We could all use an injection of joy right now, and lucky for us, love is in the air!
Out gay Olympic figure skater Paul Poirier just proposed to his boyfriend and shared the happy news with the rest of the world with a cute Instagram post of the two men showing off their new engagement rings.
“We did a thing (he said yes),” Poirier wrote on social media, announcing his engagement to boyfriend Kevin.
Poirier’s figure skating partner, Piper Gilles, was one of the first to congratulate the lovebirds, commenting, “So happy for you two!! You’ve deserved all the love.”
The 33-year-old world champion shared the news with those closest to him before making the announcement public. The couple has yet to announce a wedding date.
“It was a very casual proposal at home during our evening routine,” Poirier told Outsports. “It was really nice to share that quiet moment together, and then to share the news with our families and closest friends. We’re both very excited!”
It takes a lot of guts to come out as an athlete. Luckily, more and more LGBTQ+ Olympic athletes are taking the plunge. In fact, four Olympic athletes kissed their partners in front of the world during the last Olympics, six lesbian couples who competed at the Paris Olympics, and gold medalist Jade Carey hard launched her new girlfriend just this past March.
Poirier may be a fairly private person and a bit of an introvert, but he came out publicly back in 2021, a year ahead of going to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“[Being a gay athlete] hasn’t been something that I’ve really talked about very much, especially in a public setting,” Poirier said at the time. “I’ve had this attitude that my private life is my private life and my life outside of skating is my life outside of skating. I haven’t necessarily allowed all of those things to [blend] together. I think with the lead-up to the Olympic Games in the next year, I definitely see opportunities to share what we do and who we are to a much wider audience, and that opportunity is not lost on me.”
Poirier and Gilles are currently working to land a spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
A soccer ball on the field.Tony Quinn/Shutterstock
Two players on the soccer field.Anton Vierietin/Shutterstock
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Lesbian and sapphic athletes celebrating with their partners.Footage still via Instagram @redrosesrugby; Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images; Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
