'He is showing all of us what it means to be courageous and PROUD of who we are!'
Gus Kenworthy, the silver medal-winning Olympic skier and puppy rescuer, came out in truly spectacular fashion: On the cover of ESPN The Magazine.
“For most of my life, I’ve been afraid to embrace that truth about myself,” the 24-year-old athlete said. “Recently though, I’ve gotten to the point where the pain of holding onto the lie is greater than the fear of letting go, and I’m very proud to finally be letting my guard down.”
Now, he’s getting support from one of his famous best friends: Miley Cyrus.
MORE: Gus Kenworthy Talks Being a Role Model to Young, Gay Athletes
“Never have I ever been prouder to call @guskenworthy my friend! ( and he's a bad ass f**king Olympic athlete),” Cyrus wrote on Instagram. “He is showing all of us what it means to be courageous and PROUD of who we are! You have won so much more than any medal .... You have won FREEDOM!”
The two became friends last year, when Kenworthy revealed that the singer was his celebrity crush and then asked her to be his Valentine:
She later invited him to the Denver, Colorado stop on her Bangerz tour.
WATCH: Miley Dons Thong Leotard to Celebrate James Franco's Bar Mitzvah
Now, Cyrus is hoping to collaborate with Kenworthy for her Happy Hippie Foundation, the organization she started to fight injustice faced by LGBT youth and homeless teens. “You are making it possible to shine light on the LGBTQ community in front of a whole new world!” she continued. "Heart is fluttering, feels like a million little cocoons just busted open and I am filled up with butterflies”
The pop star recently spoke out about her own sexuality, saying that she doesn’t like labels and is “ready to love any one.” "I remember telling [my mom] I admire women in a different way," Cyrus recalled of being 14. "She asked me what that meant. And I said, I love them. I love them like I love boys."
Find out what else Cyrus has to say about her life being “f**king Pride”:
