Adam Rippon, your new favorite figure skater, has decided to boycott the White House visit to support the gay community.
After winning over the hearts of Americans on Monday night, Adam Rippon is staying true to his brand. The figure skater, who told Mike Tirico that he wanted Xanax and a drink to calm his Olympic nerves, has stated he has no intention of visiting with President Trump at the White House after the games are over.
Rippon, who is openly gay, went hard in the paint when reacting to Vice President Mike Pence coming to South Korea to represent the United States at the Olympics. Pence has had a long-standing war against the gay community, a war that at one point involved baked goods.
Instead of openly protesting during the games, Rippon has said he’ll focus on realizing his dreams of medaling. That doesn’t, however, mean he’s going to stay away from protesting after he wins — which he’s already done.
Rippon spoke with The Daily Mail after Monday’s figure skating Team Event and said that he’ll be boycotting the White House visit.
"“No, I have no desire to go to the White House,” he told the Daily Mail. “But I would like to do something to help my community.”"
Rippon not giving real estate in his head to people who dislike him is actually a life lesson we should all learn from. Rather than getting bogged down in outside matters, Rippon is getting the job done first and then using his success as a platform to protest.
He’s also doing the exact thing those angry about the protest are claiming athletes aren’t doing. Instead of simply skipping the visit in protest, Rippon is planning on finding ways to help the communities hurt by the president. Rather than protest simply to protest, Rippon is being proactive in finding a solution rather than simply creating noise.
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Folks clapped at the Philadelphia Eagles for protesting during the national anthem this season, and they proved to be so distracted that they won the Super Bowl. Rippon will have a megaphone with which to voice his protest after his Olympic performances, and it sounds like he’s happily going to use it.