Sure, Johnny Weir has more than his share of detractors, from Queer Nation to Michael Lucas, some of whom are legitimately up in arms about at his paling around with semi-homophobe Tara Lipinski, decision to join NBC as a figure skating commentator, and his embrace of all things Russian.
But as the Sochi Winter Olympics close, it is high time for a reappraisal of Johnny, one based on his stellar on-air performance, a performance that has drawn raves from television viewers to skating experts. He was so good, in fact, that some suggested, tongue presumably in cheek, that he do Monday Night Football, a sight we would pay to see.
“He and Tara Lipinski have gotten rave reviews for their Sochi coverage, with some viewers even lobbying that the duo be used for NBC’s primetime show,” USA Today gushed. “Weir’s wardrobe generates a lot of the talk, but he’s also been praised for his insights and objective commentary.”
Indeed, the fact is that Johnny has proven to be an excellent analyst with a charisma that matched the skating of his prime. He’s articulate, fair-minded, and brings the kind of color commentary that can only be gained from years of competing on the ice.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
And let’s not forget that just by being himself, Johnny Weir’s fabulous presence at Sochi as expert, fashion icon and all-around gadabout is a direct rebuke to Russia’s antigay laws. Who is going to change the hearts & minds of the likes Tara and millions of Olympic fans everywhere? The passionate porn impresario Lucas? Hardly. Queer Nation? What is that??!!
So we though we would honor Johnny like we do all men we love, with a bunch of great pics.
Like all good Narcissists, Johnny channeled his inner Naomi Campbell by documenting himself each day on his Instagram page, and, we have to say, some of his looks have been pretty fierce.
Scroll down to see some of our favorite Johnny Weir looks from the 2014 games.
balehead
He should do football games…
woodin
For the main street gay community, I’m embarrassed.
offbeatoh86
According to USA Today, Access Hollywood has hired them to be fashion commentators for the Academy Awards. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/02/22/figure-skating-tara-and-johnny/5728939/
litper
She’s not gay. If she wants to be a woman, let her be a woman, but she’s not a gay man.
yaoming
@woodin: I’m with woodin – this is just an embarrassment. What was he doing, auditioning to be the queer stereotype on some idiotic reality tv show? We don’t need straights to stereotype us when Johnny Weir can do it this “fabulously”.
Joetx
Weir is a self-centered, narcissistic queen. I saw one of those late night, post-local news, 1-hour continued Olympic coverage the other day. Bob Costas asked him about the anti-gay climate in Russia. Weir completely dismissed the severity of the situation in Russia.
He did a great disservice to the horrors the Russian LGBT community is experiencing.
Nikkidane
Well, Johnny Weir may be attracted to men but I’m not sure what his gender identity is. I would say he is Gender Queer if I had to put a label on it rather than being a gay man. Maybe he’ll eventually decide he is Trans? It took me a long time to figure the gender component out. I figured I must be gay since I was attracted to men but I couldn’t identify at all with the gay community. Once I met some Trans people, it all made sense. I think Johnny is still figuring out who he is and that is perfectly OK. I think it’s great that he feels free to explore his gender identity and expression. I frankly think labels such as gay and straight are outdated because sexuality and gender are so varied and often fluid.
As far as some gay men being embarrassed by him, I think those people are the ones that are screwed up. They have bought into the binary gender trap and are probably dealing with their own gender identity insecurities.
litper
@Nikkidane: screwed up homophobic trans “woman”…
Respect4all
Johnny Weir has the right to be whoever he wants to be. That’s what we’ve been fighting for since 1969. Personal attacks against him are just internalized homophobia. If you disagree with him politically, that’s different. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Just don’t confuse the two. Personal attacks and political disagreements are two completely different things.
RayJacksonMs
I would rather see this twat go away than Sarah Palin, and I want to cut Sarah Palin’s face off and force her to eat it so I don’t ever have to see her again.
litper
@Respect4all: I’m gay I don’t like women with penises who call themselves “gay” there’s nothing homophobic about it
xzall
I don’t know much about Johnny Weir and I agree that how he handled the situation in Russia is controversial and fair game as debate, but I’ve never read anything to suggest he’s anything but a gay man. Just because he’s too effeminate for some of you on here does not make him trans or a she and all the comments actually make the people posting sound like stereotypical bitchy queens. So if you want to know who’s perpetuating embarrassing stereotypes maybe look in the mirror.
