Will Keith Carney Skate in Greg Louganis' gay footsteps?

Outsports.com just posted a great article by speedskater Keith Carney on what effect being out has had on his career thus far. The answer? A heartening and resounding none.

When Keith decided to try for the Olympics, that meant moving to Mormon-dominated Salt Lake City which concerned him a bit. But to his great relief, it was pretty much a non-issue though there was one Mormon girl crushing on him who said she accepted his being gay, but that he should still just try to date women. Because we all know what a successful recipe for marriage (and Repulbican political career) that is.

Keith goes on to then explain why it's important for him to be out as an athlete:

I know that if I had known of an openly gay elite athlete when I was younger it would have had a huge impact on me when I was growing up. After all there are plenty of straight role models to choose from when you’re a kid, but I can’t think of any gay role models that I wanted to follow. So as I train towards 2010, I feel a similar pressure that [snowboarder] Ryan Miller felt: to break gay stereotypes, and reinforce the fact that a person’s potential for being an Olympic athlete, or any kind of elite athlete has nothing to do with your sexual orientation.

We couldn't agree more. Hell, it's half the reason AfterElton.com even exists! And we can't wait to cheer for Keith at the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010! Be sure to visit Keith's website (where you can can see more pics of Keith by Andrew Love) and consider becoming a sponsor!