World Figure Skating Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Jeffrey Buttle - OUT!

Olympic skating medalist Jeff Buttle now suits up for Toronto gay hockey club Jeff Buttle is a natural on skates, winning the world figure skating title in 2005 and the Olympic bronze medal in 2006. He still skates in exhibitions and has found a new ice outlet as a member of the Toronto Gay Hockey Association. The Hockey News has a great feature on Buttle’s newfound sport. Openly gay, Buttle is comfortable playing for the Toronto gay club and said playing the sport has helped his figure skating. But he still has a lot to learn about hockey. He was also encouraged that his teammates were patient with his lack of knowledge of the game. He still often finds himself leaning over to a teammates in the middle of a game to have some penalty explained to him, but the team atmosphere is something he has embraced wholeheartedly. “It’s fun to have people depend on you,” Buttle says. “It was totally new to me to have this feeling that you don’t want to disappoint anyone. When I go out, obviously it’s my fault if I screw up on the ice in figure skating, but in hockey you don’t want to let the other guys down.” Buttle, 29, has gotten some assists, but is still searching for his elusive first goal.

http%3A//outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2012/12/11/olympic-skating-medalist-jeff-buttle-now-suits-up-for-toronto-gay-hockey-club/



• Interesting. They refer to him as openly gay. How long as that been the case? and I mean the openly part, not the gay part...obviously.

• What R1 said. Weren't there frauen claiming he was straight even just a year ago on this site?

• DL fave Johnny Weir ***BOMBED*** in his comback skate a few months ago. He placed dead last, a huge embarrassment for a former world bronze medalist. Weir has never won a World title or an Olympic medal, but Jeff has. Now he is out too!

• This is the first I've heard of him being out. I'm glad though.

• Is Timothy Goebel out yet?

• LOL. It was obvious he was gay since the first time I laid my eyes on him. He's fem and he pinged my gaydar like crazy. I don't think he closeted himself.. not really, I know there was the rumor of a girlfriend once.. but I think that was more the media drawing conclusions, I think they were just friends. Everyone knew he was gay, he's always been in the glass closet. I also feel like he was pushed out of Skate Canada possibly because he was too out and the conservative asshole organization didn't like that, so they forced him to retire young. Anyway.. I'm happy he's now out. I always liked him. He seems like a sweet guy, and he's cute too. I remember watching his programs. I liked them all. He was very artistic, although lacking a bit on the technique, like he never did a quad in a competition as far as I know. But he still had the most amazing programs, and he really felt the music and he was an amazing performer. I feel like this is often lacking in skating today.. everything is about getting the perfect quad, but the dancing (which is much more beautiful to watch) is not nearly as important. I kinda miss the old days. The quads are boring. Give me a Buttle over a Chan any day! I just can't stand Chan. I love Canada and I love figure skating, but I can't cheer on Patrick Chan. His comments and general nasty attitude turned me off him and now I always hope he doesn't win the competitions. It seems like even the judges have gotten sick of him, because he's doing worse and worse, which I'm happy to see.

• Color me shocked!

  Color%20Me%20Barbra

• There is no such thing as gay figure skaters!

  Sillybuns

• Just youtube Torvil and Dean 1984 Olympics and be done with this silly skating stuff.

• Attempts were made to contact Evan Lysacek for his opinion on the story about his former competitor, but he was too busy shopping with his girlfriend to give a statement.

• For years he was romantically linked to Joannie Rochette.

• R11.. by the media maybe, but did he ever really beard? like hold her hand.. kiss her etc? I'm not sure. To me it seemed like she was more of his hag and the media possibly drew their own conclusions when they saw them together.

• I thought Rochette had a girlfriend at that time... Isn't Meryl Davis bi?

• Unbelievable! I was certain he was straight.

  Cheryl

• Kinda mixed opinions about this.... 1. Buttle supported Skate Canadas "tough" campaign to get the "Johnny Weirs" out of figure skating in 2009. ABCNews (Diane Sawyer) slammed Skate Canada for this, but let the skaters who were promoting it off the hook. 2. Buttle for years has been a public spokesperson for World Vision Ministries, a member of the World Evangelical Association and a hardcore Jesus for Food and no gays allowed organization. 3. This story is old, Buttle didn't really come out, Outsports just talked about Buttle being gay and he didn't deny it. The skating franchise: Stars on Ice, was started by 700 Club regular, Scott Hamilton and promoted World Vision Ministries before Buttle did so.... Stars on Ice may make promoting World Vision Ministries a job requirement. It is Buttles promotion of Skate Canadas anti-gay campaign, which really hangs him. P.S. The current Director of Communications of Skate Canada, Barb MacDonald was, until June 2010, in charge of Communications for OneWay-Elle Ministries. Elle Ministries currently offers a cure for those "Suffering from Homosexuality"

• So is Jeffery now the first openly gay World Figure Skating Champion?

