There have been 39 gay Olympic figure skaters. Here’s the list - Outsports

Contents:

• OLYMPIAN RANDY GARDNER SHAR HIS LIFE AS A GAY ATHLETE THE 1980S
• RANDY GARDNER ON BEG THE GAY HALF OF A ‘STRAIGHT’ FIGURE SKATG DUO
• THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 39 GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS. HERE’S THE LIST
• OLYMPIAN RANDY GARDNER SPIRED WATCHG OUT GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS 40 YEARS AFTER HIS OLYMPICS

OLYMPIAN RANDY GARDNER SHAR HIS LIFE AS A GAY ATHLETE THE 1980S

As a young Olympian transng to profsnal figure skatg the early 1980s, he found a small circle of support, cludg other gay men the sport, who knew he was gay. Yet when he vised the figure skatg petn years later for the 1994 Gay Gam New York Cy, was a revelatn. Gardner began explorg the life of a gay man the late Seventi when he met another young male figure skater and the two h off.

In 1981, jt as Gardner turned pro, tennis greats Billie Jean Kg and Marta Navratilova both me out as gay. If Middle Ameri had an issue wh the openly gay skater, and if they stopped buyg tickets, he had no reer. At the same time, daily news ems surfaced about a new “ncer” that was killg gay men.

The AIDS epimic was s fancy, and the stigma around gay men beme at tim unbearable. For Gardner, jt g to his own as the “gay ncer” popped up ci across Ameri, was a vastatg chapter his life even if cid wh his rise profsnal skatg and newfound social and enomic eedom.

RANDY GARDNER ON BEG THE GAY HALF OF A ‘STRAIGHT’ FIGURE SKATG DUO

The gay muny fought back hard, phg agast a Feral ernment that at every level risted helpg the muny fight the disease. “'Oh that's jt the gay muny.

THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 39 GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS. HERE’S THE LIST

The fac of Ryan Whe and Arthur Ashe opened the public’s ey to AIDS beg somethg other than a “gay ncer. While Gardner creasgly lived his life privately out over the years, was only 2006 that he publicly revealed that he was gay. There are openly gay athlet, out actors and even an out stg Senator.

Seeg out gay athlet get endorsement als wh mastream pani like Visa and Nike is somethg the profsnal skater never thought he’d live to see.

He’s also thrilled to see some of the world’s bt skaters be openly gay. I thk he's dog a lot for the gay muny, pecially Canada. Next summer Gardner hop to return to the Gay Gam Paris, this time as a skatg judge, and he’s touch wh the people who n make that happen.

OLYMPIAN RANDY GARDNER SPIRED WATCHG OUT GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS 40 YEARS AFTER HIS OLYMPICS

Gardner talks wh me about disverg his gay even as he and his figure skatg partner, Tai Babilonia, were wng Natnal Champnships. Important Note: this blog only featur athlet who voluntarily, personally and publicly disclosed themselv as gay.

NOTE January 2018: Sce this blog is almost two years old and this beg an Olympic year, I have now wrten and published “Seven More Fabulo Out Gay Men of Figure Skatg (and One Bisexual Woman.)” Do check out.

Please read “Five Key Msag on The Importance of Out Gay Olympic Athlet”. Recently, Out Magaze me out wh their list of “100 Hot Out Gay Men” which clud people entertament, sports, polics, bs, etc.