LGBTQ Athletes Competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing are fast approaching, and Team LGBTQ+, an informal coalition of the world’s out athletes, are hard-pressed to make history this year.
Will they be able to surpass their record medal haul at last year’s Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, with more than 55 out and proud athletes taking home awards? It is hard to say, but preparations are well underway. Several LGBTQ Winter Olympians have already been selected to compete, and the list is still growing.
Here are a few we should take notice of.
Brittany Bowe – USA
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The first publicly out LGBTQ athlete to earn a spot on Team USA for the 2022 Olympics, this will be Brittany Bowe’s third time competing, and she has a strong chance to medal after dominating her Olympic trial run. Bowe has been one of the US’ best speed skaters in their distance for over a decade, and she had held four different world records throughout her career.
Guillaume Cizeron – France
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Not only is Guillaume Cizeron a favorite to take home gold at the upcoming Olympics, but he is one of the most decorated ice dancers of all time with his partner Gabriella Papadakis, who won a silver together at the 2018 Olympics. A seven-time French National Champion and four-time World Champion who made history by winning the European Championships five times in a row, it won’t be hard to see this duo at the top of the podium. He came out on Instagram with a picture of his boyfriend in 2020 on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.
Ireen Wüst – Netherlands
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Bisexual Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst is not only a legend in her sport, but she has taken home gold at every Olympics she has competed in since Turin in 2006. As one of the most decorated LGBTQ Olympians of all time with 11 medals in total, it won’t be surprising if she tops the podium once again this year. With a flurry of nearly every type of award a speed skater can get, regardless of her showing, Wüst has shown she is queer excellence.
Jason Brown – USA
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Jason Brown has been a longtime name in figure skating and joins Team USA once again this year, but for the first time, he will be doing so as an out gay man. He came out last year on Instagram during Pride month, saying, “I believe that love will always win, and every story will unfold differently for each individual. Mine unfolds now. I’m gay, and that’s a story still being written …” Brown recently said goodbye to his trademark ponytail, but thankfully opted to keep his amazing talent and personality. He previously won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and competed at the 2018 Olympics as well.
Belle Brockhoff – Australia
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Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff will be competing in her third Olympics, and the first since she tore her ACL in 2018. She came out in 2013 as a lesbian and called out the homophobic and anti-gay laws of the Russian host of the Sochi Winter Olympics. She is hoping to add Olympic gold to her recent win at the 2021 World Championships.
Paul Poirier – Canada
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Paul Poirier is fresh off his second Canadian National Championship title in ice dancing, and plans to open up and use his platform to bring visibility to LGBTQ athletes and community as he represents Team Canada this year. He and his partner Piper Gilles are two-time Canadian National Champions, as well as the 2021 World bronze medalist and a three-time Four Continents medalist. Poirier will be one of the two out gay men competing for Canada in Beijing.
Amber Glenn – USA
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Amber Glenn, who identifies as both bisexual and pansexual, will represent Team USA in figure skating as an alternate for the women’s singles competition. She was forced to withdraw from the U.S. National Championships after becoming sick and testing positive for COVID-19, but she placed nationally and around the world. Glenn has been out since 2019 and has been a vocal advocate for increasing LGBTQ rights and representation within figure skating while being the only queer woman on the USA national team.
Timothy LeDuc – USA
Timothy LeDuc will become the first openly nonbinary athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics after they and their partner, Ashley Cain-Gribble, recently won the U.S. Nationals Championship for pairs figure skating in Nashville, Tennessee. They beat their second-place competitor by over 15 points to secure the gold for the second time in their career, making them the ones to watch going into their event. LeDuc recently revealed they had been told by coaches and others to keep their sexuality and gender identity a secret.
Photos Courtesy of Social Media
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