Amber Glenn is the first out queer woman to win the U.S.A. Figure Skating Title
January 29, 2024Amber Glenn won the U.S.A. Women’s Figure Skating Championship on Friday, January 26, becoming the first openly queer woman ever to do so, according to ‘Them’.
Glenn, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual, had previously come close to the title, winning the silver medal in 2021 and the bronze medal in 2023. This year marked the 24-year-old’s ninth time competing in the competition.
“Being the first openly queer women’s champion is incredible,” Glenn told NBC Sports. “When I came out initially, I was terrified. I was scared it would affect my scores or something.
She continued: “It was worth it to see the amount of young people who felt more comfortable in their environments at the rink, [people] who feel, ‘Oh, I’m represented by her, and she’s one of the top skaters [so] I don’t have to try and hide the sight of me. Just because you have this aspect doesn’t mean you can’t be a top athlete.”
Although Glenn is the first out queer woman to win this championship title, she’s in good company among her fellow openly LGBTQ+ U.S.A. figure skaters, such as Adam Rippon, Eliot Halverson, Karina Manta, and Timothy LeDuc.
Image Credit: Canva
That’s not to say that Friday’s championship was all smooth sailing. After landing a complicated triple Axel at the beginning of her free skate routine, Glenn made mistakes on two major jumps. However, her main opponent, defending champion Isabeau Levito, didn’t fare much better, falling three times during her own routine. In the end, Glenn made it to victory with 210.46 points to silver medalist Josephine Lee’s 204.13 points and bronze medalist Levito’s 200.68 points.
The skater’s win comes a decade after she took home a junior U.S.A. championship title in 2014, and after a string of devastating professional blows. Glenn suffered a severe concussion at the start of this season and was previously forced to withdraw from the 2022 Olympic trials after testing positive for COVID-19.
“This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to win my first national title, but I’m extremely grateful for it,” she said during a post-championship press conference.
Glenn, who lifted a Progress Pride flag post-victory, initially came out in 2019.
“The fear of not being accepted is a huge struggle for me,” she told ‘Dallas Voice’ at the time. “Being perceived as [going through] ‘just a phase’ or [being] ‘indecisive’ is a common thing for bisexual/pansexual women. I don’t want to shove my sexuality in people’s faces, but I also don’t want to hide who I am.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Figure Skater Timothy LeDuc Poised To Become First Out Non-Binary Athlete At Winter Olympics
Figure Skater Amber Glenn Comes Out As Bisexual/Pansexual
Gay figure-skater Adam Rippon laughs off his haters
Figure Skaters Eric Radford and Luis Fenero Marry in Spain
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews