Brody's Notes... AfterElton Managing Editor Writes Johnny Weir Not Skating Around 'That' Gay Thing Anymore

Olympic Male Figure Ice Skater Johnny Weir  

Photo via People Magazine

By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) JAN 6 | Dennis Ayers, the Managing Editor of AfterElton.com reports that Johnny Weir has a memoir coming out soon called "Welcome to My World," detailing his life.

The Olympic figure skater has sold excerpts to People magazine, with an accompanying article on Weir appearing in the January 17th print version of People which is being sold on newsstands now. 

Ayers notes:

"The big news (or non-news) is that Weir finally, explicitly comes out as gay: "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story."

Being interviewed for the People article, Weir talked about growing up when he was frequently mistaken for a little girl. The champion figure ice skater said that he often was targeted in middle and highs school being referred to as either a "homo" or a "faggot" by his fellow students. Weir in the article also mentioned a clandestine affair he had with another male skater he only calls "Alex."

Weir also discusses the pressure he felt from gay websites who "couldn't figure out why I was such a jerk that I wouldn't talk it [being gay]."

AfterElton's Ayers writes:

Well, we were probably one of those gay websites he refers to, and I can't say we were angry so much as sincerely frustrated that Weir played coy for so long. It made him awfully hard to write about or appreciate. What did it say about gay visibility when someone so visibly gay seemed obstinate in refusing to own up to it? How could he be considered a role model?

Weir remarked:

"A lot of the gays got downright angry about my silence. But pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community. I'm not ashamed to be me. 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."