Born in Plano, Texas, 26-year-old Amber Glenn is taking social media by storm at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. These are Glennâs first Olympic Games, and she is making history as the first openly queer woman on the US figure skating team. During the first weekend of the games, Glenn took the ice for her free skate, helping Team USA win gold.
Despite Glennâs success on the ice, it seems that some people are more interested in what she has to say off the ice. Before traveling to Milan, openly pansexual Glenn was asked how she felt about the current administration and the LGBTQ community. She expressed her frustration and said that, as hard as this time is, people need to come together and stay strong.
âIt isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try to fight for our human rights,â she said. âNow 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.”
Glenn told reporters on February 4th. Following her third-place performance (which she believes was not her best), she was shocked to find the backlash and even threats she had received over her comments about the Trump administration. She told USA Today, â[I] never had so many people wish me harm before.” It’s extremely disheartening to Glenn, her teammates, and members and allies of the LGBTQ community to see her attacked for defending what should be seen as human rights. As the first-time Olympian moves into her singles skate next week, she hopes to keep her head up and skate her best.
However, Glenn is not just receiving hate comments and threats for her stance; the other side of the aisle is showing their support. Her teammates, Alysa Lui and Isabeau Levito, have coined themselves the âBlade Angels.” Their tagline is âalt, gay, and from New Jerseyâ. The three of them are promoting their sport, friendship, camaraderie, and support for fellow teammates on TikTok. The Blade Angels are skating powerhouses, set to skate on Sunday (2/15) in their final games. Â
As weâve seen from the impact of âHeated Rivalry,” queer representation is extremely important now more so than ever. Amber Glenn is a trailblazer, showing young girls around the world that they can love who they love and thrive in the athletic world.