Tag: Gus Kenworthy

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Gus Kenworthy & Adam Rippon Reflect On Their Experiences As Out Olympians

Adam Rippon (L) and Gus Kenworthy (R)

As the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are coming to a close, The Today Show sat down with American Olympians Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy to reflect on their journey through these Games as the first ever openly gay U.S. Winter Olympians.

Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who came out in 2015 after he won a silver medal in Sochi, admitted that he didn’t know if the support he’d enjoyed would continue as an out athlete.

“I was very much in the closet and very much ashamed of who I was, and I actually didn’t get to appreciate the medal that I won because of that,” he said. “I didn’t know if the gay skier would be an image anyone wanted to get behind or support.”

In reality, Gus has enjoyed more endorsements than just about any other U.S. Olympian.

Figure skater Adam Rippon, who earned a bronze medal at these Games, said it was important to him to show up and be exactly who he is.

“I came here being authentically myself and sharing my story, and being gay is part of that,” Rippon told NBC’s Craig Melvin. “But I came here as an American athlete and I came here to help my team get a medal in that team event, and that was what I focused on.”

Adam found himself at the center of a political firestorm before the Games began with a comment about Vice President Mike Pence’s history of anti-LGBT policies. He also turned down an opportunity to speak with the Vice President.

But Adam handled the issue with aplomb: “I didn’t take the phone call [with Pence] because I needed to focus on the competition.”

Rippon says he would “totally” be open to chatting with the veep after the closing ceremonies in PyeongChang.

If that video disappears, watch the full interview here.

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Olympian Gus Kenworthy Rescues Puppy From Korean Dog Farm

Matthew Wilkas (L), Gus Kenworthy (R) and Beemo

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy, who famously saved two puppies found near Olympic Village during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, has rescued another pup – this time from Korea.

In a moving social media post, Kenworthy shared pictures from a visit he and his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas made to a “dog farm” in South Korea.

The term “dog farm” makes my skin crawl.

In the post, he introduced the world to his new furry family member (above) named “Beemo.”

Via Instagram:

This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visited to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea. Across the country there are 2.5 million dogs being raised for food in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable.

Yes, there is an argument to be made that eating dogs is a part of Korean culture. And, while don’t personally agree with it, I do agree that it’s not my place to impose western ideals on the people here.

The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty. I was told that the dogs on this particular farm were kept in “good conditions” by comparison to other farms. The dogs here are malnourished and physically abused, crammed into tiny wire-floored pens, and exposed to the freezing winter elements and scorching summer conditions.

When it comes time to put one down it is done so in front of the other dogs by means of electrocution sometimes taking up to 20 agonizing minutes.

Despite the beliefs of the Korean public at large, these dogs are no different from the ones we call pets back home. Some of them were even pets at one time and were stolen or found and sold into the dog meat trade.

Luckily, this particular farm (thanks to the hard work of the Humane Society International and the cooperation of a farmer who’s seen the error of his ways) is being permanently shut down and all 90 of the dogs here will be brought to the US and Canada where they’ll find their fur-ever homes.

I adopted the sweet baby in the first pic (we named her Beemo) and she’ll be coming to the US to live with me as soon as she’s through with her vaccinations in a short couple of weeks. I cannot wait to give her the best life possible!

There are still millions of dogs here in need of help though (like the Great Pyrenees in the 2nd pic who was truly the sweetest dog ever). I’m hoping to use this visit as an opportunity to raise awareness to the inhumanity of the dog meat trade here in Korea and the plight of dogs everywhere, including back home in the US where millions of dogs are in need of loving homes!

Go to @hsiglobal’s page to see how you can help. #dogsarefriendsnotfood #adoptdontshop ❤️🐶

Seriously, this guy is a rock star.

You can see more pics from Gus’s post below.

