Gay male skaters
The Last Taboo: Why are there so few openly queer 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 read the article and were enjoy, ‘Absolutely no, this is not going to happen.’ When they were shutting down the article, they were fancy , ‘We have absolutely no problem with you being queer – it’s just about how it will be viewed in middle America. We feel awful – we just can’t do 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 call constantly crops up in any conversation about gay people in skateboarding, whether you’re trawling magazine message 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 end of the nineties, but his career was cut short in when his sponsor pulled an interview in Skateboarder magazine in which he talked about his sexuality.
It’s one of tho
This is not a knock on Adam - he had an amazing skate last night (judging issues aside). I just can't help but go to youtube and watch some of the ones that came before Adam. They in many ways paved the way. Point being: without the ones that came before, Adam most likely could not contain broken down that ultimate barrier. I don't reflect we'd be seeing him stick his tongue out suggestively at the judges in an Olympic season without the likes of Boitano, Galindo (who did not make it to the Olympics, but certainly deserves credit), Goebel, Savoie, and of course Weir.
I'm not going to list all of them, and since the media is focused on him organism the first US dude, I'll just share a few of my favorite Olympic moments by recognizable (out) gay men because I think they require a shout out.
Probably most notable is our Olympic Champion Brian Boitano. If you grew up with skating in the 90's you know who Brian is. Brian only came out in , but I'm fairly certain most fans "knew". It just wasn't something we cared about. As Brian said in a recent interview it is a part of who he is, but it's only a part. H
Scott Hamilton on gays in skating
In the U.S., Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton is probably the best-recognized and wealthiest male figure skater. A major element of his popularity is his lovable, good-guy persona. But one not-so-lovable Hamilton trait has been his lifelong homophobia, which he discusses with uneasy frankness in his autobiography Landing It.
Hamilton became notable in the s not only for his triple lutz and impeccable figures, but also because he rebelled against ornate or effeminate-looking figure skating costumes and favored the athletic look of a speed skater-like bodysuit.
"Frankly, I was sick of people constantly assuming I was gay because I was a figure skater," he wrote (p. ). "This fear of being labeled definitely played a role in my decision to radically alter my costumes in my last year of amateur skating." It was not until , in his "Figaro" program for the Stars on Ice tour, that he had the security to wear an ornate costume, and even then it was in the context of an ironic, comedic parody. Hamilton commented publicly that he was nervous
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 male lover 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 identity. 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 gay Captain Robert Jones popularized the sport of figure skating back in with his highly popular book 'A Treatise on Skating'. The book was reissued with engravings in ; a second edition printed in with a new tune '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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