LGBTQ+ in figure skating

[CantALoop]

That’s incredible progress I mean nine out gay male athletes at the Olympics in figure skating. Plus all the ones who are not out. Congratulations on progress. Hopefully in five years or so it’s just not any big deal at all

If more athletes come out, Team LGBTQ+ might have enough entries in Milan to field a full team for the Team Event!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

If more athletes come out, Team LGBTQ+ might have enough entries in Milan to field a full team for the Team Event!

Brillz!!!!!!

 

[firstflight]

Have you all seen Filip Taschler in the RD, especially at Europeans and the Olympics? If not a member, at least an ally of sorts…

 

[antmanb]

Have you all seen Filip Taschler in the RD, especially at Europeans and the Olympics? If not a member, at least an ally of sorts…

Unless he has come out or said something as an ally then i think you've missed the point of this thread if you're just speculating about sexuality.

 

[firstflight]

Unless he has come out or said something as an ally then i think you've missed the point of this thread if you're just speculating about sexuality.

To me, posting “Express yourself….starry eyed emoji” with photos of that program- with that choice of choreography and the headband- says enough. I totally get that you disagree and need more concrete statements of ally-ship.

 

[CantALoop]

Yeah we shouldn’t speculate…but can we hope? If Filip is on our team then that’s a win

 

[Johnny_Fever]

LGBTQ Figure skating. Isn't that like saying 'Brief Summary' or 'Rough Estimation'?

 

[Sylvia]

9 Stories from Queer Figure Skaters in Their Own Words

Figure skating might seem like a queer-friendly space, but over the years a culture of fear has stopped skaters from coming out.

www.advocate.com

For decades, athletes have been pushed to play into narrow gender stereotypes on and off the ice, leaving LGBTQ+ athletes feeling like being themselves wasn’t an option. For the new season of the documentary podcast Blind Landing, we spoke with queer figure skaters from across generations and across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including Adam Rippon, Amber Glenn, Timothy LeDuc, Randy Gardner, Tim Goebel, Eliot Halverson, Jeremy Abbott, and Karina Manta, to hear stories about what it’s really like for queer skaters in the sport.

There are 8 out gay male skaters at the Olympics. In 2014, there were 0.

The out skaters feel comfortable within their sport and also want to inspire others.

www.outsports.com

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

We have discussed this topic in other threads here at the forum before but I will place this article in this thread for now…..

Could we see same-sex figure skating pairs at the Olympics? Never say never

Could we see same-sex figure skating pairs at the Olympics? Never say never — NBC Sports

Ahead of figure skating's gala at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu raised a question: why isn't she allowed to skate with one of her female competitors?

apple.news

 

[Areski]

Looking at the Grand Prix grids for this coming season it’s an amazing seven skaters I can identify as of today that are publicly out as LGBTQ+. So amazing and what change from just a few years ago!

Amber Glenn, Timothy LeDuc, Paul Poirier, Jason Brown, Eric Radford, Kevin Aymoz, Guillame Cizeron

Puts a smile on me

Aren't all male figure skaters gay anyway until proven otherwise? JK, but there's surely a lot of them and perhaps they're more likely to be passionate enough about this sport to reach very high level in it, or/and in figure skating it is not something that is shunned against which is definitely admirable.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

BBC posted an article about John Curry with comments by Cousins, Radford and Rippon and an animated segment:

John Curry: How Olympic champion and LGBT icon revolutionised figure skating

In 1976, John Curry became the Olympic, world and European champion in figure skating. However, off the ice, the impact he had on sport and the LGBT+ community was even greater.

www.bbc.com

John Curry was an icon, a trailblazer and one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.

Robin Cousins, who followed Curry as Olympic champion in 1980, said his contemporary had an exceptional blend of skills.

"You could use his footwork, his choreography, his style, his jumping technique, his spinning technique, all as teaching tools - that doesn't happen very often," he said.