This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visited to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea. Across the country there are 2.5 million dogs being raised for food in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable. Yes, there is an argument to be made that eating dogs is a part of Korean culture. And, while don’t personally agree with it, I do agree that it’s not my place to impose western ideals on the people here. The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty. I was told that the dogs on this particular farm were kept in “good conditions” by comparison to other farms. The dogs here are malnourished and physically abused, crammed into tiny wire-floored pens, and exposed to the freezing winter elements and scorching summer conditions. When it comes time to put one down it is done so in front of the other dogs by means of electrocution sometimes taking up to 20 agonizing minutes. Despite the beliefs of the Korean public at large, these dogs are no different from the ones we call pets back home. Some of them were even pets at one time and were stolen or found and sold into the dog meat trade. Luckily, this particular farm (thanks to the hard work of the Humane Society International and the cooperation of a farmer who’s seen the error of his ways) is being permanently shut down and all 90 of the dogs here will be brought to the US and Canada where they’ll find their fur-ever homes. I adopted the sweet baby in the first pic (we named her Beemo) and she’ll be coming to the US to live with me as soon as she’s through with her vaccinations in a short couple of weeks. I cannot wait to give her the best life possible! There are still millions of dogs here in need of help though (like the Great Pyrenees in the 2nd pic who was truly the sweetest dog ever). I’m hoping to use this visit as an opportunity to raise awareness to the inhumanity of the dog meat trade here in Korea and the plight of dogs everywhere, including back home in the US where millions of dogs are in need of loving homes! Go to @hsiglobal’s page to see how you can help. #dogsarefriendsnotfood #adoptdontshop ❤️🐶
A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on Feb 23, 2018 at 8:10am PST

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Gus Kenworthy: “Thank You, HRC”

Olympian Gus Kenworthy thanks the Human Rights Campaign for changing and saving LGBT lives.

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy thanks the Human Rights Campaign in this newly-posted video today.

“I am a huge supporter of the Human Rights Campaign because they’re a huge supporter of me.

“It’s been an incredible Olympics. We’ve seen so much change and so much progress and so much visibility for the LGBT community and that’s been incredible. And I don’t think we’d be anywhere near where we are without all the hard work the Human Rights Campaign has done.

“You guys have changed lives, you’ve saved lives, and I cannot thank you enough so from the bottom of my heart, thank you HRC.”

Please note Gus’ low-profile trolling of Donald Trump via his choice of hat 😉

Watch the video below.

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News Round-Up: February 21, 2018

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• In case you missed it, Jim Newman definitely wished you all a Happy Valentine’s Day (above)

• Melonie Diaz has been cast as the first magical sister in the Charmed CW reboot. She’ll play “Mel,” the time freezing lesbian sister of the trio of witches featured on the show.

• American voters overwhelmingly support allowing undocumented children brought to the U.S. as children, so-called “Dreamers,” to remain and eventually apply for citizenship by 80%-16%.

• Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy says he’d like to explore acting as his next chapter and Wes Anderson would be his dream pick as director. Hey, Wes…

• Defense Secretary James Mattis’ deadline for recommending how to handle transgender military service members came and went today. What next?

• MTV fired reality personality James Eason for homophobic tweets that compared gays with dogs or fleas, or something really stupid.

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Gus Kenworthy Gives Ski Lesson To TODAY Show Hosts

Gus Kenworthy with Hoda Kotb & Savannah Guthrie

From The Today Show:

Skiing doesn’t come naturally for TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, so they enlisted the help of Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy.

See how well they do on the bunny slope and if they can make it to the bottom.

I loved when Gus was teaching the ladies to walk in ski boots: “Sissy that walk!”

So, I can ski. But I’m totally up for a piggy-back ride on Gus’ back. #PleaseOhPlease

Or at least an apes-ski cocktail with Gus? Can we ask Matthew Wilkas to join?

Can you imagine a better ski instructor?
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Gus Kenworthy Shows Off His Sexy “Bruised Peach”

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy is one tough competitor

Gus Kenworthy post #2:

US freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy missed out on a second Olympic medal this time around in part due to injuries (a broken thumb and massive hematoma) that proved detrimental to his final runs in the Slopestyle competition this past weekend.

Gus shared a pic of the enormous bruise today giving you an idea of just how tough he is and yet still managed to throw down with the best of the best freestyle skiers in PyeongChang.

He even threw in a Call Me By Your Name reference along the way 🙂

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Gus Kenworthy Dispatches Twitter Troll With 3 Words

Gus Kenworthy

Out U.S. Winter Olympian Gus Kenworthy has little patience for online trolls.

As Kenworthy celebrated his now-famous Olympic kiss with bf Matthew Wilkas, a Twitter user (with the same name as a Trump lawyer) chimed in with an ugly comment.

The troll asked: “Question is, if men marry men and women marry women who will produce children in this world”

Kenworthy destroyed the hater with three simple words:

“Hopefully not you.”

#Boom

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Gus Kenworthy’s Olympic Kiss Seen Round The World

Gus Kenworthy kisses his bf Matthew Wilkas at 2018 Winter Olympics

When Gus Kenworthy came out in 2015, he told ESPN Magazine that he felt like a “coward” in not acknowledging his boyfriend during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Well, what a difference 4 years and a shattered closet door makes.

