In a perfect storm of queer pop culture, Cher has written the bio for figure skater Adam Rippon's placement in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people list.
“He isn’t just a beautiful skater. He has humility, grace and an incredible sense of humour,” Cher wrote of the openly gay olympian.
"You could see in the leather-harness suit he wore to the Academy Awards that he isn’t afraid to take chances. It wasn’t about the suit, really," she wrote. "It was about the fact that he dares to be different in a world where being different always comes with a cost."
She went on to highlight the importance of diversity in role models.
“When I was young, I had no role models — everyone looked like Sandra Dee and Doris Day,” she wrote.
“There was nobody who made me think, Oh, I could be like them. They represent me. Adam shows people that if you put blood, sweat and tears into what you’re doing, you can achieve something that’s special.”
The list also includes bisexual Parkland shooting survivor and gun reform activist Emma González, trans actress Daniela Vega (A Fantastic Woman), and openly queer painter Kehinde Wiley.
