Wele to the 'Gay Gam,' an Olympics alternative, where activism is enuraged and everyone's an athlete | CNN

Contents:

• GAY ATHLET ARE MAKG HISTORY AT THE 2018 WTER OLYMPICS
• WTER OLYMPICS 2018: TEAM USA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS MARCH WH PRI OPENG CEREMONY
• OUT AND PROUD - GAY ATHLET
• SKIER G KENWORTHY GIV GAY ATHLET SOMETHG HE DIDN’T HAVE: A ROLE MOL
• OLYMPIANS ADAM RIPPON AND G KENWORTHY ON MIKE PENCE, VISIBILY, AND BEG GAY INS
• GAY ATHLET MAKE HISTORY AT WTER OLYMPICS
• WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE
• THE BTERSWEET BETY OF ADAM RIPPONHOW MUCH AN OUT GAY OLYMPIAN ULD MEAN TO A KID NOW—OR TO A 34-YEAR-OLD WHO’S BEEN WAG FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE.BY RICHARD LAWSONFEBARY 12, 2018BY DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS/GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEI FELL LOVE WH THE OLYMPICS, PARTICULARLY WH FIGURE SKATG, WHEN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. IT WAS 1992, AND OM FARAWAY ALBERTVILLE, FRANCE, I WAS TRODUCED TO KRISTI YAMAGUCHI AND NANCY KERRIGAN, TWO AMERIN ICE PRCS WHO BOTH MEDALED THAT YEAR, PTURG THE HEARTS OF LNS AND BURROWG TO MY NSCNS LIKE PERHAPS NOTHG BUT THE LTLE MERMAID HAD UP TO THAT POT.MY 10-YEAR-OLD SISTER WAS TO TOO, BUT NOT QUE THE SAME ARNT WAY. LUCKILY, I HAD A IEND, A BT IEND, REALLY—I’LL LL HIM RYAN—WHO UNRSTOOD WHAT ALL MEANT TO ME, BEE MEANT AS MUCH TO HIM. WE SPENT WHAT I REMEMBER BEG A WHOLE WTER CIDG WHICH SKATER WAS OUR FAVORE (ONLY THE WOMEN, NEVER THE MEN; EVEN AT THAT AGE, THERE WAS SOMETHG PERHAPS TOO TRIGUG ABOUT THEM) AND GLIDG AROUND ON HIS HARDWOOD LIVG-ROOM FLOOR OUR SOCKS—PRETENDG TO DO TRIPLE AXELS AND SALCHOWS, AWKWARDLY MIMICKG KERRIGAN’S BEGUILG SPS—TWO SILLY LTLE BOYS WH AN APPRECIATN FOR THE GRACEFUL THGS THIS ROUGH WORLD.BY THE TIME THE LILLEHAMMER GAM 1994 ARRIVED (HOW SPOILED WE WERE TO HAVE THEM ONLY TWO YEARS APART!), WH ALL THEIR TONYA HARDG DRAMA, RYAN AND I HAD DRIFTED APART, AS IS THE NATURAL DOWNWARD ARC OF A IENDSHIP WHEN YOU DON’T GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL OR LIVE THE SAME TOWN. OURS, I ALWAYS SUPPOSED, HAD JT BEEN A IENDSHIP OF NVENIENCE, UNTIL WASN’T. WHAT REMAED WAS MY LOVE OF OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATG, AND I WATCHED RAPT EVERY FOUR YEARS. MY HMAN YEAR OF LLEGE, MY NEW IENDS (ALL GIRLS) THOUGHT I WAS SANE—BUT ALSO MAYBE A LTLE FUN—WHEN I CRIED BTER TEARS AT MICHELLE KWAN’S GEO “FIELDS OF GOLD” EXHIBN SKATE, AFTER SHE’D FISHED A DISAPPOTG THIRD. OVER THE YEARS, OLYMPIC ICE SKATG OFFERED ME AN OUTLET FOR BIG FEELGS, THE WAY OTHER SPORTS MIGHT DO FOR OTHER MEN, I SUPPOSE.ANYWAY, I GOT OLR. TIME PASSED. I ME OUT, HAD A FEW FUMBLG ROMANC WH GUYS, AND I BEGAN MY ADULT LIFE. I WOULD SOMETIM, UALLY AROUND OLYMPICS TIME, WAX MDL TO OTHER IENDS ABOUT RYAN AND OUR SKATG OBSSN THAT WTER LONG AGO. PERHAPS SPURRED ON BY ONE OF THOSE REVERI, A FEW YEARS AGO I TRACKED RYAN DOWN ON FACEBOOK. I SAW THAT HE LIVED LOS ANGEL, AND, LIKE ME, WAS A WRER. AND I SAW THAT, QUE UNLIKE ME, HE WAS VASTATGLY HANDSOME—A LLEGE SOCCER JOCK-TURNED-WEEKEND OUTDOORSMAN, WH THE RIPPLED AME AND CHISELED FEATUR TO MATCH.WH SOME BATN OF CURSY AND JEALONS, I REACHED OUT—TOLD HIM I’D BE TOWN FOR A WORK THG A UPLE MONTHS, AND WOULD HE MAYBE LIKE TO GET A DRK. HE AGREED AND WE MET—EVEN MORE HANDSOME PERSON, BUT STILL THE FOX-FACED BOY I REMEMBER AT EIGHT YEARS