Johnny Weir comes out: Flamboyant figure skater admits in new autobiography he's gay

Johnny Weir comes out: Flamboyant figure skater admits in new autobiography he's gay

BY Adam Caparell
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, January 6th 2011, 9:15 PM
Johnny Weir waves to the audience after competing in the men's figure skating short program during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Kadobnov/Getty
Johnny Weir waves to the audience after competing in the men's figure skating short program during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
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Johnny Weir admitted Thursday what he's tried half-heartedly to hide all these years: He's gay.

The 26-year-old flamboyant figure skater, who has danced around questions regarding his sexuality throughout his career, officially came out of the closet in his soon to be released autobiography, "Welcome to My World."

"I'm not ashamed to be me," writes Weir. "More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What's wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become."

Weir's admission is revealed in an excerpt of his book featured in the Jan. 17 issue of People magazine.

The news ends years of speculation surrounding the three-time U.S. figure skating champion who has traditionally deflected questions about his sexuality by saying he doesn’t want to be defined by labels.

"All the gay websites couldn't figure out why I was such a jerk that I wouldn't talk about it," he writes in his book. "But pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community...The massive backlash against me in the gay media and community only made me dig my 'closeted' heels in further."

Weir, known for his inventive outfits and outgoing personality, said he knew by puberty that he was gay but had an early premonition.

"Watching Richard Gere in 'Pretty Woman' at the tender age of six was when I had first realized there was something different about me," Weir writes. "I wanted to be Julia Roberts so badly. Kissing seemed like a weird thing to do, but I knew if I was going to do it, it would be with Richard Gere."

He said he spent too much time focusing on his professional aspirations to consider coming out of the closet but did admit to his mother at age 18 that he was gay, which brought her to tears.

"No mother wants to hear her son say he’s gay," Weir says in the excerpt. "Those two words rip the picture of a daughter-in-law and grandchildren into pieces. I felt sorry for my mom and wanted her to know everything was going to be all right. But then she said, 'I don't really care, Johnny, as long as I know that you are going to be happy.'"

Weir is in the middle of a year-long hiatus from professional skating and has previously said he may return in time to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

His autobiography hits stores on Jan. 11.