Out skier Gus Kenworthy says he has no
interest in “faking” support for President Donald Trump.
At the 2014 Sochi Games, Kenworthy, 26,
took home a silver medal. A few months later, he announced his
sexuality in an ESPN the Magazine cover story.
With two months to go until the
PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea, Kenworthy told Time
magazine that he “embraces” the thought of being the first openly
gay male to compete in the Winter Olympics.
“Going into Korea now I feel a lot
more pressure, actually, than I did going into Sochi, but it's all
for good things, for good reasons. Like, the thought of being the
first openly gay male ever to compete in the Winter Olympics … it's
fucking cool,” Kenworthy said. “So badly, I want to inspire [the
LGBT community] and do well by them. I would love to win a gold
medal and have that for my country and for my community.”
After the Olympics, Team USA members
are traditionally invited to meet the president at the White House.
Kenworthy said that he would refuse the invitation. “I have no
interest in faking support,” he said.
He also criticized Trump for his
attempt to bar transgender people from serving in the military.
“That is just a direct attack on the
LGBT community,” he said. “It shows more courage to leave the
house as a trans person than Trump has ever had to show.”
(Related: Judge
rejects Trump administration request to delay transgender
enlistment.)