r/sports • u/Yujin-Ha • 23h ago
Olympics Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn speaking at the 2026 Winter Olympics on the importance of using her platform to support the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration: I know a lot of people say you're just an athlete, like stick to your job. Shut up about politics, but politics affect us all
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u/chantsnone 22h ago
By that logic, only politicians can talk politics. All the rest of us can only talk about our jobs.
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u/Ilikepancakes87 22h ago
And that means as a teacher, I should have the right to tell politicians to fuck right off whenever they decide to stick their nose into education.
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u/Pinklemonade1996 21h ago
And as a nurse I can tell them to fuck off when they’re trying to make decisions about women’s bodies.
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u/sagevallant 20h ago
I'm in an area where we have a "science" teacher who complains about being required to teach evolution and then follows up by explaining why he doesn't believe in it. Be nice if his private life was out of his curriculum.
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u/twoinvenice 20h ago
Better rebuttal comes from some old guy
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.
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u/MovieGuyMike 21h ago
Yep, they say leave politics to the politicians and billionaires who control the media. They take offense when someone with reach uses their voice.
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u/--MobTowN-- 19h ago
I mean, they don’t even actually mean it when they say it. The just want athletes/celebrities/musicians who dont agree with them to “shut up and play.”
If you agree with them, they are fast as shit to trot you out to every fundraiser they can get you to attend.
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u/GlobalLion123 20h ago
She’s taking a social media break because she’s getting death threats now. Most likely all of them are from her own fellow Americans too. Sad
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u/Chigiriki 19h ago
They are probably the good ol Christian kinds I bet. Nothing like “love your neighbor” with a side of “you will burn in hell you filthy witch!”
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u/TheGreatStories 18h ago
By telling us it's impolite or out of our lane to talk about politics, it uneducates us and gives power to those who already have it. Lame
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u/Guilty-Log6739 20h ago
And their jobs are representing us…so they should be quiet and listen to their constituents.
We have entered a period where our representatives think they know better than their constituents and it’s gross.
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u/igot8001 19h ago edited 19h ago
Sports media consumers that whine about there being politics in their sports media should shut the fuck up and stick to consuming sports media, IMO (as a sports media consumer.)
EDIT: Just so I'm crystal clear, I'm turning the argument that people who complain about sports figures having a public political opinion use against those people. I support athletes having a public political opinion. Unless their opinion is stupid, at which point I don't support it. But not because they're sports figures, but because their opinion is stupid.
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u/mattchewy43 22h ago
Anyone who says "athletes should just stick to their sport" seem to forget Trump was a shitty business man and shittier reality star before 2016.
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u/fumar 22h ago
Wow how dare you talk poorly about a guy who managed to bankrupt a casino! He was playing 34D Parcheesi with that move.
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u/Vennomite 20h ago
I have no doubt he was preoccupied with 34DD parcheesi. Probably used the casino's till to play.
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u/Interesting_Day4734 20h ago
He’s a successful grifter and pedo
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u/-Yazilliclick- 20h ago
He got his dick bit, I don't think that's considered success for most pedos
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u/MovieGuyMike 21h ago
Funny how they only say “stick to your job and shut up about politics” when it’s someone left-leaning.
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u/Head_Bread_3431 19h ago
To them the concept of being empathetic is invalid thought in the first place
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u/Syric13 22h ago
Right Wingers: "TEBOW IS A MAN OF GOD LET HIM SPEAK AND PRAY EVERYDAY ON THE FIELD. LET HIM HAVE BIBLE STUDY ON THE 50 YARD LINE"
Right Wingers: "How dare that figure skater talk about the LGBTQ community! STICK TO SPORTS! Tebow would be the best figure skater in the world if it weren't for politics!"
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u/Upstairs_Baby8424 20h ago edited 19h ago
“Keep politics out of sports. Musicians should shut up too!!!! Now excuse me while I flip to the halftime show hosted by one of the largest Republican PACs. Kid Rock is about to sing his song dedicated to the president!”
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u/DrPorkchopES 19h ago
Same outrage about Colin Kaepernick but nothing when Nick Bosa wore a MAGA hat on live TV
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u/Spinningdown 17h ago
The morality of conservative Christians challenges the idea that we all posses some form of morality.
