Adam Rippon joins 2018 Time 100

[luckyguy]

Prove me wrong.

What is the point of you continuously saying that it is hard to be LGBT and public about it? Adam says it is hard and wants everyone to be happy with who they are and change the attitudes people have towards others. What is the point of continuously trying to bring up it is hard when it is acknowledged?

Again, this is not just about LGBT.

Adam is a role model for everyone to be themselves. He starts by setting an example and the public's admiration for him has proven that is it working.

https://twitter.com/Adaripp/status/963586595629576192

Obviously, I'm more pessimistic than you, whether LGBTQI role models or role models in general can change the society. That's all.

 

[el henry]

Obviously, I'm more pessimistic than you, whether LGBTQI role models or role models in general can change the society. That's all.

I think maybe the difference is that I would never think that role models will change every unfortunate aspect in an entire society; that is a task that almost no human can achieve.

The point would be, you may not make a difference to *all*, but you can make *all* the difference to some. And that is an admirable goal and achievement.:hap85:

 

[lyndichee]

Obviously, I'm more pessimistic than you, whether LGBTQI role models or role models in general can change the society. That's all.

Adam will worry about how hard it is to change attitudes and he is obviously prepared to dedicate his life to it. I think it's much more admirable versus dedicating your time to saying it's not possible when Adam is already proving it isn't.

 

[4everchan]

Adam will worry about how hard it is to change attitudes and he is obviously prepared to dedicate his life to it. I think it's much more admirable versus dedicating your time to saying it's not possible when Adam is already proving it isn't.

well... i am all pro Adam.. but what has he done yet but getting some media attention? (i am sure he's spoken a few times etc... but concrete results please) yes.. that's a great start but to change LGBTQI's situation world-wide or even just in the USA, you need lawmakers and politicians on your side.... and those guys are only ever going to react if society demands fairness.

Remember that change is the responsibility and privilege of everyone of us. Without acceptation from the majority, the minority doesn't get to grow... I really like Adam and I wish him all the best but Ellen to name only one, has been at this, every day, for 20 years... and there is so much more to do....

 

[KwanIsALegend]

well... i am all pro Adam.. but what has he done yet but getting some media attention? (i am sure he's spoken a few times etc... but concrete results please) yes.. that's a great start but to change LGBTQI's situation world-wide or even just in the USA, you need lawmakers and politicians on your side.... and those guys are only ever going to react if society demands fairness.

Remember that change is the responsibility and privilege of everyone of us. Without acceptation from the majority, the minority doesn't get to grow... I really like Adam and I wish him all the best but Ellen to name only one, has been at this, every day, for 20 years... and there is so much more to do....

So now Adam is not doing enough?
He is already working with GLAAD and The Human Rights campaign. He is a tad busy right now. Maybe when DWTS & SOI are over he will devote more time to fighting for the LGBTQ community enough to suit you.
Can this guy catch a break??!!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I am skeptical that Adam's popularity will change something in a positive way for gays. It is more a wishful thinking than an expectable reality.

There were many prominent figure skaters who were known as gay (Ronnie Robertson, Ondrej Nepela, Toller Cranston, John Curry, Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Johnny Weir and others. And they changed nothing.

Do you remember the reactions to gay skaters not too long ago?





Figure Skating Gets Macho Makeover

Do you still remember Ryan Bradley's at 2008 Skate Canada?

I am sure that many USFSA officials are not happy about this.

Adam is a totally different story. Insinuating someone is gay like Boitano was for years but was "forced" out in 2014 is not the same thing.

I'm happy to see that Adam is making a huge difference (go look all over social media and the people that pour their hearts out to him at meet and greets and in tweets and instagram stories, thanking him for representing and making them not ashamed to be LGBTQ.

I'm glad that there are those in this thread that see the difference and the good that Adam is doing and standing for.

And don't even bring up that stupid incident with Ryan. It was an inside thing and the parties that knew what he was talking about in code and it's no one elses business. Something like that never happened again, if you are trying to make Bradley out to be a homophobe then you are out of line, because he's far from it.

Either way, if you heard half of the stuff that is said in the k and c's that the mics don't pick up or people say while forgetting there are mics and cameras nearby, you'd have a freaking heart attack.

Let it rest already.

 

[ice coverage]

well... i am all pro Adam.. but what has he done yet but getting some media attention? (i am sure he's spoken a few times etc... but concrete results please) ...

You cannot have it both ways. :roll5:

One minute, you are basically yawning (or worse) over Adam coming out -- because your view is that role models like him are not necessary.

The next minute, you are questioning why he has not done more.

... yes.. that's a great start but to change LGBTQI's situation world-wide or even just in the USA, you need lawmakers and politicians on your side.... and those guys are only ever going to react if society demands fairness.

Remember that change is the responsibility and privilege of everyone of us. Without acceptation from the majority, the minority doesn't get to grow... I really like Adam and I wish him all the best but Ellen to name only one, has been at this, every day, for 20 years... and there is so much more to do....

Adam has taken a public stand against VP Pence and the White House.
And he is doing something to increase acceptance from the majority -- with his visibility and his campaign for GLAAD, for example.

It makes no sense to be dismissive of Adam for not having the same longevity as a public figure as Ellen -- who (not incidentally) is a big supporter of Adam.
Adam has been "at this" since 2015. Would you prefer that he never took an interest in doing anything at all?

 

[4everchan]

You know that we have talked about different topics right? There is a context for why i am saying he should not need to come out and another one for why i say he ought to do more if he wants to create an impact. I am not saying ellen or adam is better than the other at all. Gosh. I am saying that despite ellen being an activist for 20 years it seems like not much has changed. The rest is politics and i was told not to talk about such things so you are on your own here

 

[Mathman]

I am skeptical that Adam's popularity will change something in a positive way for gays. It is more a wishful thinking than an expectable reality.

