Amber Glenn becomes first LGBTQ+ woman to win U.S. Women's Figure Skating Championship

[Ceece]

So the first with her individual personality to win something? That's true of everyone.

[ChrisC]

Big whoop. So she's not "hetero." Who cares? Now if she were a man pretending to be a woman, I'd have much more to say about it.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound

She is probably not the first. Only the first come out in the open. So the people who came before her but decided to keep it to themselves. They don't deserve to be first?

It was their choice to "keep it to themselves", whether for personal preference or to avoid the very prejudicial nonsense that we're reading in this forum today.

Originally Posted by Volobjectitarian

Again, given that Martina Navratilova was hardcore openly lesbian like 40 years ago, and female athletics in general have been pretty comfy with non-traditional female identity for half a century, and figure skating itself is pretty much dominated by non-hetero identity

Women's tennis and women's figure skating are two separate cultures. Women in tennis escaped the "feminine" expectation decades ago. In figure skating, this has been a more recent development. Also, it's men's figure skating that is "pretty much dominated by non-hetero identity" (and even that I'd quibble with), not women's figure skating.

While Amber Glenn's accomplishment may not be directly related to her sexual identity, it is nevertheless still an accomplishment that other gay female skaters can aspire to. That's what makes her championship important. And perhaps now there will be less fear on the part of gay female skaters to be open about their sexuality, or at least not hide it.

[EDS_]

I'm not sure what the big deal is. Gay women have been around in numbers across female sports for a long time.

[Stepnking]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

While Amber Glenn's accomplishment may not be directly related to her sexual identity, it is nevertheless still an accomplishment that other gay female skaters can aspire to. That's what makes her championship important. And perhaps now there will be less fear on the part of gay female skaters to be open about their sexuality, or at least not hide it.

Glenn's accomplishment is one that any other female skater can aspire to, gay or not. What difference does it make. The woman gives a great performance but you wish to celebrate 'gayness'. Sexual orientation doesn't replace talent, and "less fear" (only a concern if wearing a sign "I'm gay") won't increase ability. Only dedicated work will accomplish that.