American figure skater Amber Glenn, who is competing for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Italy, has found herself at the center of a storm after speaking out at a press conference ahead of the Games. Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, was asked how it feels to represent the LGBTQIA+ community on the Olympic stage, and her candid answer quickly sparked a massive wave of backlash. The 26-year-old did not shy away from addressing the current political climate in the United States, and her words resonated with many while angering others. What followed was something she says she had anticipated but still found deeply unsettling.
At the pre-Games press conference, Glenn spoke openly about the challenges facing her community. “This is a difficult time for our community in this administration. It’s not the first time we’ve had to come together and fight for our rights,” she said. She also noted that the difficulties are no longer limited to LGBTQIA+ individuals, adding that “now it’s not just affecting LGBTQIA+ people, but many others.” She expressed hope that this shared struggle could actually bring people closer together and make the community stronger. Glenn also said she intended to use the Olympic platform to “encourage people to hold on through these difficult times.”
She was direct about her refusal to stay quiet on political matters. “I know many say: ‘You’re an athlete, stick to sports and stay out of politics,’ but politics affects all of us,” Glenn stated firmly. She emphasized that she would not be silent because these issues, in her view, “spill over into our everyday lives.” Her comments were measured and personal rather than partisan, focused on the lived experiences of people she cares about. Still, the reaction she received after winning gold on February 8 was swift and harsh.
After taking the top spot on the podium, Glenn took to Instagram to speak about what had happened since her press conference remarks went public. “I used one of the fundamental things in the US, the right to say what I think, and described how I feel as an athlete representing my country in a period that is difficult for many Americans. And now I’m receiving a terrifying amount of hate and threats just because I answered a question and shared my opinion,” she wrote. She made clear that while she had seen this reaction coming, the sheer ugliness of it still caught her off guard. “I couldn’t believe how ugly the reaction was just because I supported people,” she added.
Despite the hostility, Glenn made it clear she has no plans to go silent. “I won’t stop speaking and standing up for what I believe in, which is that people have the freedom to love who they want and live how they want. I hope we can move forward and stay positive,” she wrote in her post. She acknowledged that there are also people offering her support, though the volume of negative messages pushed her to step back from social media for the time being. Her gold medal win came amid all of this controversy, making her achievement even more striking given the circumstances surrounding it.
Glenn is not the only member of Team USA who has publicly weighed in on what it means to represent America right now. Skier Hunter Hess stated that he had “mixed feelings” about competing on behalf of the United States at these Games in Italy. His comment drew a quick and sharp response from President Donald Trump, who publicly called Hess a “loser.” The broader conversation about athletes, politics, and national identity has clearly reached a boiling point at these Olympics.
Figure skating at the Winter Olympics has a long and storied history, with women’s singles competition having been part of the Games since 1908. The sport combines athletic endurance with artistic expression and is judged on both technical elements and presentation components. The LGBTQIA+ community has had a growing presence in figure skating over the decades, with many prominent skaters speaking openly about their identities in recent years. The Olympic stage has increasingly become a space where athletes use their platform to address social and political issues, a trend that has intensified with the rise of social media giving athletes direct access to global audiences. Freedom of speech protections under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution remain a central part of American civic identity, and debates about when and where that speech is appropriate continue to generate strong opinions across the political spectrum.
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