By: Tamsyn Burgmann, THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER, B.C. - U.S. men's figure skater Johnny Weir thinks he should sit down over some poutine with two Quebec broadcasters who made a series of "offensive" on-air remarks about him.
The extroverted skater says he was "frankly, pissed" upon learning that the two French-language commentators questioned his gender and made other jibes during his Olympic skating performances last week.
Sharing a meal would be all that's needed to clear the air between Weir and the sportscasters for channel RDS, Weir suggested Wednesday.
"I think we'd all be, like, lovely people together, I think they'd see who I really am," said the 23-year-old, speaking out publicly for the first time about the negative comments since finishing the competition in sixth place last week.
Weir's extravagant costumes drew attention to his performances. During one competition, he donned a self-designed black bodice trimmed with pink ribbons; during another he waited for his score capped with a crown of fresh red roses.
He joked with reporters Wednesday by saying he grew his beard "out a little bit, just to show that I am a man at the end of the day."
But while the two-time Olympian is not seeking a public apology - as demanded by one Quebec gay rights group - he says he does want to turn the "ugly" experience into something beautiful.
"I can't say anything mean, I'm totally for freedom of speech and voicing your opinion, so I can't, like, have them fired because they voiced their opinion," he said.
"I've heard worse in bathrooms, and what not, about me. So it's not a big issue for me that they said it, it's just that I didn't want other kids to have that same issue."
The Quebec council of gays and lesbians filed a complaint Monday with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council over the comments by sportscasters Claude Mailhot and Alain Goldberg, calling them homophobic.
During their broadcast of Weir's performance, the pair said his feminine style "sets a bad example" for other male figure skaters.
They mentioned South African runner Caster Semenya, who was forced to undergo gender testing after winning at world track and field championships in Germany in 2009, and suggested Weir, too, should undergo gender testing.
The pair later offered an on-air apology and RDS issued a statement about discriminatory remarks having no place in society or media. The council has called the mea culpas insufficient.
Weir said his ideal resolution to the ordeal is for the commentators to "think before they speak" next time, so that they don't impact future generations of skaters negatively.
"I don't want 50 years from now, more young boys and girls to have to go through this sort of thing and have their whole life be questioned for no reason other than to make a joke and to make people watch their television program," he said.
But Weir said he only wants the pair to apologize to people they feel they have wronged.
He asked that both the sportscasters and the general public not judge him based on his on-ice character, comparing his performing persona to diva singer Beyonce.
"Aside from my circle of very close friends, nobody knows me," he said.
"Johnny Weir also has an alter ego when he's performing, and he's completely different from how I am in real life, how I am in person."
Sporting a fuzzy faux-fur wrap, the skater gave a bubbly "Yay!" as he took his seat before chatting candidly for about 30 minutes with reporters about everything from his idol, Lady Gaga, to his love for vacuuming, to a prediction that the Pride House pavilion would be the most fun place to hang out during the Games.
As for the gay rights group taking a stand on his behalf, Weir said he appreciates the love its members are showing him. But he did not, and never has, made any public declaration about his sexual orientation one way or the other.
"The reason that I am not explicit about who or what I sleep with is because I don't think it should matter," he said.
"I think you should be out about being yourself ... and really own who you are."
Although competition is over for the U.S. skater, Weir said he remains in Vancouver to lend support to his coach, who has other skaters on her roster, and to practise for the upcoming World Championships.
*The Winnipeg Free Press
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