Adam speaks his mind on US leader chosen for the Oympic delegation

[Yazmeen]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...on-mike-pence-lead-u-s-delegation/1040610001/

Admins: if you feel this is too political for this forum, move as you see fit.

 

[overedge]

Go Adam!!!

 

[Karen-W]

Isn't the leader of the US delegation almost always the VP? I'm not sure I think that an athlete getting political, especially over something traditional like this, is really worth the bandwidth.

 

[WildRose]

It would be nice if they asked Adam about his skating once and awhile.

 

[BlueRidge]

oh geezus...

ETA I like what he says at the end of the article which people may miss:

“No, I’m a U.S. athlete representing my country. I will continue to share my story, but I will participate in no form of protest. I’m representing myself and my country on the world stage. I have a lot of respect for this opportunity. What makes America great is that we’re all so different. It’s 2018 and being an openly gay man and an athlete, that is part of the face of America now.”

 

[vesperholly]

It would be nice if they asked Adam about his skating once and awhile.

The media has had a field day with Adam being the first out gay athlete to compete at the Olympics. I'm sure he'll get all the gay-related questions now.

Pence tho

 

[oleada]

Adam

 

[Aerobicidal]

Out gay figure skater doesn't like Mike Pence - well, there is the shocker to end all shockers!

Adam's comments are light years away from the interior decorating remarks four years ago, but at the same time I hope people can see him as a talented skater and likable personality rather than just The Gay Skater or Gay Olympian in the same way the Knierims are being sold as The Married Couple. Of course, I am not naive enough to expect the media to avoid essentialism, but I can dream.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I'm sure when Adam came out, he was aware he'd be "the gay skater" who answers "the gay questions." He is definitely up to the job and I, for one, am proud of him. Ellen Degeneres went through the same thing when she came out in 1997, but it didn't last forever. She still gets asked about LGBT issues from time to time and she speaks out when she feels it's necessary, but the media isn't focused 100% on her sexual orientation. She now gets to be a talk show host who happens to be a lesbian rather than a lesbian who happens to host a talk show. Adam's career will likely follow a similar trajectory, except with skating rather than a talk show (although if Adam did host a talk show, I would watch it for sure).

 

[Aerobicidal]

I'm sure when Adam came out, he was aware he'd be "the gay skater" who answers "the gay questions." He is definitely up to the job and I, for one, am proud of him. Ellen Degeneres went through the same thing when she came out in 1997, but it didn't last forever. She still gets asked about LGBT issues from time to time and she speaks out when she feels it's necessary, but the media isn't focused 100% on her sexual orientation. She now gets to be a talk show host who happens to be a lesbian rather than a lesbian who happens to host a talk show. Adam's career will likely follow a similar trajectory, except with skating rather than a talk show (although if Adam did host a talk show, I would watch it for sure).

Totally agree with all of this, but I'm frustrated that 20 years after Ellen came out, the situation is pretty much the same. And I feel like there isn't much I can do to change that except fight against essentialism whenever I can.

(Which is not to say anyone in this thread is endorsing essentialism, because they aren't.)

 

[Finnice]

When I told Mr. Finnice about Adam being the first openly gay athlete in Winter Olys, je sighed deeply and said that even though he admired Adam's skating, he would love to see the day when anyone's sexual orientation is an issue.

 

[overedge]

Isn't the leader of the US delegation almost always the VP? I'm not sure I think that an athlete getting political, especially over something traditional like this, is really worth the bandwidth.

"Traditional" doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. There are some traditions worth upholding - like, say, the President of the US doing a community service activity on Martin Luther King Day. And there are some traditions that are worth challenging because of the views and actions of the people involved. IMO this falls into the second category.

 

[VGThuy]

Good for Adam. I also loved the passage BlueRidge highlighted.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Glad to see gay skaters being open and coming out. Adam however should not be creating his own celebrity, like his buddy Ashley, by making provocative statements. They both should work on the jumps, and if they REALLY want to help SERIOUS issues with "gay therapy", they should work with organizations which fight the countries where it really takes place..... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...rapy-endorses-lgbt-rights-islam-a7578666.html

(because yelling out political statements, and painting finger nails rainbow, is a cheap public stunt... but i guess if you can't win, you make a provocative statement to get attention)

 

[Yazmeen]

Glad to see gay skaters being open and coming out. Adam however should not be creating his own celebrity, like his buddy Ashley, by making provocative statements. They both should work on the jumps, and if they REALLY want to help SERIOUS issues with "gay therapy", they should work with organizations which fight the countries where it really takes place..... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...rapy-endorses-lgbt-rights-islam-a7578666.html

(because yelling out political statements, and painting finger nails rainbow, is a cheap public stunt... but i guess if you can't win, you make a provocative statement to get attention)

Skaters are allowed to skate. And have ideas, and speak out. Like all athletes. And that includes those on and off the podium.

