After Amber Glenn, a U.S. figure skater, spoke out about the challenges faced by the LGBTQ community during the Trump administration, her sister Brooke publicly supported her. Amber’s criticism of the administration’s impact on her community and others sparked a wave of severe online backlash.
This past week in Milan, Glenn made her long-awaited Olympic debut, gliding onto the ice in the women’s free skate segment of the team event.
Brooke Glenn Shows Support for Amber Glenn
Growing up in Plano, Texas, Amber and Brooke laced up their skates at just five years old, seeking refuge from the sweltering Texas heat. Their father, Richard, a dedicated police officer, juggled overtime and side gigs to support Amber’s skating dreams, while their mother, Cathlene, pitched in at the rink and worked as a nanny to secure discounted lessons.
After Amber received criticism for her comments, Brooke took to her Instagram story to share her support for her sister, writing:
“I am incredibly proud of my sister for always spreading kindness and advocating for equality/fair treatment for everyone in the USA. If you want to send hate, I encourage you to look inward, find peace, find love. We are all human. It is okay to change. It is okay to grow. It is okay to spread kindness. Don’t let your inner pains lead you to personally attacking ANY athlete who disagrees with you.”
During the team event’s free skate, Glenn delivered a strong performance, earning third place behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova with a score of 138.62. Her efforts kept Team USA neck-and-neck with Japan, setting the stage for the Americans’ eventual gold medal victory.
Glenn to Take Break From Social Media
Glenn punched her ticket to the Winter Olympics with a dazzling performance at the 2026 U.S. Championships, seizing her third straight national title with a personal-best total of 233.55 points, including a 150.50 in the free skate. She became the first woman since Michelle Kwan to achieve this remarkable feat.
As per People Magazine, Glenn defended her comments about Trump’s administration after she received ‘backlash’, writing:
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel. I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
In 2019, Glenn came out as queer (pansexual), opening up about her journey with mental health, body image, and identity, and inspiring fans with her honesty and courage.
