Is it true.. [Archive] - skatingforums.com

Lark

02-26-2005, 04:08 PM

I think there are many gay skaters AND straight skaters.

I think both like skating for the expression aspect, but other than that, I think it is a very individual thing.

If I were a skater, I would love the flashiness potential.
Someone else might like it for the artistic expression.
Others like the sport.

I personally am not one of the people who believe that there is a greater percentage of gay skaters than straight.

Now, there might be more straight football players than gay, but that is another topic. LOL :)

dbny

02-26-2005, 04:11 PM

Now, there might be more straight football players than gay, but that is another topic. LOL :)

Or there might be more gay football players in the closet than gay figure skaters in the closet.

TheGreasyFry

02-26-2005, 04:20 PM

I was just curious because a friend of mine was like, "All male skaters are gay, and if they say they aren't , they're lying"... and i really doubted that judgement, but I wanted some other peoples opinion. I think probably there are a good amount of gay and straight people in every sport. But as Lark said, the level of "outness" is quite different.

backspin

02-26-2005, 05:03 PM

In my experience, there is a higher percentage of gay men vs. straight men in figure skating than in the population at large.

NJSk8Fan

02-26-2005, 06:38 PM

I'm no expert on this but considering all the fairly recently married AND new fathers in the figure skating community, I don't know if it's fair to say something like "many are" or "a lot are".
I know it's only human to wonder, but I couldn't care less what the sexual preference of skaters are, as long as they are not hurting anyone.
I know of only 3 male skaters who are for-sure gay.

likes2skate

02-26-2005, 06:49 PM

My guess is most of them are gay. I have many gay and many straight male friends. Many of my gay friends I can totally see as figure skaters. All of my straight meat head football watching woman oogling beer chuging friends...no...I cannot see them performing Jonny Weir's Long Program. :P

I am just basing my opinion on people I know.

dbny

02-26-2005, 07:01 PM

But as Lark said, the level of "outness" is quite different.

Er, that was me, not Lark.

In my experience, there is a higher percentage of gay men vs. straight men in figure skating than in the population at large.

Once again, I think that experience reflects "outness" rather than gayness. Figure skating, theatre, design, are all fields in which one is not penalized for being gay, so it is much safer to be oneself in that case. Male dominated sports and male dominated business (which is most business) are not very safe places to reveal any sexuality other than straight.

My guess is most of them are gay. I have many gay and many straight male friends. Many of my gay friends I can totally see as figure skaters. All of my straight meat head football watching woman oogling beer chuging friends

You mean all of your apparently straight meat head football....

...no...I cannot see them performing Jonny Weir's Long Program.

I can't see anyone else performing Jonny Weir's LP. It's sublime, and it's his.

I am just basing my opinion on people I know.

You don't know nearly enough people, IMO.

mary

02-26-2005, 08:01 PM

. . . I know of only 3 male skaters who are for-sure gay.

Now you've piqued my curiosity. Do tell.

dbny

02-26-2005, 08:18 PM

Now you've piqued my curiosity. Do tell.
You know who one of them is: Rudy Galindo :bow: :bow: :bow:

mary

02-26-2005, 09:02 PM

You know who one of them is: Rudy Galindo :bow: :bow: :bow:

Well, duh, yeah, I know that one. What about the other 2? (I think I know, but I'd like a confirmation)

dbny

02-26-2005, 09:05 PM

Well, duh, yeah, I know that one. What about the other 2? (I think I know, but I'd like a confirmation)

I think we could all make a few guesses, but AFAIK, no one else is out. I would not speculate publicly about anyone who is not comfortable with being out. I respect the elite skaters too much for that.

fadedstardust

02-27-2005, 02:26 AM

There are many gay and straight people in all walks of life- including figure skating. Certain cro-magnons think doing an arm gesture or wearing sparkles means you're gay. These people are idiots. There are many gay male figure skaters, and many straight ones. Just like in everything else. I think you'll find your time better spent not speculating on people sexual lives, they really make no difference in who people are as people. An occupation in which 1-- percent of the participants are gay just doesn't exist. Unless maybe you're talking about transvestite shows, and even then, not all of them are, some just like to dress as women. You can't pigeon-hole people like that, and anyone who tries is the one who's lying.

flyingonglass

02-27-2005, 07:35 AM

I'm no expert on this but considering all the fairly recently married AND new fathers in the figure skating community, I don't know if it's fair to say something like "many are" or "a lot are".

I think most people know this by now, that doesn't mean you are straight.
MOST gay men are married (to females) and/or have children.
Google the statisic yourself if you don't believe me.
The openly gay culture is actually not very old.
But that's their business.

blades

02-27-2005, 09:11 AM

Is it true that many male skaters are gay? Just curious, no bashing intended. If so why do you think that it happens to be that way. Once again don't take this the wrong way, I'm just very curious. 8-)

8-)

in one word: "DUH!"

conversation with a local hockey playing aquaintance reciently:

"you can't be much of a defenseman...you still have all your teeth!"

