Gay skaters
LGBTQ Figure Skaters
Figure skating is one of the most iconic of winter sports, as evidenced by its popularity as an Olympic competitive event. There is an abundance of talented LGBTQ individuals in the sport, though the list of prominent individuals is entirely populated by gay men. The list is long, but it is only recently that figure skaters have declared their sexual orientation while competing - most have waited until retirement and fought public recognition of their sexual individuality. Skaters still comment on the pressure to remain in the closet while competing and to avoid speaking out about LGBTQ rights, though it is also considered one of the gayest sports.
Britain's lgbtq+ Captain Robert Jones popularized the sport of figure skating back in with his highly accepted book 'A Treatise on Skating'. The book was reissued with engravings in ; a second edition printed in with a recent song 'The Skater's March'; and many other editions printed including , , , , and more. Skates manufactured to Jones' plan could be obtained at Riccards Manufactory in London.
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The Last Taboo: Why are there so few openly gay pro skaters?
“The interview was done, we shot a bunch of pictures to go with it, then the guys who were the business managers for Birdhouse got contain of it. They peruse the article and were like, ‘Absolutely no, this is not going to happen.’ When they were shutting down the article, they were like, ‘We have absolutely no obstacle with you being male lover – it’s just about how it will be viewed in middle America. We feel bad – we just can’t accomplish it.’”
I’m sitting outside a pub in Clerkenwell, London, talking to Tim Von Werne about his previous life as an openly gay sponsored skater. Tim is someone whose mention constantly crops up in any conversation about lgbtq+ people in skateboarding, whether you’re trawling magazine note boards and YouTube comments or talking to some of the biggest names in the business. Originally from Miami, Tim was an am for Birdhouse Skateboards at the finish of the nineties, but his career was slice short in when his sponsor pulled an interview in Skateboarder magazine in which he talked about his sexuality.
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Eric Radford: Skater is first openly gay man to win Winter Olympics gold
Canadian figure skater Eric Radford has said he "might explode with pride", after becoming the first openly gay male Winter Olympics champion.
Radford took gold at the Pyeongchang Games in the team figure skating event, alongside his partner Meagan Duhamel.
The pair performed a lovely routine set to Adele's Hometown Glory.
US skater Adam Rippon, the first openly gay athlete to reach the US Winter Olympics team, won bronze in the same event at the Gangneung Ice Arena.
He skated to Coldplay's O, and Arrival of the Birds by Cinematic Orchestra.
The team figure skating, which debuted four years ago, sees each nation compete in the men's, women's, pairs', and ice dance disciplines. The team with most points overall takes the gold medal.
They join openly bisexual Dutch speed skater Ireen Wust - her nation's most successful Olympian with 10 medals, including golds from four consecutive Games.
After his beat, Radford, 33, wrote on Twitter: "Th
When you think about the culture around skateboarding, you might think about the laid-back vibe of acceptance and inclusion that the sport has come to foster. But skaters from the LGBTQ+ community haven’t always felt accepted and included. Violent anti-gay attacks in the early s and s within the male-dominated world of skate led many to mask their sexuality. Brian Anderson, a skater who rose to popularity in the s, remembers regularly hearing gay slurs, which made him think at a young age that it was dangerous to chat about his sexuality.
Recently, however, skate has made amazing strides in its acceptance of LGBTQ+ skaters. To document this shift, the museum has collected from members of this diverse and fiercely dedicated community.
Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson first gained notoriety in the skateboarding world in and fast became one of the most popular skaters in the sport. In Anderson became the first high-profile professional skater to show up out as gay, something he never thought he would do. Afraid to come out when he was younger, Anderson position his rage and frustration i