OLD—AND OVER THE URSE OF A UPLE OF DRKS, I LEARNED THAT HE IS GAY TOO. I WAS SURPRISED, AND TOLD HIM AS MUCH. HE REPLIED, “SURPRISED? RICHARD, WE ED TO DO FIGURE-SKATG ROUT MY LIVG ROOM.” SO HE REMEMBERED TOO!LAST SUMMER I TOOK SOME IENDS UP TO MY PARENTS’ HOE RHO ISLAND, AND ON THE FIRST NIGHT, MY MOTHER AND I WERE UPSTAIRS, MAKG UP THE FOLD-OUT UCH FOR ONE OF THE GUTS. I N’T REMEMBER HOW WE GOT ON THE TOPIC, BUT SOMEHOW RYAN ME UP. SHE ASKED IF HE WAS MARRIED AND I SAID—AS IF THIS WAS AN ANSWER TO HER QUTN—THAT, NO, HE WAS GAY. MY MOM STOPPED TENDG TO THE BEDSHEETS AND LOOKED UP AT ME. “YOU’RE KIDDG,” SHE SAID. “HE’S GAY? AND TO THK HIS FATHER SAID YOU TWO ULDN’T SEE EACH OTHER ANYMORE BEE HE THOUGHT YOU WERE GAY.”I WAS SHOCKED, AND ASKED MY MOM A FEW QUTNS ABOUT —WAS THE THKG THAT I, AT EIGHT YEARS OLD, WAS TURNG RYAN GAY? HAD I ASKED WHY I SUDNLY DIDN’T SEE MY BT IEND ANYMORE?—BUT THEN JT KD OF BSHED OFF AND HEAD BACK TO THE WEEKEND WH MY IENDS, TO A LIFE WHERE I TRY TO NOT ET TOO MUCH OVER STUFF THAT DID OR DIDN’T HAPPEN A QUARTER CENTURY AGO. BUT OVER TIME, THAT LTLE SUAL REVEAL—THAT RYAN AND I HAD NOT NATURALLY DRIFTED APART, AS I’D LONG THOUGHT—BEGAN TO WEAR AT ME. IN THE MONTHS SCE, ’S MA ME SO SAD FOR LTLE ME AND LTLE HIM—GAY BOYS WHO WERE UNAWARE OF THE MECHANISMS LOOMG OVER THEM, WHO DID NOT KNOW THEY’D BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT, HAD BEEN NSIRED FOR THEIR DIFFERENCE ALREADY.I THOUGHT OF RYAN ON SUNDAY NIGHT, WHEN FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON MA HIS GRAND OLYMPIC BUT—OLD, AT 28 (UGH), FOR A FIRST-TIME OLYMPIAN, BUT SO MANY OTHER WAYS BRAND NEW. HE’S THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AMERIN ATHLETE TO QUALIFY FOR THE WTER OLYMPICS (OUT GAY SKIER G KENWORTHY PETED HIS FIRST OLYMPICS WHILE STILL THE CLOSET), AND HAS BEEN PLAYFULLY UNABASHED ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, ON AND OFF THE ICE. I’D BEEN AWARE OF RIPPON, PERHAPS PAFULLY SO, FOR A UPLE OF YEARS, BUT HAD NOT REALLY GRAPPLED WH WHAT HE MIGHT MEAN UNTIL HIS SKATE THE TEAM EVENT ON SUNDAY, A TWTER-TRENDG RIGHTEO MOMENT THAT FELT LIKE A HIGH ACHIEVEMENT BEFORE THE SR EVEN ME . (THE AMERINS EVENTUALLY EARNED A BRONZE MEDAL.)PERHAPS THE TIMG WAS JT RIGHT FOR RIPPON, WH AMERI MIRED DISPIRG POLIL DISASTER AND ROILG SOCIAL ANIM. PRR TO THE GAM, RIPPON VOICED DISAPPROVAL OF VICE PRINT MIKE PENCE—WHO WOULD BE ATTENDG THE OPENG CEREMONI AND PLANNED TO MEET WH THE U.S. TEAM—TURNG RIPPON TO SOMETHG OF A POLIL HERO. (OF URSE, RIPPON ENJOYS A CERTA LEVEL OF PROTECTN THAT POLILLY OUTSPOKEN ATHLET OF LOR, LIKE COL KAEPERNICK, DO NOT.) AND THEN HE WENT AND DID HIS ROUTE, A SOFT-SPOKEN, ELEGANT PROGRAM SET TO COLDPLAY MIC (YUP!), MORE FLUID AND LITE AND, Y, EFFEMATE, THAN THE BOY SKATERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. HERE WAS A MAN BEG HIMSELF, AT THE PEAK OF HIS ABILI, ON AN TERNATNAL STAGE, HAILED AS A HERO. AND EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS GAY!EVERYONE KNEW JOHNNY WEIR WAS GAY BACK 2006 AND 2010, WHEN HIS LOUD STUM AND QUEENY SOUCIANCE WERE THE FOC OF MUCH OLYMPIC CHATTER. BUT HE DIDN’T SAY UNTIL LATER; THERE WAS ALWAYS A GUARDNS ABOUT HIM, A TEASE. WEIR WAS A MENTATOR LAST NIGHT DURG RIPPON’S SKATE, AND I THOUGHT I HEARD A LTLE TCH HIS VOICE, SOME NOTE OF REGRET. MAYBE THAT WAS ME PROJECTG, BUT I’D HAVE TO IMAGE THAT SOMEONE LIKE RIPPON—SO SIAR EXCEPT ONE CCIAL WAY—MIGHT GIVE WEIR PSE, MAKE HIM THK ABOUT HIS OWN OLYMPIC PAST, AND WONR WHAT IF.