Amber Glenn Is Staying True to Herself While Chasing the Mirrorball

Amber Glenn made history in 2024 as the first out queer woman to win a U.S. figure skating title, proudly draping herself in a Progress Pride flag during her victory lap on the ice. Now, after winning Olympic gold earlier this year, Glenn is turning to her queerness as a source of inspiration as she vies for a new honor: the coveted Dancing with the Stars Mirrorball Trophy.“I’m really having the time of my life,” she tells Them over a video call, a rare moment of calm in her busy training and filming schedule for the series. “I’m really happy to be myself — a strong woman — in these spaces, on these huge platforms.” Already in week six of the dance competition show, Glenn has stunned audiences and proved to be a true competitor. Never one to hide her identity as an openly queer athlete, Glenn has injected her full into every performance, including the show stopping, now-viral tango during week 2 inspired by the gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry. In the tense opening scene of the dance, Glenn grips her professional dance partner Pasha Pashkov, briefly locking eyes with him before her gaze turns elsewhere, revealing her true passion. As “All The Things She Said” — the background track to an infamous scene in Heated Rivalry — continues to play, Glenn reaches out to a woman who walks by with her arm outstretched, desperate to grab hold of her hand. As the woman walks away, leaving Glenn in despair, she and Pashkov begin to dance. Both on the DWTS stage and in Heated Rivalry, the song represents a moment of undeniable queer yearning powerful enough to pull on anyone’s heartstrings. “It was really cool to have Pasha really try and understand the story, where I was coming from, how I felt about it — and the way he was able to choreograph it was fantastic,” Glenn says. Being openly queer on a global stage isn’t always easy. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Glenn skatied her way into our hearts alongside her teammates on Team USA, known affectio