 

[VGThuy]

I think celebrities talking about the dangers of gay conversion therapy do their part in raising awareness and making sure it's not forgotten.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I'm sure when Adam came out, he was aware he'd be "the gay skater" who answers "the gay questions." He is definitely up to the job and I, for one, am proud of him. Ellen Degeneres went through the same thing when she came out in 1997, but it didn't last forever. She still gets asked about LGBT issues from time to time and she speaks out when she feels it's necessary, but the media isn't focused 100% on her sexual orientation. She now gets to be a talk show host who happens to be a lesbian rather than a lesbian who happens to host a talk show. Adam's career will likely follow a similar trajectory, except with skating rather than a talk show (although if Adam did host a talk show, I would watch it for sure).

It is so sad that this has to be an issue. Why should anyone be THE GAY SKATER? Who cares? I would rather see him land his jumps.
Ellen's career took a nose dive after she had the two episodes when she "came out". Her show was cancelled the next season. Everything became about her being gay, rather than about whatever the show was before. She "came out" in 1997, and did not get her new show until 2003. That is a pretty big dip. More like a trainwreck.

This is a different time, and figure skating, not TV. I just had a conversation with my sister about Javi. I sent her the link to his SP...and she said something about him being gay. I would like to think it is accepted in FS in a way that it may not be accepted in other places.
Hence, Adam's label is a non-issue.

 

[WildRose]

Of course Adam should speak out when asked. It just bugs me that the media keeps trying to bait him into saying something controversial. He’s doing a brilliant job of handling it but it seems s shame that in this day in age any athlete should have to deal with this.

 

[caseyedwards]

He shouldn’t even be going to the Olympics. He is a loser. 4th place quadless journeyman. Should be ross Miner .

 

[overedge]

It is so sad that this has to be an issue. Why should anyone be THE GAY SKATER? Who cares? I would rather see him land his jumps.

Apparently it is enough of an "issue" that you had to point it out and to insult Ellen's career as well.

IIRC you were also up in arms about gays and pedophiles pretending to be transgender so they could invade public washrooms and molest children. I don't think you have a lot of credibility on this particular subject.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Skaters are allowed to skate. And have ideas, and speak out. Like all athletes. And that includes those on and off the podium.

Speaking out is anyone's right, just like it is the right of "listeners" to make a judgement what motivates one to speak out and how effective it is. The fact that Pence, back in the days of King Solomon, spoke about "gay therapy" is not an issue to day for Gays in USA and western societies. "Gay therapy" issues back then were, in some lame way an attempt to "help them", because of prejudice and lack of knowledge. There are countries where Gays are killed, jailed and the said therapy is an active issue. If one really cares, one should be consistent in terms of agenda he/she pursues, and concentrate on the areas where help and intervention is critical.

Both Adam and his-half Ashley, tend to make Big Political "gay issue" proclamations just before Olympics. I don't believe they are not doing it for attention, in spite of the fact that the issues are important.

Ashley wanted to paint her nails in rainbow colors, before Sochi 2014.... She made a big splash about it! she did not even care to check with Russian LGBT organizations to find out what can she REALLY do to help, and what may hurt if she runs her mouth and paints her nails... She would have been told that such will only piss off the Russian public, because it is 'westerner' butting into their affairs, and not help them to look at gay issues differently. She would have also been told that what is needed is slow, consistent and targeted EDUCATION of the population, showing that homosexuality is not a "sin against religion" or a "perversion", but issues associated with biology.