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLI SPECT THAT RIPPON HAS THAT EFFECT ON LOTS OF PEOPLE—THAT MIX OF EXCEMENT AND MELANCHOLY. HE CERTALY DO ON ME. HAVE I MENTNED YET THAT ADAM RIPPON IS GEO? LIKE, CHISELED BY AN ANCIENT (AND FELY GAY) GREEK SCULPTOR WH A LOVG HAND, MMERIZGLY SYMMETRIL WH EY THAT GLOW LIKE JEWELS. HE’S ABSURD, REALLY. IT HURTS TO LOOK AT ADAM RIPPON, BUT THE DOULR EXQUISE WAY, THE GOOD KD OF HURT—THE KD THAT ACH TO BE WH HIM, THAT ACH TO BE HIM.THAT’S A FEELG PERHAPS UNIQUELY PARTICULAR TO THE GAY EXPERIENCE, THE MUDDIED NFN OVER WHETHER YOU WANT TO BE SOMEONE’S PANN OR IF YOU WANT TO STEP SI THEIR SK, TO HAB THE WORLD AS THEY DO. WATCHG RIPPON HAVE HIS TRIUMPHANT MOMENT ON SUNDAY NIGHT—AND GIVE A FUNNY, ANK TERVIEW AFTERWARD—I FELT THE KD OF YEARNG FOR A CELEBRY THAT I HAVEN’T FELT SCE I WAS 17, HALF MY LIFE AGO. HOW STRANGE TO EXPERIENCE THAT WHILE WATCHG SPORTS, AN AREA OF CULTURE I’M UALLY PRETTY ALIENATED OM UNLS ’S OLYMPICS TIME. SURE THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF SWIMMERS AND GYMNASTS AND WHOMEVER ELSE TO LT AFTER OLYMPICS PAST, BUT RIPPON IS SOMETHG ELSE—A SASSY BEAN OF HOPE, A GAY ANGEL SENT TO LIGHT AND, SURE, SADN A LTLE WH ALL HIS DISTANT BETY AND POISE.I FELT THIS AS A 34-YEAR-OLD, AND THEN REALIZED HOW MUCH MORE ACUTELY THE ADAM RIPPON OF ALL MT SWEETLY STG FOR A WI-EYED KID. THE EFFIVE REACTN TO RIPPON SHOWS HOW VERY IMPORTANT REPRENTATN N BE, JT AS BLACK PANTHER WILL WHEN ARRIV MOVIE THEATERS THIS WEEK. IT MATTERS TO A CHILD—AND TO AN ADULT—TO, Y, SEE SOME REFLECTN OF THEMSELV. BUT ALSO TO HAVE THE FARAWAY HERO, THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IALS. MAYBE THOSE UNREACHABLE GODS SOMEHOW HELP CLARIFY THGS HERE ON EARTH.IF I, AT EIGHT, OR 10, OR 14 (OH GOD, 14), HAD SEEN ADAM RIPPON ALL HIS SWANNG, PROUD SPLENDOR, AND EVERYONE APPLDG HIM FOR , WOULD HAVE STROYED ME—BUT ALSO REMA ME. IT WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHG TO ME THAT I RARELY EVER HEARD SAID. HOW MUCH TIME YOUNG QUEER PEOPLE SPEND YEARNG FOR THAT KD OF NNECTN, FOREVER SIFTG THROUGH CULTURE TO FD THE GAY STUFF. WHEN YOU FD , N SPEAK TO YOU ALMOST HOLY TON. ON SUNDAY NIGHT, THERE WAS GAY STUFF, AND SWISHY GAY STUFF TO BOOT, RIGHT THERE ON NATNAL TV, FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED : POWERFUL AND ACPLISHED AND BETIFUL.WATCHG RIPPON’S PROGRAM, AND ALL THE SUBSEQUENT FERVOR, I LET MYSELF DRIFT BACK TO MY SOCKED-FOOT SKATG DAYS. I WONRED IF RYAN WATCHED THE BROADST, AND WHAT HE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT . I ENTERTAED A BTERSWEET FANTASY, WISHG THAT WE WERE KIDS NOW, WATCHG RIPPON’S BIG SKATE TOGETHER, MAYBE NOT AWARE OF WHAT EXACTLY WE WERE SEEG, BUT POSSSED OF THAT TERNAL KNOWG, THAT REGNN OF SAME, THAT TO RM SO MUCH OF GAY LIFE. THE NEW SADNS THAT BLOOMED ME LAST SUMMER, WHEN I LEARNED THE TE HISTORY OF ME AND RYAN, WAS POUND, BUT A STRANGE WAY ALSO HEALED, ON SUNDAY NIGHT. HOW OFTEN, WAYS PETTY AND PROFOUND, THE WORLD TRI TO TAMP DOWN WHAT ADAM RIPPON SO WONDROLY, NFINTLY EXUD ON THAT ICE. AND HOW TERRIFIC THAT SO MANY KIDS MAY HAVE SEEN AND LOVED AND THEN GONE SKATG AROUND THEIR OWN LIVG ROOMS, MAYBE FEELG A LTLE EER THAN BEFORE.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLTHE BT SIGHTS AT THE 2018 OLYMPICS OPENG CEREMONY1 / 18CHEVRONCHEVRONBY QUN ROONEY/GETTY IMAG.RICHARD LAWSON

