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" I spent 24 years in the closet wanting to talk so desperately about who I was and what I am but too afraid to. "

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" 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. "

" I always have at least one book with me. I try and read a book a month. "

" For me, as a kid, I always felt like being gay was something that was going make people turn on me. "

" I always felt like I had something to prove, like I had to work twice as hard to make sure I got it. I knew I didn't want to be a good skier. I wanted to be the best. "

" As a kid, I just felt like I didn't really have anyone to look up to that I felt like I could really relate to, someone that was out and gay and also competing in sports and finding success. "

" Jet lag is tough, to be honest. For me, it's much easier to force yourself to stay awake. "

" 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. "

" The world that I would want to get into would be acting. In the beginning, I would do stuff as myself if I had the opportunity to host events - host, like, a talk show. Something like that, I think, would be super amazing. "

" I'm proud to be from a country where I can speak up. "

" 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. "

" I chose a public platform to come out. I wanted to have an impact with it. "

" I love Kim Chi the drag queen from 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' but I'm not sure about the food. "

" 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 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. "

" I hope that any gay kids see me as beacon of light, not just in sport but in general. "

" 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 don't ever train half-pipe except for the short training sessions during events, and because of that, I have a really hard time consistently putting my runs down smoothly. "

" I think it's so important to have visibility and to break down stereotypes and stigmas and everything that people are so attached to. "

" My family's dog, when I was growing up, was an adopted dog that I got in a shelter for my birthday. I've always felt really strongly about adopting animals and trying to save animals' lives. "

" 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. "

" All I can really say is to encourage anybody who's in the closet to come out, and congratulate anyone who has. "

" I want to be the guy that's taking names, on the podium, and winning events. "

" Since I came out of the closet, I've gotten to just really be myself and feel authentic and honest and genuine. It's just been a huge relief for me competitively. "

" Even if you're 'the gay guy,' if you're winning events, you're still winning events. "

" I'm putting in the time to make sure that my body is ready to compete at the top level. "

" Getting to be authentic is so liberating. "

" I don't listen to music when I ski - I find it distracting - but I will sing to myself before I go to just get my mind out of what I'm doing and relax a little bit. "

" I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it being found out, it was a distraction. "

" You can be gay and be proud of that and not have to worry about being unsuccessful or unaccepted. "

" 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. "