The Winter Olympics gets its second-ever openly gay athlete

by Tim Gibson

Gus Kenworthy has become the second openly gay athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics. The first being out figure skater Adam Rippon, who qualified earlier this month. The 26-year-old freestyle skier previously won silver for the Americans at the controversial 2014 Sochi Games, but didn’t come out publically until an interview with ESPN magazine in 2015.

Kenworthy posted an ecstatic picture to Instagram after qualifying, saying “There are all these stereotypes and stigmas that people have associated in their mind over time but nothing breaks barriers down more than visibility or representation. Having someone at the Olympics, the pinnacle event in sports, competing against the best in the world and being out and proud and gay and getting a medal, it would be amazing.

“There is pressure that comes with this responsibility and I feel I have a responsibility to the LGBT community now. I want to lead by example and I want to be a positive example and an inspiration for any kids that I can.”

When asked by TIME if he would ever go to the White House to meet the President, Kenworth said “I have no interest in faking support. I don’t want to go shake his hand. That is just a direct attack on the LGBT community. I shows more courage to leave the house as a trans person than Trump has ever had to show.”

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