When I saw the tease: “Skater proposes to partner on ice” I immediately thought that some figure skater proposed to, ahem, his “partner”- I mean it is figure skating and all- it seemed like an open enough venue to do something like that.
But then I actually clicked on the story, and I actually remembered there is pairs figure skating, that I saw it was John Baldwin Jr who proposed to his pairs partner Rena Inoue
I just thought this was an urban legend but there are really straight male figure skaters?
Inoue and Baldwin have plenty to celebrate, too. As they took their bows, Baldwin dropped to his knees and asked his longtime girlfriend to marry him. Stunned, she could only stare at him at first.
"I didn't know. He didn't tell me and I don't think he told anybody," Inoue said. "At first I was just so shocked. I didn't know what was going on here."
Said Baldwin, "I told her she's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, how much respect I have for her and that everything I've accomplished in my career and on the ice is because of her."
As the crowd cheered, Baldwin asked again. With tears rolling down her face, Inoue said yes.
Awwwwwww. But while doing a minimal amount of research I discovered that I was asking the wrong question- there are really gay male figure skaters? Because at least openly, gay male figure skaters are in the minority. From Outsports:
Unofficial insider estimates range [claim that] from 25% to nearly 50% [of male figure skaters are gay]. But unbelievably, in 2006, [Rudy] Galindo remains the only top-level skater to have come out while Olympic-eligible.
What hasn't changed is that many of the officials, judges, and skating federations, especially in the U.S., make it clear that they prefer male skaters to look "masculine" and will be harsher on effeminate-looking skaters when it comes to giving marks or desirable competitive assignments
Trying not to be deemed gay in skating requires behavior ranging from the overt, such as dating women, to details so subtle that they affect the very way the skater moves his limbs while putting himself out there to be judged.
There are some moves, such as laybacks and spirals, that are more frequently done by women and considered effeminate on men. Obviously, skaters like to include their strongest moves in their programs, but a male skater who is strong in these moves knows that to perform them is to risk prejudice.
That is so screwed up it’s sick. Who would’ve thought that in the gayest sport ever you could still be discriminated against for actually being gay.
But why would everyone just assume? From Salon.com
Former gold medalist Brian Boitano, addressing this phenomenon, explains it with three words: "Sequins and glitter."
None of the skaters in this year's [2002] Olympics -- for all the sequins, all the glitter, all the stereotypically gay mannerisms and speech patterns -- is publicly gay. In fact, only one international-level figure skater has ever openly declared himself a gay man -- Rudy Galindo, the 1996 U.S. champion, who came out in USA Today reporter Christine Brennan's book "Inside Edge" weeks before winning his title.
And Galindo says that almost every figure skater he's ever met is straight.
I never thought about it but is Brian Boitano gay? Not that it matters but I want to know (and no one seems to be sure)
It is a real shame though- if a boy, gay or not, wants to spin around in tights he should be allowed to, and be allowed to spin freely and openly no matter who he "practices his routine with" after hours.
(an admission- even though he’s really annoying and prissy a lot of the time I really think Johnny Wier is cute…in that Rufus way. They sort of like similar, don’t they?)
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