GAY ATHLET ARE MAKG HISTORY AT THE 2018 WTER OLYMPICS

Gay athlet have probably been settg Olympic rerds sce the days of the ancient Greeks. But openly gay and lbian athlet are another matter, pecially the Wter Olympics, which mak a uple of recent ton all the more noteworthy.

WTER OLYMPICS 2018: TEAM USA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS MARCH WH PRI OPENG CEREMONY

First, Team USA’s Adam Rippon ma history by beg the first out gay man om the US to medal a Wter Olympics by takg home the bronze for his ee skate performance. Then, Canadian Eric Radford beme the first openly gay Wter Olympics champn after wng the gold wh partner Meagan Duhamel the pairs ee skate performance.

Rippon is one of two openly gay Amerin athlet to reprent team USA for the first time the Wter Olympics, along wh etyle skig’s G Kenworthy. The number of openly gay athlet is still relatively small, and those who e out tend to do so after their first major petns – for a variety of reasons.

Brian Boano, the 1988 Olympic figure skatg gold medalist, announced he was gay 2013, after Print Obama named him to the official US legatn to the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

OUT AND PROUD - GAY ATHLET

Qutned about the choice of Pence January, Rippon said: “You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that fund gay nversn therapy?

SKIER G KENWORTHY GIV GAY ATHLET SOMETHG HE DIDN’T HAVE: A ROLE MOL

Rippon’s team claim to have turned down approach om Pence’s team for the two to meet – although Pence’s team have disputed is also notable for a riposte he gave to beg asked what is like to be a gay athlete – “It’s exactly like beg a straight athlete. Earlier this week Fox News published, then leted, a lumn by executive edor John Moody, who had wrten that the US Olympic Commtee was tryg to change the Olympic motto om “Faster, Higher, Stronger” to “Darker, Gayer, Different” acceptance of out gay athlet petg Pyeongchang mak a sharp ntrast to the official approach to LGBT rights at the prev Wter Olympics. In 2014, Sochi’s mayor Anatoly Pakhomov dismissed ncerns about Rsia’s track rerd on equaly by assertg that there were no gay people the cy.

Prr to those Gam, more than 50 current and former Olympians backed the Prciple 6 mpaign agast Rsia’s anti-gay laws, named after the clse the Olympic charter that guarante non-discrimatn. If that young kid was able to see someone on TV — someone siar to myself, who was openly gay and wng medals — then maybe that would give them the nfince to feel was tly possible for them.

