Gay Olympians Represent U.S. Diversity
Gus Kenworthy and Adam Rippon have been causing quite the stir as the 2018 Winter Olympics kicks off. Both are openly (out) gay men representing the U.S. on the winter team. To clarify, they are not the first gay athletes to compete on team USA, they’re the first out athletes to do so; that’s what makes them different. While the majority of Americans don’t care about Olympian’s sexual orientation, the bigoted right and liberal left are both using Rippon’s comments and refusal to meet with anti-gay VP Pence to fuel their political agendas.
The Republican right who mistakenly believe that this years delegation of athletes was chosen because of their race or sexual orientation. John Moody, a FOX News executive, wrote
It appears the U.S. Olympic Committee would like to change that to “Darker, Gayer, Different.” If your goal is to win medals, that won’t work.
totally ignoring the fact, as FOX News frequently does, that every member of the U.S. Olympic Team earned their place through a series of competitive events and trials. The radical right is also upset that figure skater Rippon has not only refused to meet with VP Pence but has publicly called out the VP for his anti-gay politics. It’s no secret to the evangelical or LGBT communities that Pence harbors deep hatred toward gays & lesbians. Pence’s voting record and public statements make his position crystal clear. What’s different now is that the mainstream media is publicizing Pence’s bigotry at a time when presidential approval ratings are at an all time low and the majority of Americans support protecting gays from discrimination.
The liberal left is also using the Rippon-Pence rift for political purpose. The liberal media has been giving a lot of press time to to the Rippon story. Yes, Rippon is a talented skater but, they aren’t promoting his athletic abilities, they’re using him to push the anti-Pence narrative. We don’t need constant reminders that Trump and Pence are anti-gay bigots, their action make their intentions clear. Showing images of Rippon wearing a Hillary 2016 tee shirt is pure partisan propaganda. Remember that Hillary, like Pence, wasn’t an ally to the LGBT community until it was politically convenient.
At a time when all Americans stand proud, the LGBT community is especially proud of Kenworthy and Rippon as Asian-Americans are of Chloe Kim or African-Americans are of Maame Biney. Like every member of the U.S. Olympic team, they worked very hard to get where they are. That Kenworthy and Rippon proudly stand on the world stage as out gay men with Asians and African-Americans is a true representation of America; a melting pot of hard-working individuals that are able to set aside political or ideological differences and work together to accomplish something spectacular.
Best of luck to all of the athletes competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics. May America bring home lots of gold and everyone return home without injuries.
Category: LGBT
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
