15 major LGBTQIA+ moments in pop culture in 2018
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 12: Adam Rippon of the United States of America celebrates after competing in the Figure Skating Team Event Men’s Single Free Skating on day three of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 12, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Openly gay Olympians at PyeongChang 2018
Even though it seems like everyone has forgotten about the 2018 Olympics because this year has lasted forever, the Winter Games did, in fact, take place back in February and it was a gay ol’ time — literally!
Before the Olympics had even begun, openly gay figure skater Adam Rippon was already ruffling feathers and stealing hearts of fans around the world. When Vice President Mike Pence was selected to lead the U.S. Olympic delegation, Rippon was very vocal about his disapproval, owing to the fact that Pence has funded controversial gay conversion therapy practices in the past. “You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?” he told USA Today. “I’m not buying it.”
Rippon continued, saying he, “would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a friend of a gay person but that they think that they’re sick,” and opted to skip the traditional meet-and-greet between the official delegation and U.S. athletes.
Another gay athlete who was a vocal supporter of Rippon’s views was Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy (the two are now very close friends). Gus first came out as a gay man shortly after the Sochi Olympics, and has been living out and proud ever since. Besides his public distaste for VP Pence, he also made huge waves for the community when he kissed his boyfriend before his qualifying run in the men’s slopestyle event during a live television broadcast. He was unaware the camera was on them, but said on Twitter he was “so happy that it was.”
Canada’s Eric Radford, a figure skater, became the first openly gay winter Olympian to win a gold medal after Team Canada came in first in the team figure skating event. Adam Rippon snagged a bronze medal in the same event with Team USA.