Let’s be honest — the Winter Olympics don’t receive the same kind of love and ratings as the Summer Olympics. However, we have found the Winter Olympics to be fascinating this year for its amazing LGBTQ+ moments. Check out our 5 favorite LGBT moments of the Winter Olympics (so far) below. We hope they get you into the Winter Olympic spirit, too!
1. Gus Kenworthy’s Kiss With His Boyfriend
Gus Kenworthy is the American freestyle skier that captured the heart of the world when he shared a kiss with his boyfriend, Matthew Wilkas, at the Winter Olympics. Unknowingly to Kenworthy, the kiss was caught on air by NBC. The world went wild with love — and the kiss went viral.
Kenworthy said after finding out the kiss was aired: “I didn’t even know that that was a televised moment at all, but I think that’s amazing. That’s something that I wanted at the last Olympics was to share a kiss with my boyfriend at the bottom and it was something that I was too scared to do for myself. And so to be able to do that, to give him a kiss, to have that affection broadcasted for the world is incredible.”
“I think that the only way to really change perceptions, break down homophobia, break down barriers is through representation. That’s definitely not something I had as a kid. I definitely didn’t see a gay athlete at the Olympics kissing their boyfriend and I think that if I had it would have made it a lot easier for me, so hopefully it did that for other people.”
We love you, Gus.
2. Everything about Adam Rippon
Adam Rippon is #goals. The American figure skater was the first openly gay man to qualify for the Winter Olympics on the American team and he has been slaying throughout the competition. He turned down a meeting request with homophobic Pence, making us all do a “Yes!” air punch! While he didn’t medal in the men’s figure skating long program, he helped his team win the bronze medal in the team competition. His on-fire tweets have been so popular that NBC offered him a correspondent job. Even Sally Field tried to set him up with her son! Adam is gold in our hearts.
3. The most openly-gay Winter Olympic athletes in history
There’s more openly gay Olympians at the Winter Olympics than ever before and that makes us happy because that means progress! Take Canada’s Eric Radford — he’s the first openly gay man to win gold in the Winter Olympics (in figure skating). Belle Brockhoff of Australia is representing the LGBTQ community in snowboarding, while Netherlands speed-skater Ireen Wüst is a proud bisexual athlete who won gold this year, too.
While they may not all have won gold, by living in their truth and competing in the Winter Olympics, the openly-LGBT Winter Olympians are inspiring thousands upon thousands of LGBT youths and adults who need a bit of inspiration in their life.
4. Canada’s Pride House
Can Canada be any cooler? The answer is yes. Working with South Korean activist, Canada made their official Canada Olympic House — a place for Team Canada fans to watch the Olympics and interact — a Pride House, or LGBTQ-friendly. This makes it the first Pride House to be associated with a national Olympic committee.
The welcome message of the Canadian Pride House in PyeongChang reads:
“This is your house no matter who you are or where you come from.
You are at home, regardless of your sex, sexual orientation, race, marital or family status, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, creed, age, color, disability, political or religious belief.
Be proud. Be you. Be Olympic!”
Here, here, Canada!
5. Adam + Gus = BFFs
There was Oprah and Gayle, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Obama and Biden — now there is Adam and Gus — the Winter Olympic friendship that is giving us all the feels. As the most-loved, out American athletes at the Winter games, these two guys are supporting each other in the best ways. Surprisingly, they hadn’t met in person until the opening ceremonies in South Korea, but it didn’t take them long to become fast friends and supporters.
When For The Win asked Kenworthy how it felt to have Rippon’s support, he said:
“It means the world to have everyone’s support, but I think it’s incredible to have [Rippon] here, because he understands everything I’m feeling and going through, and I feel and understand everything he has in front of him. I totally understand his pressures, and we can relate. Even if we don’t talk about that, we have an understanding of what each other are going for.”
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