By Lori Ewing
MILAN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn hopes her historic Olympic appearance will inspire others to speak up during what she described as challenging times for the LGBTQ+ community.
The 26-year-old will become the first out woman to figure skate at an Olympics during the Milano Cortina Winter Games, according to Outsports, a website that tracks LGBTQ+ athletes.
She said the current political environment in the U.S. has demanded new levels of solidarity from marginalised
groups.
"I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these Games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times," Glenn said at Wednesday's U.S. figure skating team press conference.
"I know that a lot of people say 'You're just an athlete — stick to your job, shut up about politics', but politics affect us all. It's something I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives."
U.S. President Donald Trump moved quickly to end a range of policies aimed at protecting rights for LGBTQ+ people after he was elected in November 2024.
"Yeah, it's been a hard time for the community overall in this administration," Glenn said.
"And now, especially, it's not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn't have to before and because of that it's made us a lot stronger.
"Of course, there are things (in the Trump administration) that I disagree with but as a community we are strong and we support each other and brighter days are ahead of us."
Glenn, a three-times U.S. champion who is making her Olympic debut, has expressed pride in being an openly queer athlete on sport's biggest stage and said that coming out in 2019 "set her free" and allowed her to stop trying to conform to others' expectations, which improved her performance.
This months' Milano Cortina Games feature an Olympic Pride House, which is a dedicated hospitality space that welcomes LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, fans and allies in a safe, inclusive environment.
Pride House -- a tradition that started at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics -- will also feature athlete ambassadors, including retired Canadian pairs skater Eric Radford, the first openly gay man to win an Olympic gold medal.
He and pairs partner Meagan Duhamel won gold in the team event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