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ I happened to catch this 23 min. documentary on BBC World News during the Olympics (Torvill & Dean were also interviewed, along with Matt Evers, and Yebin Mok skated (with Oscar Peter, I think?) - it's available to watch in GBR - John Curry: Floating on Ice:

BBC News - John Curry: Floating on Ice

This is the story of figure skating champion John Curry.

www.bbc.co.uk

"In 1976, John Curry became the Olympic, World and European champion in figure skating. Curry was a trailblazer on the ice, becoming the first male figure skater from Great Britain to win Olympic gold. But off the ice, through tragedy, love and controversy, the impact his life and career had on sport and the LGBT+ community was even greater. This is the story of John Curry."

 

[overedge]

We have discussed this topic in other threads here at the forum before but I will place this article in this thread for now…..

Could we see same-sex figure skating pairs at the Olympics? Never say never

Could we see same-sex figure skating pairs at the Olympics? Never say never — NBC Sports

Ahead of figure skating's gala at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu raised a question: why isn't she allowed to skate with one of her female competitors?

apple.news

It would be nice if this article had paid more attention to ice dance, as well as pairs. It's a lot more common for two girls/women to do ice dance as a couple, especially in places where there aren't enough guys to be ice dance partners or test partners. Ice dance is also easier for same-sex partners than pairs because it doesn't have lifts or throw jumps.

 

[gkelly]

I think a lot of outsiders who think about "pairs" in skating are more interested in the kinds of relationships depicted on the ice than in the actual techniques of the sport.

Many outsiders don't even understand the difference between pairs and ice dance.

Personally, I think it would be possible to allow same-sex teams in ice dance with male-male, female-female, and male-female teams competing against each other, if rules are only slightly adjusted to build in rewards for sharing duties between partners on strength moves.

For pairs, I think male-male, female-female, and mixed teams would need different rules from each other and separate competitions. The female-female version would probably use dance-type lifts rather than overhead lifts and would place more emphasis on side-by-side and on-ice intertwining skills.

I also think that allowing these combinations would result in a large number of female-female teams, so F-F pairs might develop into an elite event more quickly than M-M . . . although the latter would probably be more popular among many fans because it would be able to incorporate more spectacular tricks. Although not to the same extent that M-F pairs currently achieve.

I would be concerned that encouraging M-M teams would disappoint even more women who want to skate pairs but can't find a male partner than is currently the case.

All of which is separate from whether choreography would incorporate gestures of eye gazing, face stroking, etc., that imply heterosexual relationship in mixed teams and that would similarly imply gay/lesbian relationship in same-sex teams. But certainly viewers who want to read romantic relationships into performances that are not intended as such would read them as hetero or gay depending on the makeup of the team.

At a sporting level, it's more about what athletic skills can be achieved with these athletes' bodies.

And would there be a preference for same-sex teams who are close in size or who have large size differences as seen in most current pair skating teams?

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

I don't know if this is still the case but the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) figure skating competitions used to have a division called "similar pairs" in which only women competed. Not much in the way of lifts, but lots of side by side double jumps. I thought it was cool.

 

[CantALoop]

LGBTQ Figure skating. Isn't that like saying 'Brief Summary' or 'Rough Estimation'?

Aren't all male figure skaters gay anyway until proven otherwise? JK, but there's surely a lot of them and perhaps they're more likely to be passionate enough about this sport to reach very high level in it, or/and in figure skating it is not something that is shunned against which is definitely admirable.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I respect the privacy of individuals when it comes to sexuality.

Yes, someone might be screamingly fabulous like Johnny Weir (remember, he didn't come out while amateur), and they may have a truckload of circumstantial evidence, but if someone has their reasons for not coming out, I respect that.

Also, it depends on the country - it seems like Eastern European countries, Russia, Japan, Canada, and other countries with high winter sports participation have less gender and sexuality biases placed upon figure skating than countries like the US.

 

[Johnny_Fever]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I respect the privacy of individuals when it comes to sexuality.

Yes, someone might be screamingly fabulous like Johnny Weir (remember, he didn't come out while amateur), and they may have a truckload of circumstantial evidence, but if someone has their reasons for not coming out, I respect that.

Also, it depends on the country - it seems like Eastern European countries, Russia, Japan, Canada, and other countries with high winter sports participation have less gender and sexuality biases placed upon figure skating than countries like the US.

I was just messin' around. Those generalizations are made in TV comedy. Like when SNL does a sketch on the The U.S. Men's Heterosexual Figure Skating Championships, and all the participants suck. Nathan Chen is a good example of the fact that there are exceptions to the rule.

There's a reason you see fewer LGBT figure skaters outside the US. In those other countries, it's a more acceptable sport for a guy to be involved in. They're less likely to be subjected to ridicule. Here in the States, if you're already outside the box, you've got nothing to lose by pursuing a sport that has little mainstream acceptance.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Out Olympian Paul Poirier wants to change narratives around sports and inspire LGBTQ people to be their true selves​

Out Olympian Paul Poirier wants to change narratives around sports and inspire LGBTQ people to be their true selves

Poirier talks with Outsports about merging part of his personal and professional lives. Up next is the World Championships.

www.outsports.com

 

[Seerek]

Big kudos to Natalia Zabiiako for coming out with partner, tennis player Daria Kasatkina (currently WTA singles #12 and semifinalist at Roland Garros last month).

Tennis world rallies around Daria Kasatkina after brave revelation

Daria Kasatkina has revealed she is in a relationship with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Read more here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

 

[Rukia]

Big kudos to Natalia Zabiiako for coming out with partner, tennis player Daria Kasatkina (currently WTA singles #12).

Tennis world rallies around Daria Kasatkina after brave revelation

Daria Kasatkina has revealed she is in a relationship with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Read more here.

au.sports.yahoo.com

Gorgeous couple congrats to them both!

 

[Bouffantrex]

Congratulations to Zabiiako and her partner. I am glad she was able to escape Russia and wish her nothing but the best in Canada.

 

[Kateri]

SERIOUSLY???? MY BI-DAR CRUSH GAME IS IMMACULATE, I WIN AGAIN!

 

[deegee]

just scrolled quickly through the posts here but still not sure if this has been mentioned: gabby posted a clip in her ig stories earlier in the summer (like in may or june, i think) of an interview she did for a queer podcast where she says something along the line of not landing yet on a precise identity for herself other than to know very clearly that she doesn't identify as heterosexual.

does anyone else remember this? maybe it was a radio interview.

 

[Gris]

just scrolled quickly through the posts here but still not sure if this has been mentioned: gabby posted a clip in her ig stories earlier in the summer (like in may or june, i think) of an interview she did for a queer podcast where she says something along the line of not landing yet on a precise identity for herself other than to know very clearly that she doesn't identify as heterosexual.

does anyone else remember this? maybe it was a radio interview.

Papadakis/Cizeron #10 - Waacking All The Way To Beijing

French TV, VPN needed if watched outside France: https://twitter.com/francetvsport/status/1495494394065170437

www.fsuniverse.net

I think the interview linked in this post is what you're looking for.

 

[deegee]

Papadakis/Cizeron #10 - Waacking All The Way To Beijing

French TV, VPN needed if watched outside France: https://twitter.com/francetvsport/status/1495494394065170437

www.fsuniverse.net

I think the interview linked in this post is what you're looking for.

yes, that's it! ty!

 

[Seerek]

Was Maria Reikdal the first ever transgender competitor on the Junior Grand Prix when she competed last month in Riga?

Sorry if I'm a little behind or incorrect on this, this is about as close to a verifiable source I could find.

INTERVIEW Made by BBC news when I was forbidden to compete.

youtu.be

 

[MacMadame]

In the interview, she was on roller skates. Did she switch to ice?

 

[tony]

In the interview, she was on roller skates. Did she switch to ice?

..as noted, she competed on the Junior Grand Prix this year. The interview linked is over 2 years old.