The world is filled with enough people that hate or torment gay people for being ‘different’ but some of you are quite willing and ready to taunt and name call and make someone feel like less than a man because they don’t fit into your stereotype of what a gay man should be. In this sense you become to have more & more in common with the homophobic bigots and bullies that makes the lives miserable for those young gay kids growing up. Grow up and realize that gay men come in all different types from the Weirs to the Jason Collins and stop being your own worse enemies.
Merv
Maybe he can be an official spokesman for Putin. His government needs a gay quisling to minimize the severity of the situation and repeat Weir’s claim that the law is really only about preventing flamboyant gay people from wearing a rainbow flag and having sex in front of the metro station.
Caleb in SC
I thought Johnny’s (and Tara’s) commentary was spot on during the Olympics. That said, (1) He is a vapid shallow queen who is only interested in advancing Johnny Weir; (2) He has terrible fashion sense; (3) He apparently has only one pose; and (4) He fifteen minutes are almost up. Thank Goddess!!!
jar
@Nikkidane: Funny comment. Your focus is on trying to define Johnny Weir’s identity and then you end with, labels are stupid. Physician, heal thyself.
jar
@xzall: Spot on, xzall. Although I don’t think the commenters are bitchy queens. It seems much more likely that they are uncomfortable in their own skin so Johnny Weir’s presentation scares them. An unfortunate side-effect of our increased visibility and acceptance is that more and more of the “we’re just like you heterosexuals” crowd has become vocal. As they are generally only interested in their own acceptance, they are too often more than happy to denigrate others in the community who are less hetero-normative.
Cam
Queerty said two things that I want to respond to…
But as the Sochi Winter Olympics close, it is high time for a reappraisal of Johnny, one based on his stellar on-air performance,
and
And let’s not forget that just by being himself, Johnny Weir’s fabulous presence at Sochi as expert, fashion icon and all-around gadabout is a direct rebuke to Russia’s antigay laws.
Ok my responses.
1. So lets see, we are supposed to reappraise him because people say he performed well? So does that mean that any homophobic professional athlete should not be rebuked because they are good on the field? If a restaurant refuses to serve gays but they make amazing chili should we then embrace them? What an idiotic comment.
2. His wearing flamboyant outfits is NOT a direct rebuke to Vladime Putin. First of all, he is merely the rained pet monkey that gays working within the system always have been. Was Liberace a great supporter of gays and a rebuke to the homophobic laws? Was Paul Lynd? Additionally if you have ever seen Russian Commenters on the air, they are wearing furs and bright colors. Claiming that wearing a purple jacket is somehow a blow for gay rights is not only insulting, it is supporting Weirs vocal support of Russia and his attacking and name calling the gay community while defending Russia and the IOC.
But then again, why should I be surprised, Queerty spent ages trying to shill for the Mormon church, I can only assume that Weir’s folks have purchased the same package that the LDS folks did.
Oh, and lastly, I love the brand new accounts coming on here to defend Weir claiming that people disagreeing with him are because THEY are uncomfortable in their own skin. No, I would say that a long time closet case who finally comes out and then attacks the gay community and is a loud vocal supporter of Russia would be the one comfortable in their skin. But nice try.
ncman
Most gays that I know wouldn’t have any idea what the commentary at the Olympics was like because we were all boycotting any viewing of the thing.
alanj
Wasn’t Weir’s commentary only broadcast into USA, so nobody in Russia would of seen it?
I doubt Putin and his cronies would worry about ”Weir’s fabulous presence’ when it had zero exposure outside of NBC.
BJ McFrisky
Yeah, because MNF is desperately in search of the swishiest gay man they can find to appeal to their audience.
xzall
@Cam: I was not defending Weir’s decision to broadcast at the Olympics. The people in the prior comments weren’t attacking Weir’s politics. They were attacking his style of dress, his flamboyance and saying he’s less than a man or not a man because of that and from where I stand that’s homophobia and if I recall that’s the kind of statement the Russian guy who made the homophobic propaganda laws makes–that gay men aren’t really men.
Yours and a couple of others are the only ones commenting about the politics of the situation. The others are just making their usual comment about swishy gay men.
