Before the Gam, gay Olympian Adam Rippon spars wh Mike Pence

Contents:

• MIKE PENCE TANGL WH OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON OVER GAY RIGHTS RERD
• BEFORE THE GAM, GAY OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON SPARS WH MIKE PENCE
• MIKE PENCE PUBLICLY RPONDS AFTER GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON ALLEGEDLY TURNS DOWN MEETG
• MIKE PENCE RPONDS AFTER GAY OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON DECL MEETG
• AMERI'S FIRST OPENLY GAY WTER OLYMPIAN REPORTEDLY REJECTED MEETG MIKE PENCE TWICE
• GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON STANDS BY CRICISM OF MIKE PENCE AHEAD OF WTER OLYMPICS
• OPENLY GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON CLED CHANCE TO SPEAK WH VICE PRINT PENCE
• OLYMPICS: GAY SKATER ADAM RIPPON OPEN TO MEETG MIKE PENCE
• PENCE APPEALS TO GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATER WHO REPORTEDLY SNUBBED HIM

MIKE PENCE TANGL WH OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON OVER GAY RIGHTS RERD

9, 2018The 2018 Wter Olympics officially opened on Friday but the first b of drama has already boiled over: a three-way dispute between Adam Rippon, the first openly gay Amerin man to qualify to pete the Wter Gam; Mike Pence, the nservative vice print and longtime opponent of gay rights; and the newspaper USA ntroversi go, this one seems to have all. Rippon, a charismatic 28-year-old figure skater, newly mted gay in and social media darlg, cricized Mr.

BEFORE THE GAM, GAY OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON SPARS WH MIKE PENCE

Pence for his opposn to gay rights and long-mored support of nversn therapy, a discreded practice that proponents claim n make gay people straight.

“You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that fund gay nversn therapy? Pence at the rmal gatherg of Amerin athlet and the official legatn held before the Marovich for The New York Tim“If were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a iend of a gay person but that they thk that they’re sick, ” Mr.

MIKE PENCE PUBLICLY RPONDS AFTER GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON ALLEGEDLY TURNS DOWN MEETG

After statg his opposn to same-sex marriage and anti-discrimatn laws that protect gay people, his mpaign webse addrsed the Ryan Whe Care Act, which provid feral fundg for H. Gay and transgenr groups view that language as directed at their Rippon repeated his cricism of Mr. Figure skater Adam Rippon, who this month ma history as the first openly gay athlete to w a spot on the U.

"You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that fund gay nversn therapy? “I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a iend of a gay person but that they thk that they’re sick, ” Rippon told USA Today, though he did leave open the possibily of havg a nversatn wh Pence after the figure skatg petn. His views on nversn therapy, however, are Pence has nied support for the practice, a statement on an archived versn of his 2000 ngrsnal mpaign webse has been wily terpreted as supportive of nversn the headle "Strengtheng the Amerin Fay" and jt below his stated opposn to same-sex marriage and anti-discrimatn laws protectg "homosexuals, " Pence's platform advot that rourc "be directed toward those stutns which provi assistance to those seekg to change their sexual behavr.

MIKE PENCE RPONDS AFTER GAY OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON DECL MEETG

Openly gay figure skater Adam Rippon turned down an offer to meet wh Mike Pence weeks after lambastg the vice print for his posn on LGBT rights.

Adam Rippon, openly gay figure skatg champn, reportedly turned down an offer to meet wh Mike Pence after lambastg him for his posn on LGBT rights — promptg the vice print to publicly rpond.

” Rippon, who publicly me out as gay 2015, said the Jan. Beyond the issue of gay nversn therapy, Pence — a self-scribed relig nservative — has taken multiple anti-LGBT posns over the years. “If were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a iend of a gay person but that they thk that they’re sick, ” Rippon told USA Today.

AMERI'S FIRST OPENLY GAY WTER OLYMPIAN REPORTEDLY REJECTED MEETG MIKE PENCE TWICE

Mike Pence Rponds After Gay Olympian Adam Rippon Decl Meetg. ” Rippon went on to note that he would not “go out of [his] way” to meet wh Pence, who has “gone out of [his] way to not only show that [he isn’t] a iend of a gay person but that [he thks] that they’re sick. Rippon publicly me out as gay 2015; his reference to gay nversn therapy refers to a 2000 statement on Pence’s ngrsnal mpaign webse that advoted for Congrs to rethorize a law fundg HIV/AIDS treatment – particular, by directg funds toward “those stutns which provi assistance to those seekg to change their sexual behavr.

GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON STANDS BY CRICISM OF MIKE PENCE AHEAD OF WTER OLYMPICS

Adam Rippon, the first openly gay athlete to w a place on the US Wter Olympics team, turned down an vatn to meet Vice Print Mike Pence on Thursday, the send time he's done so.

OPENLY GAY FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON CLED CHANCE TO SPEAK WH VICE PRINT PENCE

Before Pence joed the Tmp admistratn, when he was Indiana's ernor, he was bt known for phg a ntroversial relig eedom law, which was wily cricized for allowg anti-LGBT 2006, when he was Congrs, he said that beg gay was a choice, and that marriage equaly uld lead to "societal llapse. " Print Tmp reportedly once joked about Pence wantg to "hang" all gay people.

OLYMPICS: GAY SKATER ADAM RIPPON OPEN TO MEETG MIKE PENCE

Rippon told the newspaper:“If were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a iend of a gay person but that they thk that they’re sick, ” Rippon said. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and Vice Print Mike Pence haven't exactly been on the bt of high-profile war of words over gay rights began January, and ntu now. Rippon, 28, of Los Angel, is the first openly gay athlete to qualify for a U.

Rippon, who was bullied and teased growg up Scranton, Pa., announced publicly he was gay the October 2015 issue of Skatg began his skatg reer at 9 years of age and is one of six children. Olympic legatn to South rpond: "You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that fund gay nversn therapy?

”Support lol journalism:Get our bt digal subscriptn al of the year nowOmarosa on Mike Pence:He's 'sry' and worse than TmpHe told Brennan he didn't want to meet Pence as is ctomary wh athlet prr to the Olympics, notg Pence had "gone out his way" to not beiend a gay person. Many gay-rights activists have terpreted the sentence to mean Pence supported gay nversn therapy. ” said Rippon, 28, who publicly me out as gay 2015.

PENCE APPEALS TO GAY OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATER WHO REPORTEDLY SNUBBED HIM

Beyond the issue of gay nversn therapy, Pence, a self-scribed relig nservative, has taken multiple anti-LGBT posns over the years.

It’s 2018 and beg an openly gay man and an athlete, that is part of the face of Ameri now.

Rippon is wily scribed as beg the first openly gay Amerin athlete at the Wter Olympics. Acrdg to two people wh knowledge of the suatn who were not thorized to speak publicly about , a member of Pence’s staff requted the nversatn wh the openly gay Rippon after readg the skater’s rogatory remarks about him a USA TODAY Sports story that had been published onle jt an hour, the two people said, cled the Olympics secury workers h wh vomg illns; ary personnel lled for backupMore:G Kenworthy feels like 'whole new person' leadg to PyeongchangThe spat between the vice print and the figure skater began when I asked Rippon last month about Pence’s selectn for the ceremonial role of leadg the U. ”The ments om Rippon about gay nversn therapy that so riled Pence e om a wispread belief stemmg om a statement Pence ma 2000 on his ngrsnal mpaign webse: “Rourc should be directed toward those stutns which provi assistance to those seekg to change their sexual behavr.