- You can be gay and be proud of that and not have to worry about being unsuccessful or unaccepted.
- I've gotten a lot of messages from kids struggling with their identity and sexuality, whether it's because they're in a religious family or a small town or a sport that's not very accepting. I've had a ton of outreach, and I've tried to get back to kids as best I could.
- I definitely carry a little bit of a burden with me, being a gay athlete going to the Olympics. I think that there's pressure on me... It presents an amazing opportunity, 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 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.
- Growing up, I always wanted kids, and that was one of the things that made it hard for me to accept being gay, but now I know it's totally an option to have kids.
- I spent 24 years in the closet wanting to talk so desperately about who I was and what I am but too afraid to.
- For me, as a kid, I always felt like being gay was something that was going make people turn on me.
- 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.
- My mom has been there for me in moments where I definitely needed her the most, and she has this inherent way of knowing exactly what to say and exactly how to talk to me, whatever the situation.
- I don't think that one thing defines me, but I know that by coming out the way that I did, sort of almost pioneering it in action sports - to take that stand - that it's always going to be a label that is stuck with me, and I know that I'll always be the 'gay skier,' and it actually doesn't bother me.
- I love Kim Chi the drag queen from 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' but I'm not sure about the food.
- I want to be the guy that's taking names, on the podium, and winning events.
- The only way to really change perceptions, to break down barriers, break down homophobia, is through representation. That's definitely not something I had as a kid. I never saw a gay athlete kissing their boyfriend at the Olympics. I think if I had, it would've made it easier for me.
- I don't really have a specific Olympic crush. There were a couple of guys during the Olympics in Sochi that were super fit. And during the summer games, any of the sports where people have their shirts off if they're diving or swimming or whatever, it's like eye candy.
- I've had knee trouble, and I worry about my shoulder, but I think my weakest link is my head. A helmet can only do so much, and I have seen the effects of brain injuries. That is a big fear. I think everyone's weakest link is their brain because it's their most fragile link.
- Having an Olympic medal validates that you can be a successful freeskier... It's like a credential that sticks with you the rest of your life.
- More than I've wanted anything, I've wanted to do well at the X Games.
- I love that our country is one where you have the freedom to protest and to stand up for what you believe in and speak on it.
- 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.
- I always have at least one book with me. I try and read a book a month.
- I think the Olympics are a time for the world to come together and put aside differences, but we're also coming to represent ourselves, our communities, and our countries, so I think it's important to stand up and be a voice.
- 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.
- I'm actually sort of shocked that I was able to get a medal in 2014 and really have any of the success I had before because as soon as I came out, it was like a whole new world for me, and I felt so free, so confident, that it's actually shocking that I was able to compete any other way.
- 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.
- 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.
- I think it's so important to have visibility and to break down stereotypes and stigmas and everything that people are so attached to.
- The Olympics is all about inclusion, coming together for sport. That's the footprint I want to leave.
- I realize how fortunate I am to have been able to make a life and career out of skiing.
- 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.
- 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.
- The chance of messing up and falling significantly increases when you're flipping through the air three times while spinning and trying to grab your skis.
- I'm representing the LGBT community, and I want to do well for them.
- I'm proud to be from a country where I can speak up.
- Getting to be authentic is so liberating.
- I don't think you necessarily have to be crazy-fit for freeskiing. So much of the sport has to do with agility and nimbleness and flexibility and other things. It's a lot of muscle memory - it's more like dance, in a way - it's technique more than strength or endurance.
- I hope that any gay kids see me as beacon of light, not just in sport but in general.
- Even if you're 'the gay guy,' if you're winning events, you're still winning events.
- I think that being in the closet is really hard. It takes a toll on your mind. It takes a toll on you. I think it just makes every aspect of your life more difficult.
- I'm so proud that now you can exist as a gay man and be an Olympian, and it can be beneficial rather than negative. So it's amazing. And I just think I feel so liberated now that I've been out of the closet for a while, and so I'm free in that I just get to be myself, speak freely, act freely, and I think that I am competing confidently.
- For anyone who says 'Who cares if you're gay? It's 2018,' well, a lot of people care because a lot of people had the opportunity to be out, and there's been a lot of fear surrounding it. This is the first time we're seeing representation, and because of that, it is a big deal.
- You don't want to be defined by one thing. But at the same point... When you are the first in something, that's gonna kinda be the title that sticks. And after Sochi, I was, like, the dog guy. Now I'm the gay guy, and it's fine by me.
- I didn't even ski halfpipe until I was 14 because the resort where I lived didn't have one. So it wasn't always my favorite event, but I grew into it.
- 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.
- The thought of being the first openly gay male ever to compete in the Winter Olympics - I totally embrace that.
- I was insecure and ashamed. Unless you're gay, being gay has never been looked at as being cool. And I wanted to be cool.
- It shows more courage to leave the house as a trans person than Trump has ever had to show.
- If everyone could see everyone else the way their mom saw them, it would be a much better place for all of us.
- I would probably say Breckenridge has the best park out of any resort. They build the best jumps, they have fun rails, and the pipe is well kept, too.
- I've been through stretches of my life where I've been super focused on what I'm eating, and then you're on the road, and you end up eating a lot of carbs and tacos.
- I'm putting in the time to make sure that my body is ready to compete at the top level.
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