Professional figure skating has another out and proud skater — Amber Glenn came out as “bisexual/pansexual” in an interview earlier this month.
The 20-year-old Texan has apparently been out among friends and family for awhile, with the Dallas Voice calling her “the only openly queer Ladies figure skater competing on Team USA.” But it wasn’t until speaking with the outlet that Glenn opened up about her sexuality publicly.
“I don’t want to shove my sexuality in people’s faces, but I also don’t want to hide who I am,” she said.
Glenn has been skating since she was just five years old, and became the U.S. junior national champion in 2014. According to OutSports, she’s “among the favorites to win a senior national championship” next month, and to “lead the U.S. contingent at the world championship World Figure Skating Championships at Montreal.”
But being in the public eye can sometimes make it even more difficult to be truthful about who you are. And while there are a number of out queer male figure skaters paving the way, there are still very few out queer professional skaters who are women.
“The fear of not being accepted is a huge struggle for me," Glenn admitted. "Being perceived as [going through] ‘just a phase’ or [being ‘indecisive’ is a common thing for bisexual/pansexual women.”
But both Glenn’s coming out and her openness about concern over how people perceive bisexual and pansexual women drew appreciation from fans and fellow skaters online.
\u201cThanks Karina \ud83d\udc95 You\u2019ve inspire me and so many others to be their true selfs\u2728\u201d— Amber Glenn (@Amber Glenn) 1576463218
\u201cASDFGHKL I legit just started sobbing when I read that article where @AmberGlenn_ officially came out \ud83d\ude2d\ud83e\udd70\ud83c\udf1f she is such a hard worker who has always followed her heart and is a true role model. It warms my heart knowing that she can live and perform freely as her most authentic\u201d— Leila \u2014 \ud83d\ude37 (@Leila \u2014 \ud83d\ude37) 1576381545
\u201chey here's a shoutout to podcast favorite and absolute legend @AmberGlenn_ for coming out officially! we're so very proud of you and your awesome, extremely important voice in the skating community \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u26f8\u201d— Ice Tea Podcast (@Ice Tea Podcast) 1576449007
\u201cSo much love to @AmberGlenn_ for coming out! When I started LGBTQ skating website Rainbow Ice in 1998, I wondered how long it would be before an elite U.S. woman would be out while competing. Sending thanks, joy, and support to this athlete.\u2764\ufe0f\u26f8\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\nhttps://t.co/QA1JcfIYzK\u201d— \u2728preorder SNAPE: THE DEFINITIVE ANALYSIS\u2728 (@\u2728preorder SNAPE: THE DEFINITIVE ANALYSIS\u2728) 1576454028
\u201c@outsports @AmberGlenn_ You go girl \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffb\u201d— Outsports (@Outsports) 1576587619
\u201c@AmberGlenn_ Thank you for being a courageous and inspirational example to many people in so many ways!\u201d— Kiira Korpi (@Kiira Korpi) 1576588716
Glenn is currently raising money to cover her current year's skating expenses.
