Nathan Chen issues apology for interview | Golden Skate

Nathan Chen issues apology for interview

What are Dave Lease and Jonathan Beyer talking about Nathan in their recent TSL episode? I found nothing offensive in what Nathan said, he answered the question honestly and politely.
Twitter has been critical of Nathan's statement on LGBTs and the interview has been taken down
 
Can his statements still be heard anywhere? I'd like to hear for myself just how bad these statements were. Hasn't Nathan said before that he isn't gay but that he's happy that figure skating supports the LGBTQ community? Is that not enough for people? I'm sure the haters can't wait for the poor guy to slip up in his wording so they can attack.
 
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Just one iffy phrase ('LGBTQ dominated') and everybody on Twitter leaps on him and calls him a homophobe 😓
How about they ask Jason Brown what he thinks? I'm sure he knows Nathan better than they do.

The poster's icon is quite predictable. And the comments promising gleefully to archive this clip...

Just hope this stuff will soon pass like other Twitter lynchmob incidents (Mariah, Denis Ten, the Michelle Kwan GOAT thing).
 
Wasn’t he just talking about some people’s perception about figure skating here in US not how he views the sport as LGBTQ dominated?
Also, diversity in performing styles helps promote the sport is a valid point.
 
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Classy, sure. I still stand by my opinion that he did absolutely nothing wrong. People don't want to acknowledge it, but the view that figure skating is wimpy and feminine exists. I was happy he openly addressed that and I don't think he should have to apologize for pointing out that figure skating isn't inherently feminine. It has a place for everyone, even for those who aren't feminine. I'm sure the haters will continue to hate either way.
 
Classy, sure. I still stand by my opinion that he did absolutely nothing wrong. People don't want to acknowledge it, but the view that figure skating is wimpy and feminine exists. I was happy he openly addressed that and I don't think he should have to apologize for pointing out that figure skating isn't inherently feminine. It has a place for everyone, even for those who aren't feminine. I'm sure the haters will continue to hate either way.
What can he possibly do? He might lose his sponsorship, he might be penalized in one way or another. Who knows. One thing I do know is that he will not continue skating after Beijing 2022. Very sad.
 
I feel like he spoke his truth from a personal perspective of having been often branded as gay for being in skating but continuing in the sport anyway (and wouldn't it hurt if you're really not gay?).

That being said, since he's basically the face of US figure skating right now, I guess he does have a responsibility to consider other perspectives.

I hope he wins gold in Beijing, finishes college, then goes back to skating.😁👍
 
What can he possibly do? He might lose his sponsorship, he might be penalized in one way or another. Who knows. One thing I do know is that he will not continue skating after Beijing 2022. Very sad.
Oh, no, don't get me wrong. Nathan is a very humble guy. He has no problem apologizing. He did what he had to do, which is to calm the situation and put this all behind him. I was merely speaking from the technical aspect of things, which is that he didn't really do anything wrong and, technically, didn't owe anyone an apology. And, yes, being the face of US figure skating and world champion, he does have obligations. Now that he has apologized, hopefully the haters and anyone who couldn't comprehend what he was originally saying will stop their whining and crying.
 
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As someone who tends to avoid Twitter, I am starting to rethink if I am showing enough support for him as a fan. Did he get to hear alternative views when the voice of one-side is so much louder? Will those people who intentionally twisted his opinions for their own agenda ever apologize? The apology is not about whether it is right or wrong. It just showcases how good he is as a person (far far better than those haters on Twitter and certainly better than me).
 
What can he possibly do? He might lose his sponsorship, he might be penalized in one way or another. Who knows. One thing I do know is that he will not continue skating after Beijing 2022. Very sad.

He did not do anything disgraceful, it's unlikely that he would lose any sponsorships.

True, I don't know the future any better than the next person, actually, but I have seen plenty of athletes get away with far far worse, sometimes outright crimes, not just words that other people take issue with.

Apologizing is the kind and generous thing to do, to say you're sorry your words hurt someone, and to assess the fault as entirely your own, even though there's some room for debate, as SaDa and others have pointed out.

Decoder, you're entitled to your point of view. I just want to put in my opinion that he didn't apologize because he was in danger of being dropped by sponsors.
 
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Oh, no, don't get me wrong. Nathan is a very classy guy. He has no problem apologizing. He did what he had to do, which is to calm the situation and put this all behind him. I was merely speaking from the technical aspect of things, which is that he didn't really do anything wrong and technically didn't owe anyone an apology. And, yes, being the face of US figure skating and world champion, he does have obligations. Now that he has apologized, hopefully the haters and anyone who couldn't comprehend what he was originally saying will stop their whining and crying.
I am with you, totally. :)
 
Oh, no, don't get me wrong. Nathan is a very classy guy. He has no problem apologizing. He did what he had to do, which is to calm the situation and put this all behind him. I was merely speaking from the technical aspect of things, which is that he didn't really do anything wrong and technically didn't owe anyone an apology. And, yes, being the face of US figure skating and world champion, he does have obligations. Now that he has apologized, hopefully the haters and anyone who couldn't comprehend what he was originally saying will stop their whining and crying.

As you can see on twitter and IG the hate continues. I don't believe his words are for the haters, they'll hate either way, as you said. It's for those who felt hurt who were open minded enough to consider that he might not be the devil incarnate just because he finished ahead of certain other skaters.

I think the whining and crying will not end until every skater, not just Nathan, declare themselves unworthy and place all their medals and prize money at the feet of the haters' chosen idol.
 
Sadly, I'm not a twitter person either. I hope his fans there have reached out to him to support him and to let him know he didn't do anything wrong. But, yeah, Nathan is a really good person and that, among many other reasons, is why I admire him. He's level-headed, disciplined, hard-working and extremely kind(also a better person than I am too, lol). To be frank, I like that part about him even more than I do his AMAZING skating talent!
 
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As you can see on twitter and IG the hate continues. I don't believe his words are for the haters, they'll hate either way, as you said. It's for those who felt hurt who were open minded enough to consider that he might not be the devil incarnate just because he finished ahead of certain other skaters.

I think the whining and crying will not end until every skater, not just Nathan, declare themselves unworthy and place all their medals and prize money at the feet of the haters' chosen idol.
lol...I was just trying to be optimistic there. Reality is, you're 100% right.
 
lol...I was just trying to be optimistic there. Reality is, you're 100% right.

LOL you don't know how long it's been since I've been right about anything. This is a low bar, predicting the behavior of haters.

I'm not one for twitter either. Nathan is a smart guy, he knows when he needs to take a step back from social media. The people whose opinion he values don't need twitter and IG to reach him.
 
He did not do anything disgraceful, it's unlikely that he would have lost any sponsorships.

True, I don't know the future any better than the next person, actually, but I have seen plenty of athletes get away with far far worse, sometimes outright crimes, not just words that other people take issue with.

Apologizing is the kind and generous thing to do, to say you're sorry your words hurt someone, and to assess the fault as entirely your own, even though there's some room for debate, as SaDa and others have pointed out.

Decoder, you're entitled to your point of view. I just want to put in my opinion that he didn't apologize because he was in danger of being dropped by sponsors.
Thanks for the reply. I agree with you and Sada, that he is decent, brave and smart to say what he said in his instagram. He'll be more careful in future interviews (maybe his agent is telling him the same right now .)
 
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