There were many prominent figure skaters who were known as gay (Ronnie Robertson, Ondrej Nepela, Toller Cranston, John Curry, Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Johnny Weir and others. And they changed nothing.

Any kind of cultural attitude shift takes time. Little by little, each of the skaters that you named here was another drop of water contributing to a little ripple, then a wave. The U.S. civil rights movement aimed at achieving equality among races similarly took a century of contributions, none of which by itself seemed to accomplish much at the time.

Do you remember the reactions to gay skaters not too long ago?

Canadian skating officials say the sports needs to get macho.

"They've got to really showcase that male skating is really about masculinity, strength and power," said Canadian figure skater Elvis Stojko.
Skate Canada, the sport's governing body in Canada, hopes to expand figure skating's audience ahead of the 2010 Olympics. The solution: to project an image of "masculinity" that will draw in the "hockey crowd."

Along with the more masculine presentation, skating officials say it's also time to throw away the frilly, sequin-clad outfits in favor of simpler, more uniform looks.

Figure Skating Gets Macho Makeover

Figure Skating Gets Macho Makeover

As a sign of the times, Skate Canada (also Elvis Stojko) was roundly criticized for what, even in 2009, was pretty much universally regarded as old, stupid, dinosaur thinking. Skate Canada's self-annointed push to butch up the sport failed miserably, and Skate Canada was backtracking and apologizing before the year was out. Skate Canada's red-faced fall-back position, was, no, no, we're not homophobic, we just don't like sequins. But no one really bought their lame excuses, even a decade ago.

To me, we are seeing an astonishingly rapid sea change. Christine Brennen, in her book "Inside Edge" about the figure skating culture of the 1980's and early 90's, shares this anecdote. To get background information she rode on the Stars on Ice tour bus with the skaters. One time she looked around at all the skaters on the bus and asked tour owner Scott Hamilton, "how many of your male skaters are straight?" Before the question was out of her mouth, Scott shot back, "All of them." Scott felt that no one would come to the show if they thought that some of the performers might be gay.

Contrast that with the situation now, just a couple of decades later.

 

[Haleth]

Less sarcastically, I wonder at the lack of nuance in some people's expectation. We have so far to go as a society, that we need small and large steps to be taken on a daily basis in almost all aspects of life to change cultural values. There are so many ways to help and no one person can do them all.

I think men like Eric and Adam showed praiseworthy courage in coming out. They did it differently because they are different individuals. There is no one right way to be LGBTQIAP2S+, or queer, or however you desire to label yourself. Queer kids and teens will benefit from having an array of role models to show them they are normal, not alone, and can achieve great things. Thank goodness for them! Eric showed off a picture a child made of him proposing to Luis. Lovely. Hopefully that child with take that open-mindedness and empathy with them through the rest of their life and teach others. And so on.

I'd also love to see more attention paid to LGBTQIAP2S+ women as well in figure skating, as well as making fs more welcoming a place for them to come out if they wish and it is safe to do so. Because so many cis straight men are protective of masculinity, it often feels like all we do is focus on cis gay men (or straight men who don't follow old-fashioned and/or Westernized notions of masculinity).

 

[el henry]

Less sarcastically, I wonder at the lack of nuance in some people's expectation. We have so far to go as a society, that we need small and large steps to be taken on a daily basis in almost all aspects of life to change cultural values. There are so many ways to help and no one person can do them all.

I think men like Eric and Adam showed praiseworthy courage in coming out. They did it differently because they are different individuals. There is no one right way to be LGBTQIAP2S+, or queer, or however you desire to label yourself. Queer kids and teens will benefit from having an array of role models to show them they are normal, not alone, and can achieve great things. Thank goodness for them! Eric showed off a picture a child made of him proposing to Luis. Lovely. Hopefully that child with take that open-mindedness and empathy with them through the rest of their life and teach others. And so on.

I'd also love to see more attention paid to LGBTQIAP2S+ women as well in figure skating, as well as making fs more welcoming a place for them to come out if they wish and it is safe to do so. Because so many cis straight men are protective of masculinity, it often feels like all we do is focus on cis gay men (or straight men who don't follow old-fashioned and/or Westernized notions of masculinity).

Hear hear!

I simply do not understand the "Adam and Eric and anyone else are not doing enough" or the "Well, they won't really make a difference" arguments. Really????? And, well, Adam and Eric coming out doesn't make a difference in my world. So??????

I am minded of the old starfish story: Man walks along a beach full of many stranded starfish. He picks them up one-by-one and throws them back into the ocean. Another beach walker comes by and says, "What are you doing? You will never be able to pick up all those starfish, you will never make a difference!" The other man smiles, picks up a starfish, and returns it to the ocean. He replies "I made a difference to that one".

Applause and recognition is due if any skater can make a difference for even one youth in distress, as Adam did in my earlier post. For any one person, it is enough to "make a difference to that one".

 

[noskates]

Hear! Hear! El. It bothers me greatly when people sit back and accuse someone of "not doing enough!" Who are you to judge? The fact that someone in the public eye such as Adam or Eric or anyone you can name that has come out publically and professed their lifestyle is hope to others. What do you expect them to do? Unless you're a 13 year old boy or girl struggling with their sexual identity, how do you KNOW they haven't done enough? They see someone who has been a success at what they do and can maybe realize that it's possible for THEM to be accepted for who they are.

 

[yoloaxel]

I don't think Adam should be "doing" anything but be himself unapologetically. That in itself is a positive for LGBT youth that they too can be themselves and succeed in their dreams and aspirations.

Go Adam!