skater haters

Is Johnny Weir Too Gay for ‘Stars On Ice,’ the Gayest Tour of the Gayest Sporting Event Ever?

Nevermind that figure skating is the gayest competitive sport around, but apparently Johnny Weir is too gay it. So claims a source tattling to GLAAD about the Stars on Ice Tour, whose sponsors (Smuckers and IMG Entertainment) didn’t want homogay Weir part of their machismo fest. Because he’s “not family friendly.”

As GLAAD notes in a post that this website actually found worth repeating, “To say that Weir is ‘not family friendly’ would be a clear jab at his perceived sexual orientation. Weir is extremely involved with his family. He is putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working. Weir’s dedication to his family can be clearly documented in the Sundance series, Be Good Johnny Weir, which follows him and his family and friends through his life and career as a championship skater.”

Moreover, Weir is arguably the best athletic role model around right this minute. His massager antics aside, Weir is a humble athlete, an eloquent public speaker, and an absolutely fantastic diplomat to young people. Not only is his skating talent unquestionable, but Weir is the roll-with-the-punches, speak-out-against-wrongs, work-your-hardest, and be-proud-of-yourself type that we should only hope fellow athletes aspire to be.

Weir isn’t the guy who kids should be hidden from. He is the guy families we be lucky to rally around.

And if the report is true (UPDATE: Weir says it is), and the sponsors of the Stars on Ice Tour ensured Weir wasn’t considered for participation, well then they’re most guilty of bad business sense. Because if there’s one guy who can put paying customers in those ice rink seats, it is this gentleman right here.


UPDATE: Stars on Ice spokeswoman Jennifer Cosgrove responds: “We are disappointed that there is untrue and inaccurate information being disseminated. Please be assured that the ‘gender identity and sexual orientation’ of cast members has never been a consideration in the selection of tour performers.”

(NB: Scott Hamilton, the married heterosexual figure skater, is a producer and co-founder of Stars On Ice. And we’ll have his bald head if he’s involved in this crap.)

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