LeDuc has been amazing in telling their historic story to inspire others, but the concern is that there could be homophobic judges who share the disgusting views of those two Russians.
In addition, 1994 Olympic silver medalist Alexander Zhulin of Russia insulted Timothy LeDuc, an American pairs skater who is non-binary, and then refused to apologize. “What makes you a man, a woman, a non-binary or anything in between, has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, and even less with your abilities, your value, your skills, or the level or respect that you deserve.” “Don’t let ignorant people tell you how much of a man or a woman you are,” Cizeron said on Instagram. Photo by Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty ImagesĬizeron responded to Vedenin’s comments, calling them “a pathetic attempt to harm us.” “The partner does not have a traditional orientation and he cannot hide it.” Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform in France in November. “The French skate with class, but are cold,” Vedenin said. In October, Alexander Vedenin, a former international judge, said that because Cizeron is gay, he was “cold” in his performances with his ice dance partner Gabriella Papadakis. No experience or personality is the same, simply people finding their identity, their voice and owning their truths and their own unique ways.”ĭespite the record number of out male skaters, there are still issues, especially with coaches and judges from the former Soviet Union, where skating - and homophobia - has a long tradition. The diversity of people I’ve met along my journey has shown me that everyone is so individually themselves. “I’ve always found it impossible and truthfully dangerous to paint or stereotype any one group with a singular brushstroke. “Whether it be family members, coaches, skaters, teachers, friends or others I’ve had the privilege of crossing paths with, my perception of what’s it like to be LGBTQ+ was far from one-dimensional. “I’ve grown up surrounded by beautiful, creative, strong, proud, successful and supportive LGBTQ+ role models,” Brown said on Instagram.
When American singles skater Jason Brown came out in Pride Month last June, he talked about the diversity he experienced in skating. “What is easier than it was even 15 years ago is that skaters who are open about their sexual orientation are now able to get postseason contracts with ‘Stars on Ice’ and more commercial sponsorships,” he said. One financial reason skaters feel more open about coming out is the chance to make money on tour, Conley said, as opposed to being blackballed. Meet the out LGBTQ athletes of the Beijing Winter Games “In fact, I find there are more straight males finding success in figure skating.” “I do not think there is a change in the numbers of gay men in figure skating,” he said. I asked Chad Conley, a Canadian junior nationals silver medalist who now coaches and is gay, what accounts for the increase in the number of out male skaters. I don’t know what got into me, I said to myself, ‘What do I have to lose?’” Because I’m not in the habit of revealing really intimate things. I still hesitated a bit before publishing. “Even though I have never spoken publicly about my sexual orientation, I am one of those who think that it is not something that should have to do. “I would not consider myself in the closet before posting this, so I don’t really consider it coming out,” Cizeron said. The same goes for ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron of France, who came out in 2020 by posting a photo of him and his boyfriend, then wondered what all the fuss was about. Outsports wrote Ambrosini and he said, “Yes, I identify as gay and I’m out.” This increase is due to the greater level of acceptance in society and sports, according to skaters who have come out, with social media being a big driver.įor example, Italian pairs skater Filippo Ambrosini never had a public coming out moment, but his Instagram account has numerous photos of him and his male partner, making it seemingly obvious that he is LGBTQ. The number was zero in 2014 and three in 2018. When the Winter Olympics figure skating competition starts in Beijing, there will be a record eight out gay men in either singles, pairs or dance.