American figure skater Amber Glenn used her moment on the Olympic stage in Milan-Cortina to air political grievances rather than simply celebrate the honor of competing for the United States.
Speaking to reporters at the 2026 Winter Games, Glenn who identifies as pansexual and became the first out LGBTQ+ woman to win the U.S. Womens Figure Skating Championship when she skated her way to victory in January 2024, according to the Gateway Pundits citation of Today framed her Olympic appearance less as a patriotic milestone and more as a platform for progressive activism.
Instead of highlighting the privilege of wearing her nations colors, she leaned into a familiar narrative of victimhood and political discontent, casting the current climate in America as oppressive to her preferred identity groups.
Glenn complained to reporters, Yeah. Its been a hard time for the community overall under this administration. She went on to portray the United States as a place where basic liberties are under siege, declaring, It isnt the first time that weve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights. Now, especially, its not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didnt have to before. And because of that, its made us a lot stronger.
Casting herself as an activist first and an athlete second, Glenn added, I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times. Rather than allowing her performance on the ice to speak for itself, she insisted that her political commentary is indispensable, saying, I know that a lot of people say, Youre just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics. But politics affect us all. It is something that I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives. Of course, there are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us.
Glenn is hardly an outlier on this years U.S. team, as other athletes have also chosen to spotlight domestic political disputes while competing on foreign soil. The Gateway Pundit previously reported that two Team USA freestyle skiers expressed mixed emotions and heartbreak about representing the United States at the 2026 Games, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations rather than focusing on athletic excellence.
Chris Lillis, a 27-year-old aerials specialist and gold medalist from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, told reporters he feels heartbroken about ICE raids and protests, insisting the country needs to focus on respecting everybodys rights and making sure that were treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect. His remarks echo a broader progressive narrative that routinely vilifies law enforcement and immigration control, even as many Americans support secure borders and the rule of law championed by President Trump and conservatives.
Lillis teammate Hunter Hess, 27, who is competing in freestyle halfpipe, admitted that wearing the American flag brings up mixed emotions and is a little hard right now. He then distanced himself from the nation he is officially representing, stating, Just because Im wearing the flag doesnt mean I represent everything thats going on in the U.S. I just kind of want to do it for my friends and family, the people who supported me getting here, a stance that underscores how identity politics and left-wing activism are increasingly overshadowing patriotism on the world stage.
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