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Johnny Weir on "Gay" Figure Skating


JOHNNY WEIR JAZZ HANDS X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM

HBO Real Sports asked Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir whether he thought the sport's "gay" reputation hurt its popularity. His answer jibed at men whom he said would prefer to see "spandexed men hitting each other's ass and throwing a ball."

"Do you think the fact that some people dismiss figure skating as ‘gay’ hurts the sport?" was a question in the segment, which premieres tonight on HBO.

"I know that for the men’s population of the Unites States, figure skating is a 'gay' sport, and that’s a misconception," said Weir. "There are so many straight athletes in figure skating. I think it’s the music and the costumes that turn most men off. Because they want to see, well, they want to see spandexed men hitting each other's ass and throwing a ball. It’s very different.”

Weir was also asked about the pressure for figure skating to become more "butch."
 
Watch the clip below.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Stephen
    Date posted: 2/16/2010 11:43:16 PM
    Hometown: childress

    Comment:

    I agree that skating and dance require physical ability, but your comment about football players is weak. Skating has routines that are practiced over and over again until you get it down right. Predictable. Football, you never know what is going to happen, therefore a football player has to be more intelligent, quick on making decisions and reacting, adjust accordingly. And, they dont need a hug as often.

  • Name: Kam
    Date posted: 2/10/2010 10:10:30 AM
    Hometown: Buffalo

    Comment:

    What is wrong with having a sport with a high number of Gay men in it? The NBA has a high number of Black men in it, while guys still watch it, so what is the big deal. Gay men can have a sport of their own too. This is about removing all gays from all sports. Like removing all gays from all things public. There are duck hunters and there are interior decorators and then there are people who want the two to be the same, well they won't ever be......

  • Name: sale ed hardy
    Date posted: 2/10/2010 2:13:13 AM
    Hometown: shanghai

    Comment:

    Hello ^^ I bookmarked this site. Thanks heaps for this!… if anyone else has anything, it would be much appreciated. Great website Super Pianoforte Links http://www.ed-hardy.cc ed hardy on sale Enjoy!

  • Name: Raphael
    Date posted: 2/9/2010 11:58:10 PM
    Hometown: World

    Comment:

    Figure skating like dance and ballet require more physical prowess than any football player has ever displayed, and their were more gay moments during the superbowl than there were in Brokeback Mountain or in Eating Out Parts 1 and 2.

  • Name: Tricia C.
    Date posted: 2/9/2010 9:12:45 PM
    Hometown: Omaha, NE

    Comment:

    You could never argue figure skating's not a contact sport; only in this sport contact means body hits ice, then they get back up and do it again and again. A skater has to be tenacious, certainly not a sport for wimps.

  • Name: Carol
    Date posted: 2/9/2010 12:12:13 PM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    I don't watch macho mens beat em up, throw them down games. Never have, except in H.S. and College when I knew the players. I love figure skating, have done a little of it in the past. The people who would complain about the lack of butch in skating wouldn't be missed in this terrific sport. It takes all kinds of people to make life interesting.



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