Before yesterday’s qualifying runs in the slopestyle competition, Kenworthy gave his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas a kiss that was captured by the NBC Sports cameras.

And the world swooned.

Kenworthy told The Guardian:

“I didn’t even know that that was a televised moment at all, but I think that’s amazing,” Kenworthy said afterward. “That’s something that I wanted at the last Olympics was to share a kiss with my boyfriend at the bottom and it was something that I was too scared to do for myself. And so to be able to do that, to give him a kiss, to have that affection broadcasted for the world is incredible.

“I think that the only way to really change perceptions, break down homophobia, break down barriers is through representation. That’s definitely not something I had as a kid. I definitely didn’t see a gay athlete at the Olympics kissing their boyfriend and I think that if I had it would have made it a lot easier for me, so hopefully it did that for other people.”

Kenworthy, who scored a silver medal in Sochi, broke his thumb earlier this week and also suffered from a massive hematoma on his hip that required six vials of blood to be drained, will not take home a medal from this Olympic trip.

He easily qualified for the finals, but in his three final runs was unable to string together the jumps he needed to make the podium. But the handsome 26-yearold skier from Telluride, Colorado, seems at peace with his day.

“If you look at me right now, I’m bummed but I’m not sulking, I’m not crying,” Kenworthy shared with The Guardian. “I’m really proud to be here.”

“Being out at this Games has kind of meant the world to me. Just getting to really be myself and be authentic and I think that landing a run in the final, getting on the podium obviously would have been icing on the cake.”

“But even though it didn’t happen for me, I still had a wonderful Olympic experience and I’m really happy for the guys that did get on the podium. I don’t know, maybe there’s a next time.”

Kenworthy easily qualified for the finals of slopestyle with his 90.80

And Team Kenworthy was all smiles and rainbows cheering their guy on

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News Round-Up: February 17, 2018

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Out Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy (above) welcomed his bf Matthew Wilkas to PyeongChang just in time to watch Kenworthy in the slopestyle competition.

• UK tabloid The Daily Mail is losing advertisers after a columnist for the rag wrote a homophobic piece criticizing Tom Daley & Dustin Lance Black for sharing an ultrasound image of their soon-to-arrive baby.

• RuPaul will join Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin for the newly-announced 5th season of Grace And Frankie set to be released by Netflix in 2019.

• OUT has announced it annual “100 Most Eligible Bachelors” for 2018. Since I’m married I didn’t make the list, but did you? Or your favorite out athlete/celeb/artist?

• Since 2010, the Olympics have featured Pride Houses where LGBTQ athletes and fans could relax in a safe space. But with no money budgeted for this at PyeongChang, Canada stepped up allowing Canada House to do double duty as Pride House.

• How about one more pic of our awesome Team USA competing at the Winter Olympics? Here’s woofy Carlos Valdes – a member of our four-man bobsled team who competes next Saturday.

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Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy Would Not Accept An Invitation To The Trump White House

Gus Kenworthy says he would not accept an invitation to visit the Trump White House

Out US Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy told CBS This Morning he agrees with fellow Team USA athlete Adam Rippon in his opposition to Vice President Pence and the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT policies and positions.

Speaking to CBS News’ Don Dahler,” Kenworthy said he had “no patience” for the administration’s actions “attacking” the LGBT community.

From The Hill:

“When we have people elected into office that believe in conversion therapy and are trying to strip trans rights in the military and do these things that are directly attacking the LGBT community, I have no patience,” he said.

His comments appear to reference claims that Vice President Mike Pence supported “gay conversion therapy,” which Pence’s office has denied.

Kenworthy earlier this month called Pence a “bad fit” to lead the U.S. delegation to Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“I am so proud to be from the U.S. and to be from a country where you are able to voice your political opinions and stand up for what you believe in,” Kenworthy said on CBS on Thursday.

The woofy freestyle skier from Telluride, Colorado, added that he sees this moment as one of the first gay Americans to compete at a Winter Games as an opportunity to “shed people’s misconceptions” about LGBT athletes.

“I definitely carry a little bit of a burden with me, being a gay athlete going to the Olympics,” said Kenworthy. “I think that there’s pressure… and I think that it kind of gives us a chance to shed people’s misconceptions and just kind of like break down barriers.”

I love this guy.

You can watch Kenworthy’s comments below.