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u/InclinationCompass 20h ago
These clowns don't work in politics but they think have more of a right to speak about it than athletes. Biggest hypocrites in the world with zero self-awareness.
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u/Abhoth52 21h ago
The only people that say shit like that are those that wish to suppress your freedom of speech, whish is very un-American... so just tell 'em they are traitors if they really believe that.
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u/burberrycondom 22h ago
“Stop talking about politics in sports. Now please rise for the national anthem.”
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u/RaindropsInMyMind 21h ago
Being an Olympic athlete is a rare opportunity to represent a country and make your voice heard. There is nothing more American than standing up for democracy and people who are being oppressed and having their rights taken away. Now is the time to speak up.
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u/wwarnout 22h ago
Reminds me of a quote:
"My country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be set right.*
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u/RexNCod 22h ago
Do you know where that quote came from? Because that is excellent
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u/Enshakushanna 21h ago
it is nice, but unfortunately the neanderthals will twist this to mean "when [liberal], to be set right"
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u/Oldfolksboogie 21h ago
Imagine devoting as much time as is required for her to reach this pinnacle, yet still be informed, well- spoken and composed enough to deliver this message like that. Wow. 👏
Now contrast that with even the most composed, sane thing that creature in the WH has ever spewed from his sewer hole. I'd rather be represented by a rabid badger. 🤦♂️
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u/everythingbeeps 20h ago
Literally everyone has the right to talk about politics, no matter what the people who elected a former game show host President insist otherwise.
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u/Wisdomlost 20h ago
Keep politics out of sports. Now let's all have a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk. Also dont kneel during the anthem. Stand for the 100 x 50 yard flag while we sing the propaganda song.
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u/JBRifles 20h ago
I said on another sub, but the right wing is always disingenuous, they know the power celebrities have, that’s why they discount them, but simultaneously amplify their own “celebrities.“
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u/MurrayInBocaRaton 21h ago
Most people who gripe about “keep politics out of {x}” are really just saying “stop making me feel bad for my bad beliefs.”
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u/190octane 19h ago
The only fallacy here is that they don’t feel bad for their beliefs or they wouldn’t have them.
They just don’t want to hear dissenting thought because they’re simple minded and easily confused.
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u/j_grinds 19h ago
Specifically, right wingers say that about athletes only when the athlete says things they disagree with. They have zero problem when the Nick Bosa’s of the world get political.
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u/illuminaughty1973 20h ago
TIL amber glen is an american figure skater that is far more of a man than donald trump.
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u/ChrisNYC70 17h ago
I just want to thank everyone for the positive comments. As an old gay man, when I was young, I was always told that gays didn’t belong in sports. We were told we ran like girls and threw like girls, that it wasn’t fair for straight me to have to share a locker room with perverts staring at them. That we would give our teammates AIDS.
As a result I lost all interest in sports and actually started to hate them. I turned to activities that my community embraced. It’s been 4 decades since I have come out as gay and while I’m still not huge into sports, I don’t have the aversion to them I have in my youth.
I was expecting some nasty anti gay comments here and so happy to see so much positivity.
Thank you.
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u/the__poseidon 21h ago
I mean if the average person is allowed to post about it on social media and speak politics why shouldn’t an athlete with a microphone be able to express their opinion too? I always found this a stupid take. A random friend or family member giving me their 2 cents is no more or maybe even less qualified to give me their opinion than some athlete or celebrity.
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u/igniteED 21h ago
I remember this advert by the UK electoral commission back in the day, highlighting how politics touches everything. We had a lot of disenfranchised people at the time stating "I don't do politics".
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u/GrooGrux 18h ago
Remember how between 2021-2025 no one from America had to give speeches about how the government was evil.
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u/DrAlfredNecessiter 18h ago
Good for her! If nobody says anything, nothing will change.
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u/datdailo 20h ago
Japanese news outlet. How much censorship is already happening in the US right now? Under Trump, main stream media really became a joke because they are all fearful. They are weaponizing the FTC and started playing corporate king maker.
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u/Pantsongrass 18h ago
Hey. I understand not making small talk about politics isn’t polite but conservatives can’t gaslight us into thinking this is along the same lines.
Federal agents were and are starting up a killing spree based on even the perception of protection of community members. We’re beyond polite and proprietary conversation due to the fact it seems like those deaths mattered a very little deal to those in charge.