"you can't be much of a figure skater...you don't have a lisp!"

there's a lot of gay dudes in the sport...as a straight guy, do i care?...no...been in this sport for decades and it's never been a concern...been hit on a couple of times and considered it a compliment (though i questioned their taste in men..) and i've become very close friends with several wonderful "enchanted" dudes...

(ohmygawd!!...sounds like: "i don't mind 'em...some of my best friends are..."
:roll: )

oh wellski...you get the idea...

7302005

02-27-2005, 01:50 PM

You know, I do not think that it makes one iota of difference whether someone is gay or straight.

I work with people who think they can tell by a gesture, a voice inflection, a career choice, or "general look" about them

My comment to them is: what difference does it make - aren't we all human beings with feelings? who should care about their orientation one way or another. It is a highly political driven issue and in my mind should not be.

fadedstardust

02-27-2005, 04:03 PM

Bottom line to original poster: unless you also went to a Tennis message board and said: "IS IT TRUE?! I heard most tennis player men are straight?!" then you do mind, and you do want to know, and I don't think any of us understand why. Are you a guy trying to take up skating? If you are, even if you WERE the only straight guy, would it really matter? Do you let what a bunch of imbecile machos think of you affect your decisions? If so you've got bigger problems. If this is not your scenario, then I don't even know why you're wondering. Are you asking this about every other sport? It's always "is this guy gay?!" never "is this guy straight?!" so if you think that way, then you do mind, you do single them out, or you have some morbid curiosity that stems from a belief that it's not normal to be gay, otherwise you would not even be asking yourself this question. And if you DID believe that even half of the skating population was gay, then you wouldn't post such a crass and tactless message on a skating message board where said gay skating population could be reading and feel like they are being singled out. And for the record, I'm a straight girl, so you haven't offended the gay man within me. I'm just shocked people still treat gay people as if they have something to justify or owe us all an explanation and announcement of their orientation or that apparently, their mere participation in a sport is reason for that sport not to be considered a "real" sport. Ignorance isn't always bliss.

Sk8n Mama

02-27-2005, 04:30 PM

Well, we also know from Brian Orser's palimony suit that he definitely is gay.

I think there are definitely a fair number of gay men in the sport, but I think the number is far fewer than society at large thinks.

TheGreasyFry

02-27-2005, 05:50 PM

I didn't ask this question to single anyone out. Me myself happen to be of that orientation, and it was honestly just out of curiosity.

Shinn-Reika

02-27-2005, 11:08 PM

For god's sake no!

I think it's just people's nature to try and classify something as being girly, so naturally if anyone wants to try it, they're gay.

And yet for some reason I'm begining to wonder why. I think the way it works is that the people that popularize are women. Think about it, Michelle Kwan can get on the simpsons, but other equally talented male skaters get no fame. So you have to look who's being courted into the sport.

I mean if someone's gay they're gay. Figure skating doesn't really change that, and yet it's such an enevitable conclusion. I bet you there are a lot of straight guys that could be incredible figure skaters, but won't simply because they're afraid of the stigma surrounding it.

Bleuh, I don't mean to preach, but this was the inevitable stereotype that I was afraid of when I first started. I mean what are you going to think of yourself, when you're doing the same thing that 8 year old girls are. (I shudder at this moment just thinking about it). But now I'm really just cynical of such a closeminded opinion (sry). Then again I kinda see myself as destined to change that mentality to some degree, and that (which is only a small part of my master plan) only involves me being myself.

Edit: P.S. whether they're gay or not I think that any male skater is more of a man than someone who would criticize him.

Tapper

02-28-2005, 01:06 PM

For god's sake no!

I think it's just people's nature to try and classify something as being girly, so naturally if anyone wants to try it, they're gay.

It's also much easier to classify people and put them into little categories than it is to be open to the possibility that people are totally unique and don't necessarily fit neatly into place. It's easier for the simple-minded to put people into categories... male/female, straight/gay, smart/stupid, artist/athlete, than it is to deal with variation. It's not just narrow-minded, it's downright ignorant.

Mel On Ice

02-28-2005, 01:34 PM

flippet

02-28-2005, 03:16 PM

I mean what are you going to think of yourself, when you're doing the same thing that 8 year old girls are.

For the record, 8-year-old girls also play hockey, and soccer, and football, and baseball/softball...and any number of other things. So if you're going to look down your nose at something that 'little girls' do, you'd better do it with all those other sports as well.

I just get very sick of cro-magnons (great term!), male OR female, classifying something that is innately gender-free as somehow belonging to one gender over the other--this includes sports, clothing items, and even colors. (Tell me, how does the color pink 'belong' to females? Gender-free, people.)

We'd all be a lot happier if we stopped trying to force others and ourselves into some pre-defined category, and simply be ourselves--the individuals we are made to be.

flippet

02-28-2005, 03:19 PM

some are doing it because they love the sport and at this stage in their lives, could give a rats arse about what it "means" to be a figure skater. Kudos to them.

