Talk:Michael Weiss (figure skater)
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[edit] Homophobia
In Christine Brennan's second book, Weiss was quoted as saying that he thought of his gay choroagrapher as a girl. He said he wanted a masculine program so no one would think he was a sissy, saying that he's "all man". Not that I think Brennan is that great a journalist, but it's hard to take this sort of thing too much out of context. Brennan also quotes Weiss's coach as saying that, of all the male skaters she's coached, Weiss is her first heterosexual and that she was worried that Weiss might quit because, as a figure skater, people automatically assumed he was gay. Weiss' constant need to promote his family and the image of himself as a family man, too, has also come off as homophobic to some (that he needs to promote them out of the need to prove that he isn't gay, instead of promoting them because he's a proud dad, and the fact that, unlike other skate dads like Jahnke, he really does go over the top about mentioning it whenever he can). Weiss has made a lot of PR gaffes (boasting about a quad lutz that he didn't have) over the years and a lot of the impression comes from those, because he is so openly straight and a lot can be construed as being critical of other skaters. While it might not seem like a lot, compared to what other male skaters (Eldredge, Goebel) were saying, it was like a flashing red light of insecurity and pissiness. And even if he wasn't actually homophobic, he certainly had the reputation of being one among some skatefans.
Still, I'm not so sure the homophobic thing belongs in his wiki entry. 129.2.19.49 19:30, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
