Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn is limiting her time on social media after receiving threats and “a scary amount of hate” for “simply using my voice” after she was asked about Donald Trump’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. Glenn is the first openly queer woman to represent Team USA in figure skating.
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel,” Glenn wrote in her Instagram stories Saturday.
“I did anticipate this but I’m disappointed by it,” she continued. “I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
Glenn also addressed criticism from those who believe she should just “stick to sports.”
“I know that a lot of people will say, ‘You’re just an athlete, stick to your job and shut up about politics,’ but politics affects us all,” she added. “It’s something that I will not just be quiet about, because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives. So of course there are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us.”
Glenn is not the only American athlete who has spoken out against the Trump administration since arriving in Italy for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
This week Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess admitted he has “mixed emotions” about representing the United States amid the ongoing ICE presence in cities like Minneapolis. “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now I think,” Hess said. “It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t. If it aligns with my moral values I feel like I’m representing it – just because I wear the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
His fellow skier Chris Lillis also said, “I feel like as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics they realize that’s the America we’re trying to represent.”
Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin also spoke on the topic this week. While speaking to the media she quoted the late Nelson Mandela and said, “Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is the creation of an environment where we can all flourish regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference.”
Her teammate Svea Irving also said, “It’s definitely a tough time in our country right now. I just continue to represent my values which is compassion and respect and love for others.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, run from Feb.6 to Feb. 22.
