suturesque:Rudy Galindo became the first openly gay skating champion in U.S. history when he came ou
suturesque:Rudy Galindo became the first openly gay skating champion in U.S. history when he came out in 1996, shortly before the national championship that year. In 1994, Galindo lost his brother George to AIDS, and the next year he lost his coach, Rick Inglesi, to AIDS-related illness as well.In the early to mid-90s, mens figure skating was hit by a wave of AIDS related deaths that went largely unrecognized, out of fear of associating the sport with homosexuality. Many skaters that were gay or HIV positive had to stay silent out of fear of swaying judges against them or losing endorsements from sponsors. International skaters also worried about being barred from competition in the U.S. due to the country’s restrictive immigration and customs policies toward AIDS, that made international travel difficult to impossible for those with the disease. Many prominent skaters passed away in this time, including Ondrej Nepela, Rick Inglesi, John Curry, Rob McCall, and Jim Hulick - another coach of Galindo’s. When Rudy Galindo competed at the 1996 national championships in his hometown, San Jose, he was put last in the lineup, a typically disadvantageous position. That day, he came in first place with a Swan Lake routine that is still well known today. When he took the gold metal in 1996, he was the first ever Latino champion to win in the U.S. national championships, and that year he went on to win the bronze in the world championships. In 2000, Galindo came out as HIV positive, and he continues to live and work as a figure skating coach in San Jose to this day. -- source link