First Out Woman to Skate at Olympics Wins Third US Title

When Amber Glenn saw her record-breaking score flash on the monitor at this month's US Figure Skating Championships, she screamed in disbelief. The 83.05 made her the first American woman in 21 years to win three consecutive national titles and earned her a spot on the Olympic team.

Glenn will make history at next month's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as the first openly LGBTQ woman to compete in figure skating, according to Outsports. She has a real shot at becoming the first American woman to medal in singles skating since 2006.

The 25-year-old from Plano, Texas, says the timing is no accident. Her career's highest point has overlapped perfectly with her happiest years personally since coming out in 2019.

"It was something that did set me free," Glenn said. "I was able to feel like I wasn't being pressured into trying to fill someone else's shoes."

Her coming out happened almost by accident. Glenn was quoted in a local Dallas newspaper supporting two friends who had just won a pairs championship. In the same interview, she casually mentioned identifying as bisexual and pansexual, thinking few people would notice the small story.

By the next day, it had become international news. Glenn wasn't prepared for the attention or the worries that followed about how she'd be received by sponsors, judges, and international audiences.

Figure skating relies on subjective scoring that includes marks for presentation and artistry. Glenn had always worried she was "too muscular, too big" and didn't fit the traditional feminine mold. She feared coming out might make judges see her as less graceful or affect her scores.

"Someone has to break that mold and break that stereotype," Glenn said. "So the next person who comes out won't be afraid because they saw that it didn't affect me."

Why This Inspires

Glenn's fears never materialized. At her first competition after coming out, she saw Pride flags in the audience welcoming her. Sponsors stayed supportive, unlike in some other sports where out athletes have lost funding. Her scores remained fair.

But coming out alone didn't make her a better skater. Multiple concussions, inconsistent performances, and a positive COVID test kept her from earlier Olympic teams. She finished as low as 14th at one national championship.

The real transformation came after the 2022 Olympics, when Glenn realized she needed to stop trying to be someone else. She switched coaches and leaned into her strengths instead of seeing them as weaknesses.

Now she's stronger than ever, breaking records and heading to her first Olympics as her complete, authentic self. Glenn proves that being true to yourself isn't just good for your mental health—it might be exactly what unlocks your greatest potential.