A new story from OutSports shines light on the many successes of out gay Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy.
Many of you will remember that the professional athlete publicly came out in a cover story for ESPN Magazine in October of 2015.
Before then, Kenworthy feared he might lose sponsors upon coming out.
But on the contrary, since coming out, Kenworthy has gone on to excel in his athletic career, and rack up a slew of endorsements and sponsorships.
On top of deals with companies like Ralph Lauren, Visa, Toyota, 24 Hour Fitness, and Monster Energy, Kenworthy is an official Olympics spokesperson for United Airlines.
Additionally, he will appear in a new Proctor & Gamble campaign called, “Love Over Bias.”
On top of the sponsorships, Kenworthy recently told Esquire that coming out has been great for his training as well.
He says:
“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.”
Now, Kenworthy is preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he hopes to win a Gold medal.
As words of encouragement to other athletes who are considering to come out, he tells Esquire:
“…the more out people that we have in sports doing well, the more we can break down stigmas and barriers and stereotypes, and the more accepting it will be for future generations.”
