An American figure skater who chose to inject partisan politics into the Olympic spotlight is now retreating from social media after facing public backlash.
Amber Glenn, a member of Team USA competing in Milan, Italy, announced that she would be stepping back from online platforms after what she described as a wave of hate and threats in response to her criticism of President Donald Trumps administration. According to the Daily Caller, Glenns remarks added to a growing list of politically charged statements from U.S. athletes who appear more interested in activism than athletic achievement on the world stage.
Glenn first ignited controversy during a pre-Olympic press conference, where she claimed that she and other LGBTQ+ individuals have been enduring a hard time under the current administration. Its been a hard time for the (LGBTQ) community overall in this administration, said Glenn, per USA Today.
She went on to frame her comments as part of a broader struggle, casting the United States as a place where basic rights are under siege rather than a nation that has long protected free expression and individual liberty. It isnt the first time that weve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights. And 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.
After the ensuing criticism, Glenn took to Instagram Stories to portray herself as a victim of intolerance, even as she exercised the very freedoms she implicitly disparaged. When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel, wrote Glenn in her post that has since expired, per The Bellingham Herald.
She added that she expected the pushback but found it overwhelming, announcing a partial retreat from the online arena while vowing to continue her activism. I did anticipate this but I am disappointed by it. I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.
For many viewers, however, the episode underscores a deeper frustration with athletes who turn a unifying global event into yet another platform for progressive grievance politics. At a time when Americans simply want to cheer on their country, some Olympians seem determined to make the Games less about representing the United States and more about advancing ideological narratives that alienate the very fans they are supposed to inspire.
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