I know that I briefly mentioned it in the GT the other day but with winning the Team Figure Skating Event Eric Radford became the first openly gay athlete to win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal and that alone probably deserved it's own thread. Here's a piece on the inspiration he's been for others in Canada and around the world.
Quote:
Among the messages Eric Radford has received at the Pyeongchang Olympics is one from a mother from his tiny hometown of Balmertown, Ont.
"She told me her daughter had come out to her, and she wanted to thank me for setting a great example," Radford said.
The Canadian figure skater became the first openly gay man to win an Olympic gold medal Monday. And if he's ever questioned his decision to come out after the 2014 Sochi Games, it's those raw and honest messages that make Radford proud.
"I have had some really touching messages from people who are still in the closet, and they said that I've really inspired them, and helped them to try to accept themselves more . . . that's incredible," Radford said.
"I look at my own story. When I was a kid in a small town growing up, figure skater, hockey town, it sucked. It was hard. And not only not being accepted by other people, but there was a long time where I didn't accept myself. And I think that I just look at that, and if I had someone like that to look up to it would have been easier. And that's what I want to be to other people."
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...ticle37974206/