Gay figure skater
A Brief History of Openly Gay Olympians
Americans Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy are the latest LGBTQ athletes to proceed for the gold
Watching figure skater Adam Rippon compete, it’s easy to overlook that he’s on skates. His dramatic, sharp movements – and facial expressions to match–emulate those of a professional dancer, at once complementing and contradicting his smooth, unfettered movement along the ice. He hides the technical difficulty of every leap and spin with head-flips and a commanding gaze, a performer as adv as an competitor. But there’s one thing Rippon won’t be hiding – this year, he and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy will become the first openly gay American men to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.
“The atmosphere in the nation has changed dramatically,” says Cyd Zeigler, who co-founded Outsports, a news website that highlights the stories of LGBT athletes, in 1999. “Two men getting married wasn’t even a possibility when we started Outsports. Now it’s a reality in Birmingham, Alabama. There are gay role models at every twist – on television, on local sports, and in our communities.”
Even so, the last time that the United States sent an openly gay man to any Olym
By: Jimmy Morgan, Professional figure skater and Athlete Ally Ambassador
“You’re a figure skater? What, are you gay?” Older hockey players laughed as I walked down the hall to practice. I was an 11-year-old kid wondering why figure skating made me male lover and why hockey players establish that so funny.
This made me think being gay was awful. As I grew older, I had been laughed at and called gay so many times, that I hoped to never be gay.
To my dismay, I started realizing I was attracted to men. Since my experience had taught me that entity gay led to being made fun of, I suppressed those feelings and started to convince myself that I was vertical. On top of that, I didn’t want to represent further proof that every male figure skater is gay. I didn’t want those hockey players to be right.
When I was 16, I started pairs skating. I thought it was so hip to be part of a team and to be qualified to perform lifts and tricks impossible for solo skaters.
But now, I was expected to act with my partner, Alex Shaughnessy, and I was told by coaches and judges that our performance would be partially scored on how well we relate to each other. The only way we were taught to showcase that relations
This is not a knock on Adam - he had an amazing skate last night (judging issues aside). I just can't support but go to youtube and monitor 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 have broken down that closing barrier. I don't think 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 produce 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 existence the first US man, I'll just share a rare of my favorite Olympic moments by known (out) queer men because I think they desire a shout out.
Probably most notable is our 1988 Olympic Champion Brian Boitano. If you grew up with skating in the 90's you know who Brian is. Brian only came out in 2014, 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. He's also a figure skater, chef, etc. The incredibly private Boitano just did not perceive the n
International Gay Figure Skating Union
- 07/14/2025: ISI (Ice Sports Industry) memberships: Please note that you must have a valid ISI membership to compete at Gay Games in Valencia. Membership year is 1 September - August 31, you can finde more information here.
- 07/14/2025: ISI RULES/PROGRAM DURATIONS: Please see program durations and many more details about the required elements here.
- 07/14/2025: HOTEL INFO FOR GGVLC: The ice arena where we will have our events is called Amusement on Ice and is located near the airport. There are some hotel options near the rink. Book your hotel through the official Gay Games travel agency to obtain Gay Games to acquire special rates. We advise Hotel Xon's.
- 05/15/2025: Great website about gay figure skating and all its challenges.
- 05/08/2025: Registration for Valencia 2026 is off to a great start with registrations from 6 countries. Be part of it and register!
- Some impressions on similar sex couples
IGFSU and the Gay Games
IGFSU was founded in 1991 by Arthur Luiz and Laura Moore, as part of a successful bid to receive figure skating into the Gay Games in Fresh York.
In 1999, we became a member organization of the Federation