Biography

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.