Blake Skjellerup heads to Italy in November in hopes of qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Despite recent anti-gay laws passed in Russia, the openly gay Skjellerup is not hiding who he is. In an exclusive interview with Ross Forman, the New Zealand Olympian talks about the worldwide controversy in his first interview with a U.S. newspaper.
Blake Skjellerup knows he might be skating into an international incident on a worldwide front and, fittingly, isn't slowing down one bit.
Skjellerup, 28, is a short track speed skater who competed for New Zealand at the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing 16th.
Skjellerup came out months after the 2010 Games in Vancouver, thus truly is a rare athlete: a gay Winter Olympian.
He is now living and training in Calgary, dreaming of an Olympic return in 2014, when the Sochi Games are held in February in Russia—a country under the worldwide spotlight, especially of late, after Russia's government recently adopted a federal bill banning the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors. Russia also has no laws protecting against discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
"For someone who is very passionate about human rights, it is very disturbing for me to see what's going on, to start with," Skjellerup said. "With the Games being in Sochi, it concerns me a little, but I have faith in the [International Olympic Committee] IOC that they can ensure everybody's safety, no matter their sexuality, race or religion.
"On the other hand, I think it's a great opportunity for people to stand up and let the powers-that-be in Russia know that these laws that they have passed are very draconian and going against what the rest of the world is saying."
Skjellerup is not skating back into the closet for Sochi, no chance.
"Being in the closet was not a very fun time for me. So, there is no way that I am going back in [the closet,] especially for something that I've worked my entire life for, which is the Olympic Games; that's what is most important to me. I'm not going to change who I am because one country sees that who I am is wrong," he said.
Skjellerup has been speed skating since he was 10 and has won five national titles and set numerous national records. He heads to Italy in November for the Olympic-qualifying event in which he needs to finish in the top 32 in the world at that event.
"I'm excited, looking forward to it," he said. "It's been a pretty hard four years since Vancouver [from a financial standpoint], a bit of a rough road, but I'm really happy that I've managed to stick to it because I certainly have a lot of love for my sport.
"The Olympic Games are something that I dreamed of since I was about 10 years-old. I sat in front of the television, watching daily for about two weeks. As I grew older, into my teenage years and struggled with my sexuality, not finding role-models to identify with, in my sport and the Olympics, it was very hard. The important thing for me now is, I don't want someone like myself sitting at home, watching these Olympics in Sochi, and being in the same situation that I was [in], because it was very tough for me. So, if I can do my part, even if just for one person while in Sochi, then I will be very happy."
Skjellerup confirmed he will, without question, wear a pride pin, which was created during the 2012 London Summer Olympics, somewhere on his uniform in Sochi. The pin was created by the Diversity and Inclusion Program in London and given to Skjellerup by organizers.
The pin is a rainbow flag with the Olympic rings on it, and is an official piece of Olympic merchandise, and is still an official piece of Olympic memorabilia, he said.
"I am well within my rights to be wearing that at an Olympic Games," Skjellerup said.
The IOC released a statement this month to the Windy City Times acknowledging the passage of anti-gay laws in Russia and calling for the acceptance of all athletes. The IOC said that it will "work to ensure" that the Sochi Games take place without discrimination against LGBT participants.
"The International Olympic Committee is clear that sport is a human right and should be available to all regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation," said the IOC statement. "The Games themselves should be open to all, free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, officials, media and of course athletes. We would oppose in the strongest terms any move that would jeopardize this principle.
"As you know, this legislation has just been passed into law and it remains to seen whether and how it will be implemented, particularly as regards the Games in Sochi. As a sporting organization, what we can do is to continue to work to ensure that the Games can take place without discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators and the media. Wider political issues in the country are best dealt with by other international organizations more suited to this endeavor."
Skjellerup said he has "confidence" in the IOC and his comfortable that he will be safe—at least while in the Olympic Village, which he labeled, "a very safe place."
Outside of the Olympic Village, "it could be a different story," he said.
Skjellerup was in Sochi this past February for a speed skating event.
"I'm always myself and I think that's one of the great things about who I am, that I am not afraid of who I am, nor do I apologize for who I am," he said. "I don't announce when I walk into a room that I'm gay; I'm just myself. If someone picks up on the fact that I'm gay, or has a problem with it, at any point in my life, I'm always good at challenges and stand up for myself."
The recent anti-gay legislation in Russia has led several activist groups and celebrities to call for a boycott of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.
Skjellerup is adamantly opposed to a Sochi boycott.
"I'm 100 percent against a boycott," he said. "I think it's much more important for there to be a very large presence in Sochi, and for that presence to make a stand and just be there, support for the human rights movement in Russia. I think it will be a very positive influence having me there."
Skjellerup said it is "sad" that the Sochi Games will not have a Pride House, similar to those welcoming facilities for LGBT in Vancouver and London.
Skjellerup visited the Vancouver Pride House. In fact, that visit "was sort of the first part of my movement to coming out," he said. "If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be speaking with you today.
"It was incredibly moving to me to visit Pride House and see all of the exhibitions there about LGBT people and sport, and that's what really led me to coming out.
"I do think it's sad that that legacy will not continue [in] Sochi. I think Pride House isn't just about sexuality, but [rather], it's about diversity as a whole, and that's one thing that the Olympic Games are about—diversity. You see that through sportsmanship, through people coming together, celebrating themselves, the hard work that they've put in during the Olympic Games."
Skjellerup, who is single, could, potentially, be an Olympian in 2018, too, when the Winter Games then will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"There are a lot of kids involved in my sport in New Zealand, many who aspire to compete in an Olympic Games, and I know if it wasn't for me, that might not have something to aspire to. So, it's very important to me to do what I'm doing on that front," Skjellerup said.
