No more gender in figure skating

The 2022 Beijing Olympics should crown the last figure skating champions separated by gender.

In 1906, a women’s discipline was added to competitive figure skating. At the time, it was a win because women were banned from competing with the men, so this gave them a path to gold. But a century plus on, it’s time to do away with the gendered binaries in figure skating.

Since essentially its inception, competitive figure skating has used gender to promote toxic and painful definitions of masculine and feminine. Pairs men are giant; pairs women are tiny. Ladies figure skaters are artistic; mens figure skaters are athletic. None of these archetypes do anyone any good. They suffocate variety and leave the sport gasping for any breath of modernity.

After the Beijing Olympics in February, figure skating leadership will have the opportunity to reevaluate the rules of the sport. They should use that time to rid us of gender-segregated singles, and save us from heterosexual pairs and dance.

It’s time for one singles discipline

I see three big reasons to ditch gendered singles skating and why it should happen before the next Olympic cycle kicks off.

One: It’s exclusionary. People of all genders figure skate and all genders are not served by the disciplines “men’s figure skating” and “women’s figure skating.” (Don’t even get me started on how we started #girlbossing this sport by calling a discipline dominated by girls, “women’s figure skating.”) One of the most promising ladies figure skaters in the U.S. uses she/they pronouns. Forcing young skaters into restrictive binaried disciplines is alienating and harmful.

Two: Gendered disciplines in skating were created to keep women separate from men and for over a century have perpetuated toxic ideas about femininity and masculinity. Originally there was no gendered language in skating, but Madge Syers snuck into the competition, won silver and suddenly allll kinds of rules showed up.

Three: It’s not necessary. People may say, “If you throw men’s and women’s skaters into the same discipline, then the men will always win!” But that doesn’t have to be true. The technical difference between “men’s figure skating” and and “women’s figure skating” is increasingly slim. Girls and women are learning harder elements at a faster rate than men are. Soon they’ll catch up. In the meantime, correct a few scoring rules (make components scoring actually mean something) and you can make it work.

Save us from heterosexual dance and pairs

In addition to needing to remove gendered qualifiers from singles skating disciplines, ice dance and pair’s figure skating also need to be ungendered. I’m not saying (GOD FORBID) men and women can’t skate together. I’m just saying it’s kind of homophobic that they HAVE to.

For years and years we have sat through Marilyn Monroe daddy free dances, “Did you know they’re married?!?!?” Ghosts, and Moulin Rouge oral sex spins. I’m tired.

Let women skate with women. Let men skate with men. Let nonbinary people skate with whoever they want! If your sport cannot handle being this inclusive, THEN CHANGE THE RULES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Not everything has to suck

Listen, I know this essay is going to make a bunch of people want to have to have a debate. I don’t care. I’m honestly having a terrible week so if you could not tag me in your debates, that would be great.

Bottom line: Figure skating doesn’t have to suck. It doesn’t have to be outdated and sexist and homophobic. It can be fun! And it can be inclusive! And it can be good! I hope that one day it is.