04/18/2007
Rudy Galindo Talks HIV, Coming Out, Hips, and Johnny Weir
The Boston Globe has published a profile on figure skater Rudy Galindo. Galindo has been HIV-positive since 2000 and still skates despite having had two hips replaced with ceramic ones since he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a degenerative disease, in 2002.
Says Galindo: "I'm going to skate as long as my body holds up. I am getting older, [but] when you're on a winning streak, you don't walk away from the table. That's the No. 1 thing. When you hear that applause, when you're taking your bows, that's the icing on the cake. That's what it's all about, to feel that rush. It's like Sally Field said: 'They love me. They really love me.'"
Galindo discusses contracting HIV, as well as the other tribulations he has faced. They began early, growing up in a trailer park, where he says the other boys had brown skates at the rental rink: "I had long hair. They used to put out the white skates . . . and I was so mad and I used to cry. Kids would say, 'You're gay, you're a sissy.' I used to be short and got into all these trailer park fights. I was wiry. At 12 years old, I won my first novice national title. It was all over the newspapers in San Jose and then they were nice to me."
Galindo says that following his bronze at the 1996 World Championships, all focus turned to his sexuality:
"I didn't come out -- I was out," says Galindo. "The media was, 'Oh my God, you're gay,' and I'm like yes -- I've been out my whole life to my family and friends. Everyone in the skating community knew. But just because I won the national title, it's like, 'Oh, my God, you're gay.' The judges would say, 'You have to tone down your costumes, your choreography,' and I'm like, 'No . . .' I wanted to skate for the audiences, not for the judges."
Galindo adds that even though he once urged the media to out skater Johnny Weir after claiming Weir copied his style, the two are close friends. He says now that athletes should be allowed to come out on their own terms: "I just think a lot of those athletes can't come out because it's a team thing and they're just worried about endorsements. I'm not going to say they're cowards -- I don't want people to be mad at me. I just think their sexual preference is no big deal. Why do they have to come out? They do their jobs and that's it. Who cares what goes on behind closed doors?"
Galindo will be appearing this Sunday in Champions on Ice at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden.
Rising above it all [boston globe]
Posted 3:17 PM EST by Andy in AIDS/HIV, Boston, Figure Skating, Johnny Weir, News, Rudy Galindo, Sports | Permalink
Comments
Rudy is as out and proud as they come, but his last comment, what goes on behind closed doors, made me cringe a little.
I know what he's saying, but I tire of the notion that being gay is defined by specific sexual acts. I don't agree. Being gay (to me) in the beginning was about having an attraction to men. I didn't act on it until my 20's, so was I not gay before that? Hell, of course I was.
Now, for me, being gay means settling down and sharing my life with another man. And most of that isn't "behind closed doors."
Posted by: mark m | Apr 18, 2007 3:44:46 PM
Galindo's comment made me cringe more than a little. He totally discredits himself with that statement. It bugs me when people, especially gay people -- especially out public figures -- talk about being gay in terms of life "behind closed doors." (And I don't think the phrase even refers just to sex acts.) I resent and reject the underlying sentiment of the phrase, which flies in the face of all his bravado about being an out athlete, that anything about my life mas a gay man should even *be* hidden. Coming out is not about the bedroom or privacy or closed doors; it's about accepting and loving who you are and being unafraid to live as freely and as publicly and as thoughtlessly as any person should be.
Posted by: Eric | Apr 18, 2007 4:27:46 PM
sure.. why should it matter if someone is gay or not as long as they are doing their job... unless they live in a state where they can be fired if they're 'found out' ..but hey, it's not like they're trying to write us out of the constitution or anything.
dumbass.
Posted by: el polacko | Apr 18, 2007 5:27:23 PM
Wow. That photo of him in the air horizontal is crazy!
Posted by: Dave | Apr 18, 2007 5:29:00 PM
He let me grab his ass once at a bar in Weho some years ago... it was mighty firm.
Posted by: Chux | Apr 18, 2007 5:42:40 PM
Wow. I'm glad I'm not a "celebrity". Everything you say, no matter how innocuous, will be picked apart and no matter how "out" you've been or what you've accomplished you'll be raked over the coals.
Posted by: Daniel | Apr 18, 2007 5:55:11 PM
I like him, he's adorable. and I don't see anything wrong with his statements, he's from a different generation and feels protective towards his peers.
Besides, gay people are allowed to have varied opinions on things you know. So good on him for exercising that right, and stating his case (intelligently).
Posted by: Anon | Apr 18, 2007 8:24:27 PM
And let us not forget how many closeted male figure skaters there are still out there. Just think what the sport would be like without gay input. I applaud Rudy, find him incredibly attractive, and appreciate the stand that he has taken for both the sport and for our broader American culture.
Posted by: John | Apr 19, 2007 7:20:09 AM
Just so nobody gets the wrong idea... the condition which caused Galindo to need both hips replaced is not caused by HIV. Its caused by injury, steroid use, alcohol abuse, chemotherapy or blood disorders.
Posted by: David | Apr 19, 2007 8:39:13 PM
I think Rudy Galindo is a hero in every respect. To carry life forward with HIV is a challenge; to go forward as a champion figure skater is nothing short of phenomenal. His statements about his gay lifestyle are appropriate; I think it's one's prerogative to define personal lifestyle. Let's not mandate definitions here. His stand as a gay man living and performing with HIV is nothing short of spectacular, and an inspiration.
Regarding avascular necrosis (AVN), in fact there is an association with some HIV drugs and with HIV infection itself. But, as mentioned, there are also many other possible etiologies. Not sure what caused his hips to deteriorate, but clearly he went to a great orthopedic surgeon. What a courageous guy.
Posted by: Richard Sollitto | Apr 20, 2007 2:33:00 AM
Galindo is positive to face tribulations. People living with HIV are encouraged to live a great life. We chat, dance, sing everyday. You may check my blog for more about HIV positive people.
Posted by: Simon | Apr 24, 2007 3:12:39 AM
Galindo is a big sissy. That photo of him in the air horizontally looks like a fairy in flight. I met him once in a dive bar in San Jose called Renegades, which is no longer there. He was coming on to me, he told me he was a skater, and I told him, 'that's such a sissy sport'. I actually didn't recognize him or who he was and when he told me he was kinda pissed off that I didn't recognize him. He was bragging about how he could do a triple lutz, to which I responded, 'who cares?'. He said I was just like him, and I said, 'that's an insult! I'm nothing like YOU! You are too fem!'
Posted by: Mark | Jan 11, 2008 8:45:06 PM
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