By Rory Carroll
MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) – U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said she will limit her use of social media after receiving what she described as “a scary amount” of hate and threats following remarks encouraging LGBTQ+ people to stay strong during what she called a difficult period for the community.
Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, is the first out woman to figure skate at an Olympics, according to Outsports, a website that tracks LGBTQ+ athletes.
The 26-year-old, a three-time U.S. champion, made the comments after being asked about the issue during a U.S. Figure Skating press conference at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday.
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel,” Glenn wrote in a social media post.
“I did anticipate this but I am disappointed by it. I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
At the press conference, Glenn said the current political environment in the United States has demanded new levels of solidarity from marginalised groups.
U.S. President Donald Trump moved quickly after returning to office in January 2025 to end a range of policies aimed at protecting rights for LGBTQ+ people.
Glenn is making her Olympic debut in Milan and could be selected to compete for the United States in the free skate segment of the team event later on Sunday. She is among the favorites to medal in the women’s individual event, which begins on Feb. 17.
Adam Rippon, a former U.S. figure skating Olympic medallist who is gay, said he was proud of Glenn for speaking out.
“I’m just so proud of her,” Rippon told Reuters.
“At the end of the day, you want to do your best here, but you also want to make sure that when people get the chance to know you and know what you’re about, that you’re able to speak up and share that.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Milan; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