It is very hard work, day by day, fight by fight, dollar by dollar, for such organizations in Russia to introduce and educate on a concept of biology vs. "perversion".... and it's only recently starting to appear in the major Russian press and makes Russian people think in medical/biological terms...
FORBES RUSSIA
http://www.forbes.ru/tehnologii/354...eny-vliyayushchie-na-gomoseksualnost-muzhchin
MEDICAL NEWS
http://medportal.ru/mednovosti/news/2017/12/11/119dna/

And then there is Ashley, with her chip-shit thrills and attention seeking.... yell and paint nails, that will tell Russians off..

 

[TalentedButHumble]

“To stand by some of the things that Donald Trump has said and for Mike Pence to say he’s a devout Christian man is completely contradictory. If he’s okay with what’s being said about people and Americans and foreigners and about different countries that are being called ‘shitholes,'..."

Thank you, Adam, for being "woke" about the entire menu of bigotry this "administration" represents.

These are not normal times, and it is incumbent for everyone who sees that to speak up.

 

[VGThuy]

Adam proudly proclaiming that he's gay is a huge issue for those seeking LGBTQ heroes and representation, especially in these times. We've made progress on this matter, but there are also serious rollbacks especially from this administration. LGBTQ individuals are still vulnerable and targeted for hate crimes and discrimination. They also have the largest number of suicide rates in the country, especially if one is a trans youth of color. And though you would think figure skating would be more accepting of its LGBTQ members, it has historically been not...at least not in a truly open and accepting way. That has somewhat changed depending on the federation.

And for those who are saying LGBTQ people are free from issues today in the United States is being willfully blind. I also think it's bold to tell Adam, a gay man who is living his life as an open and out gay man, that he needs to prioritize what issues within the LGBTQ community he should care about and be consistent about it. This is his life and his acceptance that he will be a representative for the LGBTQ community means he's accepting responsibility to speak up for his community. He obviously cares about it all because this isn't some political showmanship for him but things that personally will affect him and his community.

 

[Sylvia]

Christine Brennan's follow-up tweet: https://twitter.com/cbrennansports/status/953749831259967489

Never thought I’d see the day when the Vice President of the United States feels the need to answer criticism by a figure skater, but here we are. Adam Rippon @Adaripp has never had a more powerful voice than he does today.

Brennan's tweeted this statement from VP Pence's press secretary:

Adam Rippon’s comments struck quite a nerve with Mike Pence. His press secretary emailed me this:
“The Vice President is proud to lead the U.S. delegation to the Olympics and support America’s incredible athletes.
“This accusation (Pence funding gay conversion therapy) is totally false and has no basis in fact. Despite these misinformed claims, the Vice President will be enthusiastically supporting all the U.S. athletes competing next month in Pyeongchang.”

ETA that Brennan has since updated her original column with this statement ("After publication of this story Wednesday, Pence's press secretary Alyssa Farah emailed a statement to USA TODAY Sports" ...).

What snopes has to say (their rating is "mixture"): https://www.snopes.com/mike-pence-supported-gay-conversion-therapy/

 

[overedge]

“This accusation (Pence funding gay conversion therapy) is totally false and has no basis in fact.

Well, if Snopes rates it as "mixed", then it's not "totally false" is it? FAKE NEWS!!!!!

 

[caseyedwards]

Rippon being extreme and extraordinary expert in Christianity should know about forgiveness and forgive Pence

 

[overedge]

Rippon being extreme and extraordinary expert in Christianity should know about forgiveness and forgive Pence

And you should STFU about things you obviously know nothing about.

 

[el henry]

When is the Oly freestyle skiing team announced? Maybe Gus Kenworthy will take some of the heat off Adam for quotes at that point....

Although I agree with every word Adam said. To say that I hope someday that sexuality doesn’t matter is to say someday I hope to be czarina of all the Russias. All well and good, but the day ain’t here yet. And it is NOT going to get to “don’t matter” status by complaining every time someone talks about it.

 

[caseyedwards]

And you should STFU about things you obviously know nothing about.

He presents himself as extreme expert on Christianity

“Mike Pence to say he’s a devout Christian man is completely contradictory. “

Why doesn’t he know about forgiveness or he is who without sin cast first stone?!?

 

[VGThuy]

He presents himself as extreme expert on Christianity

“Mike Pence to say he’s a devout Christian man is completely contradictory. “

Why doesn’t he know about forgiveness or he is who without sin cast first stone?!?

And now you are presenting yourself as an extreme expert on Christianity. Why don't you forgive Adam for making it on the Olympic team?