OLYMPIANS ADAM RIPPON AND G KENWORTHY ON MIKE PENCE, VISIBILY, AND BEG GAY INS

Flash forward to the openg ceremony of Pyeongchang 2018 and the Sochi silver medallist walked to the Olympic stadium wh Team USA as one of their first openly gay male Wter Olympic athlet. Skater Rippon had cricised Pence durg an terview wh USA Today for exprsg anti-LGBT views and acced him of supportg gay nversn therapy, which Pence's ais have an emotnal terview wh Ski Sunday 2017, Kenworthy said of all the thgs he has done his life, he was most proud of g out. ‘I am gay’.

Out and proud - gay athlet. For the first time, two openly gay Amerin athlet peted the gam.

GAY ATHLET MAKE HISTORY AT WTER OLYMPICS

Brockhoff me out publicly as gay 2013 prr to the 2014 Sochi Gam as a prott agast anti-LGBT laws that were passed Rsia. She said that beg openly gay has allowed her to pete whout add strs.

“That don’t mean they have to blare out that they are gay. In his g out terview wh Outsports, he highlighted one benef of beg a male pairs skater who is gay. Rippon me out 2015 and proudly wears the banner of beg the first publicly gay figure skater.

At least 186 publicly out gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, queer and nonbary athlet were Tokyo for the Summer Olympic Gam, more than triple the number who participated at the 2016 R Gam.

WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

“Competg at the Olympics as an openly gay athlete is pretty amazg, ” Canadian swimmer Mark Thormeyer told Outsports. Thormeyer was not out when he peted at the 2016 R Olympics and me out publicly as gay a 2020 say for Outsports.

Elissa Alarie (Canada)#Brt Benn (Canada)#Kelly Brazier (New Zealand)Gayle Broughton (New Zealand)#Isadora Cello (Brazil) Lren Doyle (USA)#Mara Fravanti (Brazil)#Megan Jon (Bra)Alev Kelter (USA)Ghislae Landry (Canada)#Kaili Lan (Canada)#Celia Quansah (Bra)Kristen Thomas (USA)Ruby Tui (New Zealand)#Sharni Williams (Atralia)Portia Woodman (New Zealand). Eat your heart out, Mike Pence, and anyone else predisposed to sneerg at his good, gay took the etyle skier 24 years to get to this place — to stop hidg, to love himself unabashedly — and that is more valuable to him than his sloptyle silver medal om the Sochi Olympics. He and figure skater Adam Rippon are Team USA’s first openly gay male Wter Olympians.

