Was johnny weir openly gay for olympics

Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Johnny Weir is opening up about being told "you can't be gay" in figure skating as a teenager. Sign up for our email newsletter.

Olympic figure skater Johnny

According to Outsportsthe tweet drew some heat from some social media users, who called it "tone deaf" and a "horrendous" comparison between sexuality and race. I never came out as white," the gay former Olympian tweeted.

Was Johnny Weir an ‘out’ gay athlete when he competed at the Olympics over a decade ago? As a general rule, the media will not report on a person's LGBT identity unless he or she publicly declares it, which is why Weir would not have been labeled as "out" or "gay" in news reports before During a speaking engagement at Barnard College for the documentary To Russia With Lovewhich chronicled his Sochi experience, Weir called his protesters "idiots.

Johnny Weir brought glitz and glam before there was Adam Rippon and ’s trove of out figure skaters. Weir added, "I worked for my whole life for six minutes in front of the world at the Olympics, and being gay had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Advocate Newsletter. Much media praise has been given to figure skater Adam Rippon and skier Gus Kenworthyamong others, who are poised to become the first out athletes to compete in their sports in the Winter Olympics.

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. After receiving criticism for a tweet, the former figure skater deleted it, then broke down why his sexuality was never a "great secret. In response, Weir deleted the tweet and declared, "Sometimes there just aren't enough characters to finish a thought.

All Rights reserved. He wrote that he avoided identifying as gay because he wanted to be seen "for who I am, not what I am. Since then, he has become an LGBTQ activist. I was thinking about landing my jumps and winning medals," he said.

Johnny Weir. This post also offered an explanation as to why the gay former figure skater never came out during his career, which included two Olympic games. Join the fight. Weir’s remarks come nearly two weeks after figure skater Adam Rippon was named the first openly gay U.S.

man to qualify for the Winter Olympics. Two-time Olympic winner Johnny Weir has revealed why he didn’t publicly come out as gay during his competitive days. The massive backlash against me in the gay media and community only made me dig my 'closeted' heels in further.

This post also offered an explanation as to why the gay former figure skater never came out during his career, which included two Olympic games. However, Weir did not officially come out as gay until his autobiography, Welcome to My World. The year-old competed during the 20Winter Games in Turin, Italy, and Canada, and didn’t confirm his sexuality until his memoir, Welcome to My World.

Notably, he wore a swan-like costume to the Olympics in Torinoalong with a red glove he named Camille. Representation matters," one user commented. Their history-making representation was acknowledged by Johnny Weir in a Wednesday tweet. As a competitior, Weir was known for his colorful clothes and personality.

Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Search form Search. Sports Olympics. The year-old, who hails from Pennsylvania, soon may not be the only American athlete heading to the Winter Games who identifies as queer. Be sure to follow Advocate on your favorite social platform.

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