Maria REIKDAL (BRA) | Women Short Program | Riga 2022 | #JGPFigure

To license ISU footage: https://bit.ly/3M7bcaF Visit https://isu.org/JuniorGrandPrix for more information on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.Cour...

youtu.be

Maria REIKDAL (BRA) | Women Free Skating | Riga 2022 | #JGPFigure

To license ISU footage: https://bit.ly/3M7bcaF Visit https://isu.org/JuniorGrandPrix for more information on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.Cour...

youtu.be

 

[Sylvia]

Was Maria Reikdal the first ever transgender competitor on the Junior Grand Prix when she competed last month in Riga?

Sorry if I'm a little behind or incorrect on this, this is about as close to a verifiable source I could find.

INTERVIEW Made by BBC news when I was forbidden to compete.

youtu.be

This BBC News video was filmed when she was 11; Maria turned 14 in March.

I came across this August 2022 article before Reikdal's JGP debut in Riga, Latvia, but didn't post the link at the time because I thought it was more important to focus on her skating in her first "big" international:

No gelo, Maria Joaquina estreia pelo Brasil no Junior Grand Prix

Vice-campeã Mundial Júnior de patinação inline, Maria Joaquina vai estrear em competições internacionais na patinação artística no gelo. Confira!

www.olimpiadatododia.com.br

Machine translated excerpts:

The athlete, who lives and trains at the Footwork Academy, in Curitiba (PR), is considered one of the biggest promises of skating – whether on ice or wheels – in the country. In the first modality, she is the current two-time Brazilian junior champion in 2021 and 2022. In the second, she achieved the silver medal at the Junior Inline World Championship, also in 2021.
“I have a talent for skating. If I put in the effort, I know I can have a future in the sport, even go to the Olympic Games”, commented the athlete exclusively for Olimpics Todo Dia and Brasil Zero Grau

Link to 14-minute documentary video in Portuguese ("produced during the Brazilian Figure Skating Championship held between December 17 and 19, 2019. Edited by Caio Poltronieri and interview by Giovana Pinheiro") that's embedded in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77mlebB1diE

Trans athlete, Maria Joaquina also challenges prejudice
Maria Joaquina was adopted with her two brothers at age 8 by the couple Cleber Reikdal and Gustavo Cavalcanti. It was around this time that she revealed to her family that she did not identify with the gender and that she began taking her first skating lessons with her father at Footwork.
“Once she felt comfortable socially, she completely changed. She was just a child who didn't identify with her gender, she had gender dysphoria”, explains Gustavo Cavalcanti, coach and Maria Joaquina's father .
Acceptance in the family environment, however, still encounters resistance in the sport environment. There was an event where she could compete, but couldn't use the women's bathroom. In 2019, she was only able to compete in the South American Wheel Skating after a decision by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
“It's cool for me to do interviews and talk about it. They began to understand me better and accept me better. I feel free skating”, says the young athlete.

The ISU, the highest body for figure skating, regulated the participation of transgender competitors in 2021 through Communication 2422. In the document, the entity provides that the athlete who declares herself to be female must have a testosterone level below 5 nmol /L (nanomol per litre) continuously for 12 months before the first competition.
This is no problem for Maria Joaquina. Ever since she revealed her discomfort with the old gender, the family has turned to expert support. She is monitored monthly in São Paulo and uses pubertal block. That is, drugs that suppress the release of testosterone during puberty. This treatment continues until the age of 16.
“She never had testosterone production. Maria's index is lower than my other daughter. Even if at age 16 she opts for another type of treatment, she will have no advantage in hormone levels or muscle mass. And they still think that's an advantage. In men, given her technical level, it would be even easier”, continues Cavalcanti.

Link to ISU Communication 2422: https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/26066-isu-communication-2422/file

 

[Sylvia]

Here's the link to Maria Reikdal's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/mj_mariajoaquina/

She is competing in Egna this week.

ETA that I'm so glad to read that, after JGP Riga, Maria's missing bags (including her skates!) finally were located by Ryanair and delivered to her in Milan in late September: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjBBAq6L0um/