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Galindo Rudy Biography

American figure skater, openly gay, he rose to prominence in 1996. On December 12, 1998, he became the first skater broadcast on a U.S. television network performing in a gay-themed program. On March 1, 2000, he tested positive for HIV. He has survived the AIDS-related deaths of his brother and two coaches. On April 5, 2000, he became the first skater to acknowledge having HIV while his career was still vital. Galindo holds national skating titles both in singles skating (US National Championship in 1996) and in pairs (1989, 1990) and in 1992, he skated with Olympic ladies champion Kristi Yamaguchi. He has had some problems with alcohol abuse, with which he is successfully dealing. Of Mexican-American heritage, Galindo is the youngest of three children His father was strict and his mother was periodically institutionalized with episodes of bipolar disorder; he grew up in a trailer park in San Jose, often living with relatives when his mother couldnt take care of the children. When Galindo was eight, his elder brother was banished from the house after he acknowledged being gay and eventually died of AIDS. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less