THE BTERSWEET BETY OF ADAM RIPPONHOW MUCH AN OUT GAY OLYMPIAN ULD MEAN TO A KID NOW—OR TO A 34-YEAR-OLD WHO’S BEEN WAG FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE.BY RICHARD LAWSONFEBARY 12, 2018BY DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS/GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEI FELL LOVE WH THE OLYMPICS, PARTICULARLY WH FIGURE SKATG, WHEN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. IT WAS 1992, AND OM FARAWAY ALBERTVILLE, FRANCE, I WAS TRODUCED TO KRISTI YAMAGUCHI AND NANCY KERRIGAN, TWO AMERIN ICE PRCS WHO BOTH MEDALED THAT YEAR, PTURG THE HEARTS OF LNS AND BURROWG TO MY NSCNS LIKE PERHAPS NOTHG BUT THE LTLE MERMAID HAD UP TO THAT POT.MY 10-YEAR-OLD SISTER WAS TO TOO, BUT NOT QUE THE SAME ARNT WAY. LUCKILY, I HAD A IEND, A BT IEND, REALLY—I’LL LL HIM RYAN—WHO UNRSTOOD WHAT ALL MEANT TO ME, BEE MEANT AS MUCH TO HIM. WE SPENT WHAT I REMEMBER BEG A WHOLE WTER CIDG WHICH SKATER WAS OUR FAVORE (ONLY THE WOMEN, NEVER THE MEN; EVEN AT THAT AGE, THERE WAS SOMETHG PERHAPS TOO TRIGUG ABOUT THEM) AND GLIDG AROUND ON HIS HARDWOOD LIVG-ROOM FLOOR OUR SOCKS—PRETENDG TO DO TRIPLE AXELS AND SALCHOWS, AWKWARDLY MIMICKG KERRIGAN’S BEGUILG SPS—TWO SILLY LTLE BOYS WH AN APPRECIATN FOR THE GRACEFUL THGS THIS ROUGH WORLD.BY THE TIME THE LILLEHAMMER GAM 1994 ARRIVED (HOW SPOILED WE WERE TO HAVE THEM ONLY TWO YEARS APART!), WH ALL THEIR TONYA HARDG DRAMA, RYAN AND I HAD DRIFTED APART, AS IS THE NATURAL DOWNWARD ARC OF A IENDSHIP WHEN YOU DON’T GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL OR LIVE THE SAME TOWN. OURS, I ALWAYS SUPPOSED, HAD JT BEEN A IENDSHIP OF NVENIENCE, UNTIL WASN’T. WHAT REMAED WAS MY LOVE OF OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATG, AND I WATCHED RAPT EVERY FOUR YEARS. MY HMAN YEAR OF LLEGE, MY NEW IENDS (ALL GIRLS) THOUGHT I WAS SANE—BUT ALSO MAYBE A LTLE FUN—WHEN I CRIED BTER TEARS AT MICHELLE KWAN’S GEO “FIELDS OF GOLD” EXHIBN SKATE, AFTER SHE’D FISHED A DISAPPOTG THIRD. OVER THE YEARS, OLYMPIC ICE SKATG OFFERED ME AN OUTLET FOR BIG FEELGS, THE WAY OTHER SPORTS MIGHT DO FOR OTHER MEN, I SUPPOSE.ANYWAY, I GOT OLR. TIME PASSED. I ME OUT, HAD A FEW FUMBLG ROMANC WH GUYS, AND I BEGAN MY ADULT LIFE. I WOULD SOMETIM, UALLY AROUND OLYMPICS TIME, WAX MDL TO OTHER IENDS ABOUT RYAN AND OUR SKATG OBSSN THAT WTER LONG AGO. PERHAPS SPURRED ON BY ONE OF THOSE REVERI, A FEW YEARS AGO I TRACKED RYAN DOWN ON FACEBOOK. I SAW THAT HE LIVED LOS ANGEL, AND, LIKE ME, WAS A WRER. AND I SAW THAT, QUE UNLIKE ME, HE WAS VASTATGLY HANDSOME—A LLEGE SOCCER JOCK-TURNED-WEEKEND OUTDOORSMAN, WH THE RIPPLED AME AND CHISELED FEATUR TO MATCH.WH SOME BATN OF CURSY AND JEALONS, I REACHED OUT—TOLD HIM I’D BE TOWN FOR A WORK THG A UPLE MONTHS, AND WOULD HE MAYBE LIKE TO GET A DRK. HE AGREED AND WE MET—EVEN MORE HANDSOME PERSON, BUT STILL THE FOX-FACED BOY I REMEMBER AT EIGHT YEARS OLD—AND OVER THE URSE OF A UPLE OF DRKS, I LEARNED THAT HE IS GAY TOO. I WAS SURPRISED, AND TOLD HIM AS MUCH. HE REPLIED, “SURPRISED? RICHARD, WE ED TO DO FIGURE-SKATG ROUT MY LIVG ROOM.” SO HE REMEMBERED TOO!LAST SUMMER I TOOK SOME IENDS UP TO MY PARENTS’ HOE RHO ISLAND, AND ON THE FIRST NIGHT, MY MOTHER AND I WERE UPSTAIRS, MAKG UP THE FOLD-OUT UCH FOR ONE OF THE GUTS. I N’T REMEMBER HOW WE GOT ON THE TOPIC, BUT SOMEHOW RYAN ME UP. SHE ASKED IF HE WAS MARRIED AND I SAID—AS IF THIS WAS AN ANSWER TO HER QUTN—THAT, NO, HE WAS GAY. MY MOM STOPPED TENDG TO THE BEDSHEETS AND LOOKED UP AT ME. “YOU’RE KIDDG,” SHE SAID. “HE’S GAY? AND TO THK HIS FATHER SAID YOU TWO ULDN’T SEE EACH OTHER ANYMORE BEE HE THOUGHT YOU WERE GAY.”I WAS SHOCKED, AND ASKED MY MOM A FEW QUTNS ABOUT —WAS THE THKG THAT I, AT EIGHT YEARS OLD, WAS TURNG RYAN GAY? HAD I ASKED WHY I SUDNLY DIDN’T SEE MY BT IEND ANYMORE?