He Would Not Compromise – by Brian Orser

I got to tour with him for eight or ten years. There were a lot of tour buses, and a lot of stories. He has so much to give to the sport and I am grateful for that. At the beginning, I don’t think he was really out although he was out. He was not a hypocrite and he didn’t lie about anything but I don’t think it really mattered to him.

I don’t think the skating world saw it any different. Being Canadian, the fans embrace you and respect you regardless of anything and that is the legacy he has. He was a very flamboyant skater and he made it OK for men to be artistic. So, people who followed in these footsteps…guys felt it was OK to express themselves in any way they wanted. He paved the way for that.

I think he saw life in colours and the brighter the colour, the better the experience, so his life was lived pushing to the extreme in everything he undertook. So, if the discussion was about being gay or about homophobia, he wanted to shock people. He wanted to use that shock technique to make people listen. That was his goal—whether it was about the gay community or artistic skating or painting. Even if you might not be the best in the world at this point, you have to be the best in the world for people to take notice.

He was brave and determined and he would not compromise in any way