Absolutely. These men have grown up. And no matter what they look like, they're always more attractive than the 40-year-old little boys in hockey skates who somehow still think it's hilarious to harass figure skaters of either gender. :evil:

alex4SA

02-28-2005, 03:20 PM

dbny

02-28-2005, 03:20 PM

I mean what are you going to think of yourself, when you're doing the same thing that 8 year old girls are. (I shudder at this moment just thinking about it).

Shudder at landing doubles? My, my. I would be thrilled.

noavail

02-28-2005, 08:36 PM

Well, from my experience most male skaters are not gay!!! (And I've skated for a while)
Why is it that whenever men do like figure skating or ballet they are branded as gays? I have many gay friends and they do not look like (nor do they try to) Dolce & Gabbana!

Well, a lot of the time they are. Doing ballet, putting on figure skates or watching such sports does not make you gay, though there is a strong fanbase of females and gay males. There are lot of male single skaters that are gay (definitely more than the percentage of the general population) but not so in pairs or ice dance. There is a list of publicly out skaters and John Curry and Toller Cranston are amongst them.

When I did dance, more than half of the guys were gay and it was hard to find a straight guy dancer - the ones that were straight got all the girls. Ballet performances were known social hookup spots for gay guys as well. I don't know if that helps but that's what I've always known.

SkateGuard

02-28-2005, 10:15 PM

What I find fascinating is all the men in their 40s that are in learn-to-skate classes and loving it. Some are doing it to meet single women that are into sport, some are doing it to spend time with their daughters, some are doing it because they love the sport and at this stage in their lives, could give a rats arse about what it "means" to be a figure skater. Kudos to them.

And look at February's Skating magazine...the cover story is all about Romance on ice....they're all adult skaters, too. Yes, a bunch of straight men who started to skate and fell in love.

At Adult Nationals, there's a lot of straight men. However, there is a gay male "contingent" at Adult Nationals. Quite a few men bring their partners, and we're all one big happy family of skaters. There are also a lot of straight men who try to pick up women at Adult Nationals. And it's a wonderful sport to meet women. One of my friends, a singles skater, was saying that when he was a kid, his baseball team caught him on a freestyle with all the girls. Rather than call him a sissy, they were all like, "hey, how come you get to be surrounded with all these girls in short skirts?" :lol:

Personally, about 75% of the men I have regular contact with in skating are straight. I think that's about the same amount in the rest of my life.

anoymous1

02-28-2005, 11:06 PM

I think what SkateGuard said is true that roughly 75 to 80% of males are gay knowing that I am skater and going from my friends. Most people would be surprised to know that most ice dancer men are straight as well. The stereotype is so off base its actually quite surprising.

Shinn-Reika

03-01-2005, 12:22 AM

Okay okay I take back the 8 year old comment.

It's just in the begining it was really a hit on my ego (because let's face it, men have egos that are inflated larger than a dirigible).

Madame Saccoche

03-01-2005, 11:32 AM

Wasn't this topic beaten to death last year....yawn

Mme idly reflects on the percentege of lesbian chartered accountants.....

flippet

03-01-2005, 12:06 PM

I think what SkateGuard said is true that roughly 75 to 80% of males are gay

I think you mean the opposite of what you said? That 75-80% are straight, not gay...because that's what SkateGuard said.

doubletoe

03-01-2005, 05:00 PM

Of the competitive Senior level male skaters--active and retired--that I personally know, the breakdown is: one straight pairs skater, one gay pairs skater, one straight singles skater, one gay singles skater. This is proof of nothing, other than that there are definitely gay and straight male skaters among both pairs and singles skaters. ;)

Young straight men and teenage boys seem to be afraid of being labeled "gay" and that scares them away from figure skating, but they tend to think it's less "gay" after they've seen a guy land a triple axel in person! :P

alex4SA

03-02-2005, 08:47 AM

Well, a lot of the time they are. Doing ballet, putting on figure skates or watching such sports does not make you gay, though there is a strong fanbase of females and gay males. There are lot of male single skaters that are gay (definitely more than the percentage of the general population) but not so in pairs or ice dance. There is a list of publicly out skaters and John Curry and Toller Cranston are amongst them.

When I did dance, more than half of the guys were gay and it was hard to find a straight guy dancer - the ones that were straight got all the girls. Ballet performances were known social hookup spots for gay guys as well. I don't know if that helps but that's what I've always known.

We'll...in my homeland (where skating wasn't popular and appreciated....and not much has changed) the men weren't gay - maybe that's what I should have stressed!!!And they were just branded as gays for doing ballet or skating - but then many things were not acceptable (and it is still the case) in that old patriachal country....
Things are different here......but I'd still say that generaly (european skaters included) 75 to 80% are not gay!!

vintagefreak

03-02-2005, 03:23 PM

I know several male skaters who are married with children and appear not to be gay. I don't actually care what their sexual orientation is though. I like them for the fine human beings and skaters they are. Don't let the generalizations or stereotypes about men in skating get to you, ok? It really doesn't matter in the long run.