—BUT THEN JT KD OF BSHED OFF AND HEAD BACK TO THE WEEKEND WH MY IENDS, TO A LIFE WHERE I TRY TO NOT ET TOO MUCH OVER STUFF THAT DID OR DIDN’T HAPPEN A QUARTER CENTURY AGO. BUT OVER TIME, THAT LTLE SUAL REVEAL—THAT RYAN AND I HAD NOT NATURALLY DRIFTED APART, AS I’D LONG THOUGHT—BEGAN TO WEAR AT ME. IN THE MONTHS SCE, ’S MA ME SO SAD FOR LTLE ME AND LTLE HIM—GAY BOYS WHO WERE UNAWARE OF THE MECHANISMS LOOMG OVER THEM, WHO DID NOT KNOW THEY’D BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT, HAD BEEN NSIRED FOR THEIR DIFFERENCE ALREADY.I THOUGHT OF RYAN ON SUNDAY NIGHT, WHEN FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON MA HIS GRAND OLYMPIC BUT—OLD, AT 28 (UGH), FOR A FIRST-TIME OLYMPIAN, BUT SO MANY OTHER WAYS BRAND NEW. HE’S THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AMERIN ATHLETE TO QUALIFY FOR THE WTER OLYMPICS (OUT GAY SKIER G KENWORTHY PETED HIS FIRST OLYMPICS WHILE STILL THE CLOSET), AND HAS BEEN PLAYFULLY UNABASHED ABOUT HIS SEXUALY, ON AND OFF THE ICE. I’D BEEN AWARE OF RIPPON, PERHAPS PAFULLY SO, FOR A UPLE OF YEARS, BUT HAD NOT REALLY GRAPPLED WH WHAT HE MIGHT MEAN UNTIL HIS SKATE THE TEAM EVENT ON SUNDAY, A TWTER-TRENDG RIGHTEO MOMENT THAT FELT LIKE A HIGH ACHIEVEMENT BEFORE THE SR EVEN ME . (THE AMERINS EVENTUALLY EARNED A BRONZE MEDAL.)PERHAPS THE TIMG WAS JT RIGHT FOR RIPPON, WH AMERI MIRED DISPIRG POLIL DISASTER AND ROILG SOCIAL ANIM. PRR TO THE GAM, RIPPON VOICED DISAPPROVAL OF VICE PRINT MIKE PENCE—WHO WOULD BE ATTENDG THE OPENG CEREMONI AND PLANNED TO MEET WH THE U.S. TEAM—TURNG RIPPON TO SOMETHG OF A POLIL HERO. (OF URSE, RIPPON ENJOYS A CERTA LEVEL OF PROTECTN THAT POLILLY OUTSPOKEN ATHLET OF LOR, LIKE COL KAEPERNICK, DO NOT.) AND THEN HE WENT AND DID HIS ROUTE, A SOFT-SPOKEN, ELEGANT PROGRAM SET TO COLDPLAY MIC (YUP!), MORE FLUID AND LITE AND, Y, EFFEMATE, THAN THE BOY SKATERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. HERE WAS A MAN BEG HIMSELF, AT THE PEAK OF HIS ABILI, ON AN TERNATNAL STAGE, HAILED AS A HERO. AND EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS GAY!EVERYONE KNEW JOHNNY WEIR WAS GAY BACK 2006 AND 2010, WHEN HIS LOUD STUM AND QUEENY SOUCIANCE WERE THE FOC OF MUCH OLYMPIC CHATTER. BUT HE DIDN’T SAY UNTIL LATER; THERE WAS ALWAYS A GUARDNS ABOUT HIM, A TEASE. WEIR WAS A MENTATOR LAST NIGHT DURG RIPPON’S SKATE, AND I THOUGHT I HEARD A LTLE TCH HIS VOICE, SOME NOTE OF REGRET. MAYBE THAT WAS ME PROJECTG, BUT I’D HAVE TO IMAGE THAT SOMEONE LIKE RIPPON—SO SIAR EXCEPT ONE CCIAL WAY—MIGHT GIVE WEIR PSE, MAKE HIM THK ABOUT HIS OWN OLYMPIC PAST, AND WONR WHAT IF.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLI SPECT THAT RIPPON HAS THAT EFFECT ON LOTS OF PEOPLE—THAT MIX OF EXCEMENT AND MELANCHOLY. HE CERTALY DO ON ME. HAVE I MENTNED YET THAT ADAM RIPPON IS GEO? LIKE, CHISELED BY AN ANCIENT (AND FELY GAY) GREEK SCULPTOR WH A LOVG HAND, MMERIZGLY SYMMETRIL WH EY THAT GLOW LIKE JEWELS. HE’S ABSURD, REALLY. IT HURTS TO LOOK AT ADAM RIPPON, BUT THE DOULR EXQUISE WAY, THE GOOD KD OF HURT—THE KD THAT ACH TO BE WH HIM, THAT ACH TO BE HIM.THAT’S A FEELG PERHAPS UNIQUELY PARTICULAR TO THE GAY EXPERIENCE, THE MUDDIED NFN OVER WHETHER YOU WANT TO BE SOMEONE’S PANN OR IF YOU WANT