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The out former olympian is offering commentary and Sapphic comedy representation at the games.
The Olympics are hella gay! Whether it's the nearly 200 queer competitors, the opening ceremonies, the Gay Twitter thirst generation, or the commentary — thanks to out-and-proud two-time Olympic medalist Laurie Hernandez.
Case in point, the sly lesbian joke she made yesterday while commentating on the Women’s Gymnastics Team Finals. The moment begins with fellow commentator Rich Learner asking Hernandez about her Olympic history with gymnast Simone Biles (who has been busywinning gold medals in the Paris games.)
“You were teammates in Rio, that team won a gold,” Learner begins. “You were roommates. Did you know even before then that she was going to be special?
“And they were roommates.” jokes Hernandez.
This is, of course, a call back to the famous “and they were roommates” Vine that took over and then Tumblr in 2014. In the original Vine user @mattsukkar shared a clip of a woman speedily walking by talking on her phone saying “And they were roommates!” The camera then pans to him and he repeats it. For obvious reasons, this was immediately snapped up by queer culture because of the long history of referring to closeted queer couples as roommates.
To be clear, Hernandez is family. Hernandez has been loved-up Olympic gymnast and photographer Charlotte Drury for over three years. The two often share their love on social media — and we give their romance a gold medal!
And they’re ROOMMATES! Just kiddin’.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
