tolerance and acceptance of every kind of love--lesbian, gay, bisexual or straight. Their music and we-don't-give-a-fuck attitude has been helpful to young women and men struggling with their sexual identity by making same-sex couples more visible and giving them the strength to be who they are.

Yulia and Lena have been able to keep their private lives just that--private--and as a result, any real information on them is very rare. The media have accused the girls of secretly having boyfriends; however, if this is so than why doesn't there exist any unambiguous photos--a kiss, an embrace...anything?

Many in the gay community have argued that tATu are not true advocates of homosexuality. But they have been standing up for this cause, often at great personal risk. Yulia and Lena were targeted with knives and bottles at a concert in Russia by a group of homophobic males, some claiming that their daughters and ex-girlfriends had become lesbians because of tATu, and they have received numerous threats on their lives in the last year.

On a popular television show in Russia, Yulia and Lena debated with a priest the issue of their portrayals of lesbian imagery while he condemned them to “eternal damnation," fueling the fire of religious zealots in Russia and increasing the risk to the girls’ safety.

Yet, despite all this, the girls have not changed their ways. Like any human being, they must value their existence much more than fame and fortune, so are they really putting their lives in danger just for the money? There must be something more.

Given all of this it is difficult to understand why they seem to be criticized much more than most artists out there when they have ultimately done good for society. They have been responsible for giving many young people the courage to come out to themselves, their friends and families.

The controversy caused by tATu clearly shows us that, unfortunately, we live in a world of labeling and boundaries, even in the gay community. We do not always have to look for clear-cut distinctions; why not acknowledge and celebrate the shades of gray? Here we have a teenage couple showing us how to live without these boundaries and rules.

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of the duo, why not bask in the positive aspects the girls embody: the freedom to challenge society, and the freedom to love whomever you want.