U.S. Women’s Figure Skating Champion Amber Glenn
Plano native Amber Glenn made history Jan. 26 with her victory at the U.S. Women’s Figure Skating Championship, becoming the first openly-queer woman to claim that title. Glenn celebrated her gold medal by skating around the rink with the inclusive Pride flag — one with the original rainbow colors plus the black and brown stripes for racial inclusivity and with the white, pink and blue stripes honoring the transgender community — draped around her shoulders.
Glenn, 24, identifies as pansexual and bisexual. She won the bronze medal at the U.S. championships last year and the silver in 2021. This was her ninth trip to the championship competition. Read Coy Covington’s interview with Glenn for Dallas Voice from last October here.
After her victory last weekend, Glenn told NBC Sports, “ Being the first openly queer women’s champion is incredible. When I came out initially, I was terrified. I was scared it would affect my scores or something.”
But, she added, “It was worth it to see the amount of young people who felt more comfortable in their environments at the rink, [people] who feel, ‘Oh, I’m represented by her, and she’s one of the top skaters [so] I don’t have to try and hide the sight of me. Just because you have this aspect doesn’t mean you can’t be a top athlete.”
— Tammye Nash