Diesel69
First try and throw a ball like a real Footballer–Than maybe—But for this thing to represent what Gays Are is a Complete embarrassment to the Whole Gay Community —Disgusting to see this Fruit run around playing Barbie–Take a vacation to Uganda and lets see how far you get in REAL Life Because as most Gay people we live REAL Lives not hiding behind a Camera crew of Safety and glitz–
Cam
@xzall:
I was responding to Queerty’s commentary that apparently dressing flamboyant was somehow striking a blow for gay rights.
enfilmigult
People sell out all the time. You can sell out to Colt 45, or Verizon, or to HBO’s “Looking” (ahem). But Johnny Weir sold out to THIS—Putin’s Russia. What’s next is he can go fuck himself, as far as I’m concerned.
And honestly, shame on whoever floated the idea that his clothing is a rebuke compared to, y’know, actually making a rebuke. I just see someone blithely enjoying the security of the Olympic Village in a country where, if he were Igor Nobody walking around looking like that, he’d be harassed and beaten. And that he did a really super good job at ignoring this to do skating commentary is not inspiring me to rethink. I never want to see this guy again.
litper
@jar: trans queens like you and Johnny are the ones who are “hetero-normative”, they hate themselves and homosexuality so they want to be just like women to be as close to heterosexuality as possible
litper
@xzall: defending gay men’s masculinity is not homophobia, dresssing up as woman to mock homosexuality and support heterosexuality now that’s homophobia
Cam
@enfilmigult:
Clapping
GlitterKidder
Live & let live, but remember he is one of a kind… I skipped the games because I didn’t want to see or hear him. Any self respecting gay man would have turned the offers down. Clearly he cares only about himself and doesn’t give a rats ass about the LGBTQ community in Russia.
MK Ultra
Weir is Putin’s very own gay joseph goebbels.
Weir is one of the many non-Russian parties responsible for any further atrocities that happens against LGBT in Russia (and there WILL be many further atrocities)
Polaro
Seriously, get over yourselves. Bunch of catty, jealous queens foaming at the mouth, swinging purses about trying to prove who is too gay to be gay. News flash, those of you bashing him for being a sissy come across as the mean girls, except with less style. Get lives. At least admit he did his job so brilliantly that the uptight jerks in the US got over how silly he looked. (There is such a good reason I stopped reading this tripe from you clowns months ago. Nice to know I missed nothing.)
Garth
@litper: My sentiments exactly !
Stefano
@Polaro : i think you’re in love ! 🙂
Weird is exactly what people want, effeminate, flamboyant and most of all, do not want to disturb the Government. Hé is exactly like the first gay caractere i saw on TV in 1978. 🙂
NoelG
@litper: You are an idiot and a fool or just a pitiful troll.
NoelG
The fact is the fight for gay rights and all human rights is the fight to be who we are without being discriminated against. And to see homophobic remarks allowed on a gay website is disheartening. It is absolutely ridiculous to claim one expression of gay is superior or inferior to another expression of gay.
Another fact: it is the “queens”, the “effeminate gays” who are fighting the good fight every day just by being themselves in public and potentially exposing themselves to the random homophobe.
Meanwhile, the “masculine, normal” gays get to fly under the radar because they can pass as straight when it’s convenient then be fabulous and out when they feel safe.
Also, the questions of his gender identity are beyond the pale. They are out-and-out transphobic.
litper
@NoelG: the “queens” almost destroyed the gay movement, the image of flamboyant genderless freaks pushed the majority of gay people even further in the closet. That image has been widely used by homophobes to deny our rights. No sane gay man wants to be a woman or being treated like a woman. Please leave the gender issues out of the gays’ fight for equality!
Cam
@Polaro: said…
“Seriously, get over yourselves. Bunch of catty, jealous queens foaming at the mouth, swinging purses about trying to prove who is too gay to be gay. News flash, those of you bashing him for being a sissy come across as the mean girls, except with less style.
_________________________
Isn’t it funny how much the Johnny Weir defenders sound EXACTLY like the anti-gay bigots?
Weir defends a country that is jailing and torturing us. He attacks the gay community calling the people who are upset at Russia idiots, as well as other things. He offers support to Russia multiple times, defending the IOC And yet….. HE is the victim according to them.
Just like NOM and the Mormon church claimed that THEY were the victim of gay attacks because gays didn’t want to allow them to make being gay illegal.
Nice try, but if your defense strategy didn’t work for the Mormons in the Utah Marriage case what makes you think it would have worked here?
Garth
Cannot stand this guy. Stick him back ion his can and put him back on the shelf !