Timothy LeDuc to become 1st openly nonbinary US athlete at Winter Olympics

Timothy LeDuc is set to become the first openly nonbinary US athlete at the Winter Olympics slated to begin in Beijing on February 4.

“It’s been a really long journey for me, embracing my gender. I’ve had some amazing people in my life help me through that journey,” LeDuc said, according to an Associated Press report.

But the 31-year-old does not wish this aspect of theirs to divert the attention from their game or talent. Instead, LeDuc’s goal is to make these sports platforms more accessible to all nonbinary people.

Notably, non-binary is the term used to describe a person who does not identify as exclusively male or female.

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“But I hope when people see my story, they aren’t saying, ‘Timothy is the first nonbinary person to achieve this level of success in sports.’ It’s that queer people can be open and be in sports. We’ve always been here, we have always been a part of sports. We just haven’t always been able to be open,” LeDuc said.

The skater, along with their pairs partner Ashley Cain-Gribble, is a two-time US National Champion, earning them the spot in their first Olympics. 

LeDuc had initially come out as gay at the age of 18. About 13 years later, they openly identified themselves as non-binary.

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With this, the athlete joins several other athletes who’ve come out as gay or nonbinary in the past. For instance, Brian Boitano, a gold winner at the 1988 Calgary Games, came out as gay in 2014 when he was selected as part of the US delegation to the Sochi Games.  Figure skater Johnny Weir also openly identified as gay after competing at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Games.

In his autobiography, Weir wrote, “I’m not ashamed to be me. More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What’s wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become.”

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Last year, Canadian women’s soccer player Quinn became the first openly transgender and nonbinary Olympic medal winner when they earned gold in Tokyo.

(With AP inputs)