• It was Skate Canada who forced Buttle to beard up with Rochette. Attend functions together etc., yes there is lots of picture proof, Google is your friend. R6 really nailed it: "I also feel like he was pushed out of Skate Canada possibly because he was too out" Talk about a nasty Skating Organization, no wonder Evangelical Christian PM, Stephen Harper just gave Skate Canada $10 Million extra for next year. Did anyone ever think that Buttle actually wanted to come out, but Skate Canada threatened him and that is why he retired prematurely?

• He retired in 2009, just months before the Olympics in his home country. I was and still am resentful of that. I knew he was gay back then and thought he had a good shot at getting another medal.

• Stars on Ice (which Buttle is returning to) is now being sponsored by Lint and IG Investors Group.

• Does anyone know if Christopher Bowman was gay?

• R18 he said at the time he accomplished everything he wanted to as an Amateur. After winning the World title, he just didn't have the fire in his belly anymore.

• Aren't most male figure skaters gay? I don't find this shocking.

  Anonymous

• World Vision Minsitres are still very much part of Stars on Ice and are listed at the bottom of the page after Lindt and IG. I am surprised those 2 companies would mix it up with the Jesus freaks. Patrick Chan said he liked girls in public, after which Skate Canada begin to immediately promote him, even though Buttle won the world Championship that same year and Chan came in 9th.

• Why did Buttle wait several years after leaving figure skating to reveal that he was gay?

• I'm not sure if it's fair to blame Jeffrey Buttle for the closeting. It was probably the idea of Skate Canada all along. I'm not sure if he had any choice, as long as he was a figure skater he just had to do what he was told, including supporting conservative politics. That's probably why he left.. he was sick of the bs. I don't think he ever came out publicly, probably because he didn't feel like he had to. He was in a glass closet all along.

• [quote]Patrick Chan said he liked girls in public, after which Skate Canada begin to immediately promote him.... Those TV spots with Chan trying to butch up were so pathetic. Then he had the nerve to say he might compete for China. Let him. And give him a one-way ticket. Silly bitch.

• Why is figure skating so fundie? Is it just because of money - they don't think the crowds will flock to watch fag figure skaters?

• Give it a rest, Skate Canada troll! You hijack every figure skating thread. If you're going to do that, at least be more entertaining like the Janet Jackson troll.

• R28, I agree that on other figure skating threads the Skate Canada troll gets carried away, but in the case of this topic it's undeniable that he has raised some relevant issues concerning Buttle's closeting.

• He looks like an adorable little elf that wants me to have sex with him.

• [quote]Why is figure skating so fundie? Is it just because of money - they don't think the crowds will flock to watch fag figure skaters? Yes, I think it's partly that since the majority of the audience is middle-aged women. But is it really any more fundie than any other public profession that puts people in the business of entertainment? What about Hollywood where actors who we know are gay aren't allowed to come out for years and years and years?

• r29 - That's why the Skate Canada troll is so irritating. He has some interesting stuff, but insists on repeating much of the same shit over and over, whether or not it applies. And he knows he's trolling, since he makes an effort to evade trolldar.

• So now that Buttle is finally officially out after all these years and is now 30 years old, does he have a boyfriend?

  Johnny%20W.

• This thread was just an excuse to talk about Skate Canada? Everyone with eyes knew that Buttle was a creampuff. Also, no one cares about figure skating anymore now that the asians are taking over.

• R34 sounds as crazy as the Skate Canada troll he criticizes. And somewhat racist too.

• Jeffrey Buttle is bilingual. His french is superb.

  http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D4Vx87Hh9eqM

• Buttle comes from Sudbury in Northern Ontario which has a large French population, so yes, unlike most other Anglophone figure skaters, he does speak the language. Patrick Chan is also fluent in French because he did the challenge of going to high school in French (with fellow figure skater & gay Paul Poirier).

• Any word from Todd Eldridge?

• Apparently Todd is straight, R38, although I used to think he was gay when I watched him compete years ago. I believe Todd has already been briefly married & divorced to one woman, and is now with another one, and may have a child with her.

• Gay world figure skating champions: Buttle, Lambiel, Takahashi, Boitano, Orser, Curry, Nepela, Button. Cousins won the Olympics, never Worlds.

• Takahashi is not out, and I think Lambiel only reluctantly came out about a year or so ago.

• The only out figure skaters are Johnny Weir and Rudy Galindo and Orser was forced out do to a law suit. Everyone else is still VERY MUCH in the closet. Figure Skating is a MESSED UP WORLD!, run by Republican women and men.

• Johnny Weir is out?????

• R42 you forgot the subject of this thread.

