Gus Kenworthy: Competitors, even friends that would say things that we...

To have somebody leading the delegation that’s directly attacked the LGBTQ community, and a Cabinet in general that just sort of stands against us and has tried to do things to set us back, it just seems like a bad fit.

Gus Kenworthy

sports

Someone coming out as gay shouldn't be newsworthy, it shouldn't be warranting a magazine cover or anything like that, which I had as my story for coming out, i think down the line, it will make it so that it isn't news, it doesn't matter; so it doesn't have to be something that's a big announcement, just something that is what it is.

Gus Kenworthy

top-news

It was a scary decision to make as no one in my sport, no one in action sports, and very few men in sport in general had come out before me, so I didn't know if people were going to receive it positively or if I was going to kind of be pushed aside because of it.

Gus Kenworthy

top-news

I have felt so insecure about my body at times. I've been on every end of the spectrum. I felt like I was too skinny and wished I could be muscular. I've felt like I was chubby and wanted to be skinny. I think everybody suffers from body image issues. I might exude confidence sometimes, but I'm pretty insecure.

Gus Kenworthy

end think confidence sometimes

When you're able to love and appreciate and take pride with yourself, that makes everything easier. It makes it easier to train, it makes it easier to be in the gym, and it makes it easier for everyone else to accept and love you.

Gus Kenworthy

yourself you gym love

I would honestly say the biggest thing for cold weather is a good face moisturizer with SPF. Winters are harsh, wind chill's real, and, a lot of the time, it's a really dry climate, and so your lips will crack, your face will start to get dry, your nose will peel; it's easy to get sunburnt, windburnt.

Gus Kenworthy

face good time weather

When you're able to be honest with yourself about who you are and finally can present your authentic true self to the world, you feel so much better about yourself, and it makes it easier for everyone else to feel better about you.

Gus Kenworthy

yourself you self world

There are so many animals in shelters that need homes. Rather than going to a breeder and buying a dog, or a puppy mill or anything like that, I've always been a big fan of adoption.

Gus Kenworthy

animals need always dog

I've always been someone who's had to compartmentalize my life because I was in the closet, and I was in fear of outing myself. I always had so much going on in my mind and couldn't share it with anyone, so I actually feel like, now that I'm out, I have less to compartmentalize.

Gus Kenworthy

my-life myself fear life

When I was in the closet, I had so much pressure on my shoulders. When I came out, that was actually the first moment I felt relieved of those stresses. It really showed in my skiing.

Gus Kenworthy

moment skiing shoulders pressure

I think it's so important to have visibility and to break down stereotypes and stigmas and everything that people are so attached to.

Gus Kenworthy

down think important people

I have the LGBT audience behind me, and there's all these people that I want to make proud, and I want to do well aside from just myself.

Gus Kenworthy

myself me proud people

If people are hiding their sexuality, they don't really get their full selves, so you can sometimes feel like you're presenting sort of like a fogged version of yourself.

Gus Kenworthy

yourself feel you people

I wound up adopting two dogs from Sochi. It wasn't really me who brought them home as much as it was one of my best friends, Robin Macdonald, who was out there with me.

Gus Kenworthy

best me friends home

I want to be the guy that's taking names, on the podium, and winning events.

Gus Kenworthy

events guy winning want

Dating in the closet is torture. It's one of the most difficult things, especially if you are completely closeted.

Gus Kenworthy

things you dating difficult

I hope that any gay kids see me as beacon of light, not just in sport but in general.

Gus Kenworthy

me gay light hope

You can be gay and be proud of that and not have to worry about being unsuccessful or unaccepted.

Gus Kenworthy

you gay proud worry

If everyone could see everyone else the way their mom saw them, it would be a much better place for all of us.

Gus Kenworthy

better place mom way

All I can really say is to encourage anybody who's in the closet to come out, and congratulate anyone who has.

Gus Kenworthy

say come who i-can

Competitors, even friends that would say things that were so homophobic, and - I don't think that they realized necessarily the impact that it was having on me, because I was in the closet, and I think that that's what made me really scared to come out.