Using his time to make a difference! Gus Kenworthy has been known as both an athlete and an activist ever since the world first met him.
The freestyle skier, 29, still balances his career, which keeps him active and on the move, and his passion for LGBTQ+ rights, animals and other causes dear to his heart. His conviction was evident when he competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
“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,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in February 2018.
Kenworthy used his platform to do just that at the time and has continued to stand by his words from three years earlier. “Our country is a patchwork nation, so I want to make sure people remember that,” he said. “The LGBT community has been so marginalized and underrepresented in so many ways and it’s more important than ever to stand up and be proud at these games.”
The England native’s desire to give back extends to animals too — he adopted his Jindo/Labrador mix, Birdie, from a South Korea dog meat farm in 2018.
“[I] leave her at home and she’ll, like, chew the lamp cord or stuff, so the whole place is puppy-proofed,” he told Us at the time. “Everything’s, like, on the top shelf. … Nothing is on the counter for her to be able to access. But she’s great.”
More recently, Kenworthy has been a source of support for Colton Underwood after the former Bachelor, 29, came out as gay earlier this year. “It’s great for him to have another professional athlete who’s openly gay,” a source revealed in April. “They have a lot of shared interest as well.”
The Will & Grace alum opened up about their friendship in June. “He’s a really sweet guy. I mean, he’s, like, a baby gay,” he told Us. “So he actually is kind of like a baby in this giant man’s body. He’s really just figuring out the ropes, figuring out himself. I don’t know, despite what anyone might think, he has truly the best of intentions and he’s very, very kindhearted.”
Want to see Kenworthy’s day in action? Keep scrolling through the photos below to discover how he spends his time.
