The Young Olympic Medalists Using Their Platforms For Good

via Amber Glenn / TikTok

US figure skater Amber Glenn has snapped back at critics by posting a TikTok of herself and fellow teammate Alysa Liu brandishing their Olympic medals. She captioned the post: “They hate to see two woke bitches winning…If “Woke” means people who use their platforms to advocate for marginalised communities in the countries that they are actively representing…Then yeah sure?”

This post comes after several Olympians were slammed by the Trump administration and their supporters after speaking out against them during the games. 

Despite refraining from making political remarks during the competition, Alysa Liu has been a hot topic of discussion among both sides of the political spectrum. Her “alt” appearance and uniquely carefree attitude towards figure skating have been sparking conversation.

On top of that, many American republicans praised her for essentially “shutting up” about American politics, however considering the fact that she is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant and the only two politicians she follows on social media are socialists AOC and Zohran Mamdani, it’s unlikely that she would side with them if she was to speak out.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 刘美贤 Alysa Liu (@alysaxliu)

Glenn, who is pansexual, spoke out against the current mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community in America. 

“It’s been a hard time for the [LGBTQ+] community overall in this administration. It isn’t the first time we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights.”

After making this comment, Glenn faced an overwhelming amount of hate online, with people going as far as sending her death threats. 

While being interviewed after Team USA won gold in figure skating, Glenn responded to the backlash. 

“I couldn’t believe the outlandish backlash I received just for supporting people…Of course, I have people supporting me, and I’m not online right now because of it, but I’m gonna keep speaking my truth. I’m gonna keep representing what I believe in and what I think all Americans believe in, which is freedom and being able to love and do what you want.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Team USA (@teamusa)

Amber Glenn wasn’t the only one at the Olympics who received hate for sharing their opinions. Hunter Hesse, an American freeski halfpipe competitor, explained that he had mixed feelings about representing America at the Olympics. 

In an interview with USA Today he said, “It’s a little hard…There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of. Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything going on in the U.S.”

To nobody’s surprise, Trump retaliated against Hesse’s comment by taking to his platform Truth Social and calling him a “real loser.”

Other American Olympic competitors including aerial freestyle skier Chris Lillis, cross country skier Jessie Diggins and hockey player Kelly Pannek also explained that while they represented their country in the Olympics, it didn’t mean they were okay with the actions of the Trump administration, particularly the ongoing ICE raids that have been tormenting the country.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kelly Pannek (@kpannek)

US Vice President, JD Vance, shared his thoughts on X. 

“You’re there to play a sport and you’re there to represent a country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics.”

On the contrary, a global sporting event with millions of viewers is the perfect place to “pop off about politics”, especially when it’s your job to represent your country.

These young athletes should be praised for their courage and determination to use their platform to speak out for minorities who are being hurt or silenced by a corrupt administration. 

All this to say, stay woke b*tches!