TO STEP SI THEIR SK, TO HAB THE WORLD AS THEY DO. WATCHG RIPPON HAVE HIS TRIUMPHANT MOMENT ON SUNDAY NIGHT—AND GIVE A FUNNY, ANK TERVIEW AFTERWARD—I FELT THE KD OF YEARNG FOR A CELEBRY THAT I HAVEN’T FELT SCE I WAS 17, HALF MY LIFE AGO. HOW STRANGE TO EXPERIENCE THAT WHILE WATCHG SPORTS, AN AREA OF CULTURE I’M UALLY PRETTY ALIENATED OM UNLS ’S OLYMPICS TIME. SURE THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF SWIMMERS AND GYMNASTS AND WHOMEVER ELSE TO LT AFTER OLYMPICS PAST, BUT RIPPON IS SOMETHG ELSE—A SASSY BEAN OF HOPE, A GAY ANGEL SENT TO LIGHT AND, SURE, SADN A LTLE WH ALL HIS DISTANT BETY AND POISE.I FELT THIS AS A 34-YEAR-OLD, AND THEN REALIZED HOW MUCH MORE ACUTELY THE ADAM RIPPON OF ALL MT SWEETLY STG FOR A WI-EYED KID. THE EFFIVE REACTN TO RIPPON SHOWS HOW VERY IMPORTANT REPRENTATN N BE, JT AS BLACK PANTHER WILL WHEN ARRIV MOVIE THEATERS THIS WEEK. IT MATTERS TO A CHILD—AND TO AN ADULT—TO, Y, SEE SOME REFLECTN OF THEMSELV. BUT ALSO TO HAVE THE FARAWAY HERO, THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IALS. MAYBE THOSE UNREACHABLE GODS SOMEHOW HELP CLARIFY THGS HERE ON EARTH.IF I, AT EIGHT, OR 10, OR 14 (OH GOD, 14), HAD SEEN ADAM RIPPON ALL HIS SWANNG, PROUD SPLENDOR, AND EVERYONE APPLDG HIM FOR , WOULD HAVE STROYED ME—BUT ALSO REMA ME. IT WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHG TO ME THAT I RARELY EVER HEARD SAID. HOW MUCH TIME YOUNG QUEER PEOPLE SPEND YEARNG FOR THAT KD OF NNECTN, FOREVER SIFTG THROUGH CULTURE TO FD THE GAY STUFF. WHEN YOU FD , N SPEAK TO YOU ALMOST HOLY TON. ON SUNDAY NIGHT, THERE WAS GAY STUFF, AND SWISHY GAY STUFF TO BOOT, RIGHT THERE ON NATNAL TV, FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED : POWERFUL AND ACPLISHED AND BETIFUL.WATCHG RIPPON’S PROGRAM, AND ALL THE SUBSEQUENT FERVOR, I LET MYSELF DRIFT BACK TO MY SOCKED-FOOT SKATG DAYS. I WONRED IF RYAN WATCHED THE BROADST, AND WHAT HE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT . I ENTERTAED A BTERSWEET FANTASY, WISHG THAT WE WERE KIDS NOW, WATCHG RIPPON’S BIG SKATE TOGETHER, MAYBE NOT AWARE OF WHAT EXACTLY WE WERE SEEG, BUT POSSSED OF THAT TERNAL KNOWG, THAT REGNN OF SAME, THAT TO RM SO MUCH OF GAY LIFE. THE NEW SADNS THAT BLOOMED ME LAST SUMMER, WHEN I LEARNED THE TE HISTORY OF ME AND RYAN, WAS POUND, BUT A STRANGE WAY ALSO HEALED, ON SUNDAY NIGHT. HOW OFTEN, WAYS PETTY AND PROFOUND, THE WORLD TRI TO TAMP DOWN WHAT ADAM RIPPON SO WONDROLY, NFINTLY EXUD ON THAT ICE. AND HOW TERRIFIC THAT SO MANY KIDS MAY HAVE SEEN AND LOVED AND THEN GONE SKATG AROUND THEIR OWN LIVG ROOMS, MAYBE FEELG A LTLE EER THAN BEFORE.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MK, THIEL, ZUCKERBERG, AND ANDRESEN—FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS—ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE, AUTOCRATIC REALYBY JONATHAN TAPLTHE BT SIGHTS AT THE 2018 OLYMPICS OPENG CEREMONY1 / 18CHEVRONCHEVRONBY QUN ROONEY/GETTY IMAG.RICHARD LAWSON

And dog so as a gay man mak me feel amazg. And he’s gay. “But there are also many parts of the world where beg gay is punishable by ath, punishable by jail time.

#TeamUSA #TeamUSGay”Rippon has been outspoken his cricism of Vice Print Pence, who led the official U. He wants to provi visn for other gay athlet or anyone foragg life to fd a fortable place. “As a kid, I jt felt like I didn’t really have anyone to look up to that I felt like I uld really relate to, someone that was out and gay and also petg sports and fdg succs, ” Kenworthy said.