Out 100: Johnny Weir
11.9.2010
By Out.com Editors
It's difficult to deny the dynamism of Johnny Weir's ice skating. Since he entered the sport 14 years ago at what many would consider the advanced age of 12, he has made two Olympic appearances, won three U.S. championships, and is currently ranked 12th in the world by the International Skating Union. But, ultimately, it's his commitment to glamour and pageantry and his dexterous, playful handling of the controversies that dog him off the ice that have made him such a fascinating and beloved figure.
Weir has never hidden his fondness for flamboyance. He's regularly dusted in a blizzard of glitter, his signature showpiece is a routine choreographed to Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face,' and earlier this year, when faced with death threats from animal rights activists horrified by his decision to wear fox fur, he was defiantly unapologetic, responding, 'I'm not passionate about learning how animals get killed. I'm passionate about fashion, and I am not going to change something I love because someone tells me it's wrong.'
Even two Canadian broadcasters' suggestion that Weir undergo a 'gender test' during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics -- a comment that outraged the sports and LGBT worlds -- failed to ruffle the skater's sequins. 'Every little boy should be so lucky as to turn into me,' he countered.
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Thought-provoking as alwyas, Pam. The brilliance of Johnny Weir is not only that he is willing to be Out There, but that he is wholly his own person. So many skaters perform the programs choreographed by others, wearing costumes crafted by others. Even their hair styles are concocted by others, in many cases. Weir steps onto the ice proudly his own man, saying This is who I am. Love me or hate me, as you will. To me, it's the ultimate confidence, and it's much what Bowman brought the the sport in his heyday. (Sad side note: I saw Christopher Bowman in his last public appearance at a professional skating competition in Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1996). As for the ladies, look for Huna Kim of South Korea, Mao Asado of Japan, and Elena Gedevanishvili of Georgia for some excitement.
what a stupid thing to say. killing animals for fur is wrong, maybe he didnt know before but he does now. so stop it jackass
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