The American figure skater said in his book that he had an affair with another skater that he would only refer to as 'Alex'.
- January 7, 2011
AceShowbiz -
Flamboyant Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir comes out of the closet in his new autobiography which excerpt is published on People. "In a sexual way, I'm gay, but I would marry a woman tomorrow if it struck me. I don't think sex and relationships necessarily have to go together," the 26-year-old who refuses to be labeled said.
He's taking the cue to go public with his sexuality from the recent trend of bullying closeted gays. "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story," he said about his new book which is titled "Welcome to My World".
In the book, Weir wrote, "I'm not ashamed to be me. 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." He added that being gay "is the smallest part of what makes me me."
In fact Weir had been mistaken as a girl when he was a child, and the then-6-year-old would be attracted to Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman" instead of Julia Roberts. In High School Weir would be called demeaning names like "faggot" and "homo" but he found sanctuary in skating. "By puberty, I knew that I was gay," he wrote. "But I didn't worry about it much. As a serious skater, I was way too busy."
He went on addressing the media scrutiny over his sexuality, saying "A lot of the gays got downright angry about my silence. But pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community." He revealed that a lot of websites for gays thought he was a jerk for not admitting he's different.
"Welcome to My World" will be released on Tuesday, January 11. Weir will go on a national book tour in New York the same day. The three-time U.S. champion is taking residency and break in Russia but would be back on the rink for Sochi Olympics in 2014.
