Orser went on performing in ice shows and also took part in the 2000 Goodwill Games, winning yet another silver medal after landing a triple axel in the long program.

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Nearing the end of his competitive skating career, Orser stepped behind the boards of the ice rink. In 2005 he and Wilson were appointed skating directors of the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. The following year Orser became the coach of South Korean skater Yu-Na Kim and led her to a bronze-medal finish at the succeeding Worlds.

Although involuntarily outed and criticized by some in the Canadian glbtq community for not coming out sooner, Orser has become an advocate for equal rights. Being outed was difficult and fearsome for Orser, but he has since achieved a certain peace. "The world's more comfortable with it now," he stated in a 2007 interview. "I'm not a hypocrite, and I'm glad to talk about [my sexuality]."

Orser has been in a committed relationship with designer Jason Forbes since the late 1990s.

Orser has lent his support to programs for AIDS-related charities, notably the annual Toronto 5K Pride and Remembrance Run, for which he has organized teams of Canadian skaters. They call themselves "Silver's Bullets" in ironic recognition of Orser's memorable second-place finishes in major events. Orser's team raised over forty thousand dollars in 2007, when they ran in memory of McCall, and in 2008 they were the top team fund-raisers in an effort dedicated to Pokar.

In 2007 Orser embarked on a farewell tour as a skater in ice shows across Canada. Typical of his reception was the scene described by Heather Sawers of the Halifax Daily News. Orser first performed to Neil Diamond's "Story of My Life" and then "the evening ended on a solemn note, as Orser skated an emotional good-bye program to . . . Diamond's 'I Believe in Happy Endings.' The crowd started his standing ovation during the middle of the skate, while clips of his career highlights flashed on TV monitors. By his final spin, the house lights were raised so that Orser could see the thousands of fans on their feet, applauding his career and wishing him well."

In 2005 Canada became the fourth country to recognize same-sex marriages; the milestone victory solidified Canada's position as a leader in the struggle for glbtq equality.

Gay equestrians are among the most successful and respected athletes in their sport, and a number of them have participated in the Olympic Games.

First used by homophobes and then by glbtq activists, outing is the public revelation of a person's sexuality without the consent of that person.

While sports, at least on the major competitive level, may be the final closet for gay men, there have nevertheless been a number of gay male elite athletes.

Canadian skater and painter Toller Cranston combined artistry and athleticism to help revolutionize figure skating.

World and Olympic figure skating champion John Curry was one of the first athletes to speak candidly about his sexual orientation while competing.

The first openly gay man and the first Mexican-American to win the United States figure skating championship, Rudy Galindo, himself HIV-positive, has worked hard to increase awareness of AIDS, especially in minority communities.

Widely regarded as the greatest diver in history, Olympic champion Greg Louganis has acknowledged both his homosexuality and his status as a person living with AIDS.

Out gold medal diver Matthew Mitcham earned the highest score in the history of the sport on his final dive in the ten-meter platform event at the 2008 Olympic Games.

The first world Outgames, held in Montreal in the summer of 2006, inaugurated what promises to be a quadrennial athletic and cultural event that combines the pursuit of athletic excellence with the joyous celebration of community.

Olympic medalist Mark Tewksbury was closeted throughout his competitive swimming career, but since coming out has become an advocate for glbtq rights.

Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell is best known for founding the Gay Games, a sports and arts event modeled on the Olympics.

Flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir won three United States Championships and twice represented his country as an Olympian; although there had been widespread speculation that he was gay for several years, he did not come out publicly until 2011.