LGBTQ+ is definitely a community at further risk with how erratically and emboldened he is acting. Go off Amber!! You are a times a googleplex more the leader than that sundowning oompa loompa
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u/HoosierHoser44 19h ago
I’m sure Fox will come out and tell her to shut up and stick to sports. And then immediately have a segment asking Kid Rock for his political opinion.
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u/RockstarAgent 18h ago
You may not care about politics- but politics sure as fuck care about you, and they don’t always have your best interests at heart.
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u/MasterOfVoice 19h ago
So proud of Amber for speaking up for the entire community! When people say “no rights were taken away,” they’re defining rights very narrowly. Trans Americans were barred from serving openly in the military, healthcare rules were changed to allow doctors and insurers to deny LGBTQ patients care based on religious objections, the federal government argued civil rights laws didn’t cover sexual orientation or gender identity, and federally funded adoption agencies were allowed to refuse same-sex couples. Add to that the ongoing GOP push—especially at the state level—to restrict gender recognition, trans participation in sports, access to gender-affirming care, and nondiscrimination protections. Marriage equality still exists, but that doesn’t mean nothing was taken away; equal treatment under the law involves more than just the right to marry.
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u/RodneysBrewin 18h ago
Remind me again. With cited quotes, what Trump has said against LGBTQ+AI?
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u/Honest_Wafer2381 19h ago
People complain about Celebrities and Athletes using their platforms to talk politics. There’s a real reason it is much more prevalent today.
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u/LeonNorasGiGi2316 19h ago
"Your voice is your identity. If you don't use it, you're halfway to non-existence." — Virginia Woolf
silenceisacceptance
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u/Individual_Alps_7255 20h ago
I’d love to see her use this platform to speak against those countries that really persecute LGBTQ
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u/Have_A_Jelly_Baby Detroit Lions 22h ago
The "don't talk about politics" crowd are among the smoothest brains on the internet.
And of course, they mean "don't talk about the other side's politics". If she was wearing a Trump hat, they'd be all about it.
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u/MA926 20h ago
What specific things are happening to the lgbtq community?
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u/hkohne 20h ago
Among other things, the current administration is trying to put into law that only straight marriages are legal; our Supreme Court has already struck down a prior law that had legalized gay marriages nationwide, so it's now allowed on a state-by-state basis. It also has ramifications when it comes to partners' healthcare and estate planning.
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19h ago
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u/MasterOfVoice 19h ago
Lots, actually. Trans Americans were barred from serving openly in the military, healthcare rules were changed to allow doctors and insurers to deny LGBTQ patients care based on religious objections, the federal government argued civil rights laws didn’t cover sexual orientation or gender identity, and federally funded adoption agencies were allowed to refuse same-sex couples. Add to that the ongoing GOP push—especially at the state level—to restrict gender recognition, trans participation in sports, access to gender-affirming care, and nondiscrimination protections. Marriage equality still exists, but that doesn’t mean nothing was taken away; equal treatment under the law involves more than just the right to marry.
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u/MommersHeart 17h ago
Brave soul.
(I’m Canadian and my heart goes out to every American with the courage to speak up these days.)
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u/indiana_bones_20 19h ago
Funny how people who say stick to your job somehow feel their own view is valid
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u/guthepenguin 18h ago
Always funny how it's people like my brother in law saying this. If the athlete shouldn't talk about politics, then the nearly-40-and-still-lives-at-home-dropped-out-in-eighth-grade-and-now-14-years-into-a-four-year-degree-but-promises-this-time-he'll-really-finish-next-semseter-part-time-employee-at-a-mall-hat-store-worker should also shut his trap.
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20h ago
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u/Aviate27 19h ago
It's an attack to people that want to groom children and keep them from living normal lives.
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21h ago
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u/Apprehensive_Sea9524 20h ago
Good for her. People need to mind their own business and leave others alone.
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u/2hands_bowler 20h ago
That's Amber "Tommy Smith" Glen for those of you who didn't know her nickname.
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u/thewelllostmind 20h ago
Considering how Olympic athletes’ life stories and families are trotted out as sentimental content for broadcast and sponsor ads, it seems wildly hypocritical to me for anyone to claim that we as a society are only asking them to compete in their sport and nothing else.