on heteronormativity in figure skating, again

[adevyish]

Read the Paul Poirier interview in Glory from back in June today. It’s a long interview, and he talks about being a gay figure skater, the heteronormativity of ice dance, and the ban on athletes being political and the inherent politics of the Olympics.

For me the part that stood out the most was:

From within my own sport, I think the biggest challenge still comes from the artistic dimension that our sport has, and the sorts of themes that are chosen, the costuming that is chosen, the music that is chosen, and the different ways that a body can move. Those are all things that are very prescriptive in saying, “this is a move that a female skater should do” or if a male skater does it, it’s very effeminate. All of those narratives, when it comes right down to it, create this atmosphere of shame for LGBTQ+ athletes who are simply trying to exist in the skating world and express themselves in the way that they want to. For myself, a lot of the obstacles have come from internalizing these narratives and then turning them in on myself. That’s what leads to any sort of mental health struggle that LGBTQ+ athletes might have in sport as they ask themselves, “Who am I? How does this tie into what I do? How do I express myself? How do I exist in this space? Can I exist in this space the way that I want to and the way that I am?”

Kaitlyn Weaver also said something similar in her coming out article on the same day:

We’re a judged sport. We’re afraid to put one toe out of line for fear of what people will think about us.

(Back in 2016 I made a Tumblr post on femininity in men’s figure skating (dreamwidth xpost) I got a few flames saying I was totally wrong. I doubt those specific fans will have changed their minds given who they stan, but I hope as a whole the fandom might have improved slightly.)

Jason Brown also came out that day, on Instagram. Although Kaitlyn is retired, both Paul and Jason are still competing and chose to come out leading into an Olympic season. Even eight years ago people waited to come out until after the season was over, so there is, I guess, progress.