Johnny Weir He has always skirted around the issue, but flamboyant Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir has confirmed he is gay in a new autobiography. People Magazine is publishing an excerpt from Welcome to My World, where Weir says being gay "is the smallest part of what makes me me." "I'm not ashamed to be me," Weir wrote. "More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What's wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become." Weir's autobiography will be released in the US next week. The three-time US champion has repeatedly avoided questions about his sexuality, saying he did not want to be defined by labels. He is one of his sports most showy and popular figures who once posed for a photo shoot in a skirt and stilettos. He has slammed gay media for pressuring him to talk about his sexual orientation, writing, "All the gay websites couldn't figure out why I was such a jerk that I wouldn't talk about it ... But pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community. ... The massive backlash against me in the gay media and community only made me dig my 'closeted' heels in further." Weir has told People he was never in the closet and his sexuality is not an issue with his family, but he knows this isn't the case for everyone, particularly teenagers. "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story," Weir told People. Weir is currently taking a year off from competition.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 7th January 2011 - 11:51am