Elite Figure Skater Amber Glenn Comes Out as Bi/Pan

Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn has come out as "bisexual/pansexual," making her one of the few out women in the sport.

Glenn, 20, came out publicly in the Dallas Voice after having been out to her closest friends and associates for some time. "The fear of not being accepted is a huge struggle for me," she told the Voice. "Being perceived as [going through] 'just a phase' or [being] 'indecisive' is a common thing for bisexual/pansexual women. I don't want to shove my sexuality in people's faces, but I also don't want to hide who I am."

Glenn, who is from the Dallas suburb of Plano, has a stellar record in her sport. She was the U.S. junior national champion in 2014, and she will compete for the senior national championship in January in Greensboro, N.C. Observers say she has a good chance of winning and leading the U.S. team at the World Figure Skating Championships at Montreal in March, Outsports reports.

In the Voice article, Glenn thanked Ashley Cain-Gribble, a straight woman who skates with a queer partner, Timothy LeDuc, for being a role model. "I try to follow the example Ashley sets and her overall demeanor when she skates in front of thousands of people," Glenn said. "She's so strong and confident. I really look up to her and admire her for that." Cain-Gribble is a major advocate for women's empowerment, and she and LeDuc, an activist for LGBTQ causes, won the U.S. National Pairs Championships this year.

Glenn is now the only out woman on Team USA, the Voice reports. That title previously went to ice dancer Karina Manta, who came out as bisexual in a YouTube video in 2018. She and dance partner Joe Johnson have since left competitive skating to perform with Cirque du Soleil. She tweeted congratulations to Glenn.