Twitter is coming for Italian skier Sofia Goggia after she calls gay men wimps
with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera. Over the course of the conversation, journalist Aldo Cazzullo Flavio Vanetti asked her about any LGBTQ athletes in professional skiing.
She had a less than tactful answer.“Among women, yes. Not for men, I would say,” Goggia said. “You have to throw yourself down the Streif in Kitzbuhel.”Related: Olympic skier suffers “frozen penis” during cross-country raceFor anyone unfamiliar, the Streif in Kitzbuhel, Austria, is considered one of the most challenging ski slopes in the world.
In other words, Goggia implied that gay men are too wimpy to survive or even attempt the course. To make matters worse, she even peppered in some transphobia to boot, adding “In terms of sport, a man who turns into a woman has physical characteristics, even at the hormonal level, which allow him to push harder.
I don’t think it’s right then.”Among the most prominent figures to criticize Goggia’s comments, the deputy minister at the Italian Ministry of Interior and LGBTQ rights activist Ivan Scalfarotto spoke out to condemn her remarks.“I read with dismay that according to Sofia Goggia a gay athlete would not be able to do a downhill,” wrote in a statement. “Before saying such things, kind Sofia, you should stop and think twice: speed is an advantage in the race but with words it can become a big problem.”Goggia’s remarks also set off the predictable Twitter backlash, prompting her to issue a less-than-heartfelt apology the following day.Fa più rumore un albero che cade che una foresta che cresce.
