From an interview in Chicago’s Windy City Times with Michael Weiss, a competitive figure skater now doing ice shows:
WCT: Figure skating is often stereotyped as a “gay” sport. Do you have any comment on that?
MW: Like with any stereotype, it’s about not understanding the sport. Figure skating certainly has its share of gay people in it, but I think it provides an atmosphere for gay people to be themselves and be open. If you go to football locker rooms, there are gay people there, but it’s not as accepted for a football player to go out on the field with a sequined football helmet. But figure skating not only accepts it, but also rewards it, with grace, athleticism and ballet—but it’s also a stereotype that you would consider gay people to be more graceful.
It’s also something a lot of young figure skaters deal with growing up; some people will say that figure skating is for girls and not for boys. [ However, ] a lot of people have broken those molds: Elvis Stojko was very macho who did tae kwon do, and Scott Hamilton and Kurt Browning skate in jeans and T-shirts as opposed to the stereotypical figure-skating outfits. Football players get labeled as dumb jocks, and that’s not true in all cases.
Those are nice comments by Weiss (married with two kids), but the followup was never asked: If skating is so accepting of gays, how come there were zero out skaters at the 2006 Olympics? (Whatever one thinks of Johnny Weir’s sexuality, he has never acknowledged publicly whether or not he is gay).
As figure skating expert Lorrie Kim wrote for us in 2006: “What hasn’t changed is that many of the officials, judges, and skating federations, especially in the U.S., make it clear that they prefer male skaters to look ‘masculine’ and will be harsher on effeminate-looking skaters when it comes to giving marks or desirable competitive assignments.” Homophobia exists in the figure skating world and there is little evidence it is “rewarded” in any way. –Jim Buzinski
on Feb 21st, 2008 at 11:44 AM
This is a silly topic! Who cares? These skaters work for YEARS to get where they are. And they don’t practice in a vacuum. Their skating friends are very much aware of who’s gay and who’s not. And do you know what? They don’t care.
Why can’t others deal with it? A female show skater once told me, “The nice thing about the gay guys is that you don’t have to worry about them hitting on you.”
on Feb 21st, 2008 at 2:27 PM
It is interesting that the sexual orientation of the figure skaters is never acknowledged unless it is presumed heterosexual (excepting perhaps Rudy Galindo). TV works to reinforce straight assumption of skaters — they show Brian Joubert shirtless, and say “this is from our lady producers and our female fans” — and now they are very quick to point out that Evan Lyscichek (sp?) is “dating” Tanith Belbin, juxtaposed to Johnny Weir, whose last Olympic competition included a show called “He’s Here, He’s Weir”. I think the skating mom’s comment above is sort of contradictory — she says “Who cares?” then goes on to say a female skater said “the nice thing about gay guys is you don’t have to worry about them hitting on you.” I think Johnny Weir and people his age are sort of post-gay labels. He may be queer — he may have sex with men, maybe — but gay is such a limiting word. I do feel people who are not “straight” acting have a much better chance of success in individual sports, where their performances speak for themselves. And, last point, I don’t even see why there are separate categories for men and women — why not just have a skating competition for all people?
on Feb 21st, 2008 at 8:00 PM
“What hasn’t changed is that many of the officials, judges, and skating federations, especially in the U.S., make it clear that they prefer male skaters to look ‘masculine’ and will be harsher on effeminate-looking skaters when it comes to giving marks”
IMHO, Lorrie Kim was prescient about Johnny Weir in the recent Nationals. I believe his skating was superior, but his garb cost him the title. Not that I am advocating Johnny change his style.
TRL
on Feb 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 AM
I’m rather disappointed in this. Your comments are quite wrong. My partner’s father is a figure skating judge, and he most certainly doesn’t feel the way you indicate judges feel.
on Feb 23rd, 2008 at 3:50 AM
Since when does “effeminate-looking” equate with gay? Good lord, tell your writer to get half a clue. How embarrassing for Outsports.
on Feb 26th, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Bytemenow: “Since when does ‘effeminate-looking’ equate with gay?” Excuse me, but what world are you living in? No one said effeminate-looking *accurately* equates with gay. In fact, no one, least of all the author of the original piece, equated effeminacy with gayness at all.
What the other writer (Lorrie Kim) quoted here did say is that judges often penalize effeminacy, presumably because it implies gayness and that’s bad for the sport. Again, no one is saying that’s either a good thing or a fair implication. But unless you live in a very different world than I do, I think you would agree that it is in fact correct to say that many people, especially straight men, equate a man’s being less masculine or more effeminate with his also being gay. That is simply a true statement about prejudice as it relates to gender roles.
Another unrelated point about why there are fewer/no openly gay men figure skaters: and I don’t say this to criticize them because I have never walked in their shoes, but presumably some of them remain mum about their orientation in order to protect their viability in prospective endorsement deals. Although it’s changing inevitably, it remains the case that the big sponsorship dollars don’t flow to out athletes. Just ask Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.
on Apr 18th, 2008 at 3:59 PM
i just want to say that it’s really crazy & wonderful everything you good liberated people are doing. wish me luck, please. douglas; and that is diana douglas.
on Oct 27th, 2008 at 11:29 AM
I don’t agree with Johnny Weir still being in the closet. He declared himself the Princess of Figure Skating on NBC TV. That tops Richard Simmons. Outside of the USA, in Canada, All Canadian Gay skaters (except Jeffrey Buttle) are out. They attend Brian Orsers Prince Run. Jeffrey Buttle is Joaniie Rochette boyfriend, but that has more to do with the people Jeffrey hangs out with who make him lie in exchange for their friendship, like Mike Weiss and Kurt Browing and Jeffrey’s Dad.