• Buttle never said he was gay. Outsports said he was gay. Tom Cruise is gay too as is Andrew Garfield. There, I said it (but they never did).

• R45 DO YOU DUE DILIGENCE. In the article linked below Buttle says "not everybody is comfortable with having a gay teammate. That is not a problem with The Gay Hockey Team."

  http%3A//www.gayhockey.com/news/203-hockey-news-magazine.html

• First time I read that article, but you shouldn't link to articles that have quotes to counter you, and here are those quotes: "Although being gay is not a requirement to participate" "not everyone is comfortable with having a gay team mate" could be Buttle referring to himself as the gay teammate OR as the teammate being conformable playing hockey with gays. Buttle still didn't technically say he was gay. Obviously he is, because he pings like a Gay Pride float, but to equate Buttle with Weir, Galindo or Orser is not fair, particularity Weir, who has become a major warrior for the gay community.

• R47 is actually Johnny Weir

• btw R47 Johnny ***BOMBED*** BIG TIME coming in last place (11th out of 11 compete tors) in his comeback skate. Still doesn't have that World Title or Olympic medal that Jeff has. Maybe if he focused on training and not on being such a publicity whore, he would have done better.

• R45/R47, I posted a link either on this thread or on the other thread to a t.v. interview about the gay hockey league and about gay athletes in which I'm pretty sure Buttle said he was gay.

• Canadian Tire may have made it a condition of their sponsorship that Skate Canada thin out or eliminate the gay skaters. That little Skate Canada parade in front of the Conservative Prime Minister, was definitely a show of heterosexuality and then, only after this, did Canadian Tire announced its sponsorship. Canadian Tire isn't exactly the gay retailer of choice, actually I can go even farther and say that a majority of Canadian Tires customers likely are still against gay equality. So Canadian Tire is the one retailer that intentionally targets the specifically non-Gay consumer, hence the good match with the current politics at Skate Canada and in Canada's national government. Skate Canada, The Conservative Party of Canada and Canadian Tire = A Gay-Free Zone. A Triad of homophobia.

• ENOUGH, R51.

• It is kinda of suspicious that the Bank of Montreal left Skate Canada after 15 years, knowing that the world Championships were going to be in Canada in 18 months, then that same year, the Bank of Montreal became the main sponsor of Pride in Toronto.

• [quote]Canadian Tire may have made it a condition of their sponsorship that Skate Canada thin out or eliminate the gay skaters. They have done no such thing, particularly since half the National team is gay, in particular Paul Poirier and Eric Radford, not to mention a handful of others.

• McDonald hamburgers are half horse meat too. Obama is half Martian and the Moon is half green cheese. (See how that game is played?)

• What game, R55? What post are you referring to?

• Paul Poirier or Eric Radford have never said they are gay, you are making stuff up and according to the FSU, Paul is dating a GIRL named Lori Sildiryan.

• They may not be officially out, but is it really your position that they are straight? And that all other Canadian skaters are straight too? You are becoming as much of a pest as the Luke MacFarlane is Straight Troll. Paul Poirier is a flaming queen. Have you seen his Twitter?

• Yeah, after he ends his eligible career when he's not nearly as visible.

• I don't care. He's out now. Good. I understand cynical attitudes, but for God's sake let's celebrate every decision to drop the crap and come out. The fact that it wasn't easy makes it all the more laudable when a celebrity DOES finally come out.

• [quote]Yeah, after he ends his eligible career when he's not nearly as visible. Has Buttle explained why he didn't come out when he was the #1 skater in the world? Was he told he had to appear heterosexual?

• Nothing was as hilarious as Even Lysachek being "straight", GIRL PLEASE! Anyone know where Even stands today?

• Evan got very upset when Weir questioned his sexuality.

• Evan Lysacek should just join Scientology. He is another self hating queen that the world doesn't need. Jeffrey Buttle didn't come out. Outsports outed him and he didn't deny it, mind you only 10 people a day ever read that site. I doubt Buttle even knows of the article. Skate Canada wants all of its skaters to feel it is OK to be gay as long as they DON'T EVER TELL ANYONE. Skate Canada is a seriously messed up organization who can't even train its own international medalists and lets US Figure Skating do that instead. Calling Scott and Tessa Canadian is like calling the Ford Taurus a Canadian car because 2 Canadians happen to work in accounting at the Ford factory in Detroit.

• [quote] Jeffrey Buttle didn't come out. Outsports outed him and he didn't deny it R64 can you do your homework? Buttle outed himself to a STRAIGHT SPORTS MAGAZINE. Buttle gave an interview to The Hockey News magazine, the worlds largest hockey publication. It is read by rednecks and bar dudes in Canada who obsessively watch hockey in Canada. It is our National Sport. More straight men read The Hockey News than gay people. OutSports only picked it up.