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The Internet lost it (in a good way) after this Olympian came out as gay.

If you don't know who Gus Kenworthy is, you should.

On Oct. 22, 2015, Gus Kenworthy publicly came out as gay.

The 24-year-old opened up about his sexuality to ESPN, which included his story in its Being Out Issue, on newsstands Oct. 30, 2015.

In case you need reminding, Kenworthy is the American freestyle skier who won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia...

Photo by Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images.

...and then became extra famous for rescuing five stray dogs while he was there.

Driving to the beach with @robindmacdonald and @thesochipups!
A photo posted by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on
At long last, I've found them! Today is a happy day :) #puppies #sochistrays #howdoibringthemhome
A photo posted by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on

The pups got a lot of attention upon returning to the U.S., too, as evidenced by their popular (and ridiculously adorable) Instagram account.

After the ESPN story was published online this week, the Internet's crush on Kenworthy got about 10x stronger.

A lot of people had a lot of really supportive things to say about his announcement.

Like, for instance, Miley Cyrus, who mentioned that Kenworthy might lend a helping hand in supporting her advocacy work for homeless LGBTQ youth...

My hero @guskenworthy @happyhippiefdn
A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on

And retired NBA star Jason Collins, who certainly knows what it feels like to come out of the closet with the whole world watching...


And even the official Team USA, which couldn't be prouder to call him their own.


But while support for Kenworthy went viral, it was also tough to hear about the struggles he'd faced before coming out publicly.

Even though Kenworthy began coming out to loving, close friends and supportive family members a couple years ago, coming out to everyone — especially as a champion in the world of action sports — was a much more difficult feat to complete.

Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

"I was insecure and ashamed," he told ESPN. "Unless you're gay, being gay has never been looked at as being cool. And I wanted to be cool."

Attracting an onslaught of female attention due to his fame as a skier — something many guys wouldn't, you know, mind having — actually became a source of pain and confusion for him as well.

"I know hooking up with hot girls doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world. But I literally would sleep with a girl and then cry about it afterward. I'm like, 'What am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing.'" — Gus Kenworthy

The Olympian said living in the closet resulted in an ongoing battle with depression and struggles with anxiety. At one point, he was suicidal.

Kenworthy's story serves as a good reminder that although we've come a very long way in LGBTQ acceptance, coming out can still be (and in many cases is) an excruciatingly difficult process — especially in the world of sports.

The good news is that Kenworthy has been "truly blown away" by the amount of love sent his way this week.

Watching his story go public was an understandably emotional experience...

...but reactions from fans (and his mom) have been very appreciated.

Now Kenworthy seems ready to start living his best, most honest life.


He says he hopes his authenticity will be another step forward in making the coming out process a little bit easier — and not-so-newsworthy — for others down the road.

A lot can be learned from the Olympian's story. But Kenworthy said it best by quoting one of the greats.

Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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friendship
Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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education
Family

Mom’s blistering rant on how men are responsible for all unwanted pregnancies is on the nose

“ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don't believe me? Let me walk you through it."

Gabrielle Blair/Twitter

Mom has something to say... strongly say.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are a conservative group who aren't known for being vocal about sex.

But best selling author, blogger, and mother of six, Gabrielle Blair, has kicked that stereotype to the curb with a pointed thread on reducing unwanted pregnancies. And her sights are set directly at men.

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women
Family

Dad takes 7-week paternity leave after his second child is born and is stunned by the results

"These past seven weeks really opened up my eyes on how the household has actually ran, and 110% of that is because of my wife."

@ustheremingtons/TikTok

There's a lot to be gleaned from this.

Participating in paternity leave offers fathers so much more than an opportunity to bond with their new kids. It also allows them to help around the house and take on domestic responsibilities that many new mothers have to face alone…while also tending to a newborn.

All in all, it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team, making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy!

TikTok creator and dad Caleb Remington, from the popular account @ustheremingtons, confesses that for baby number one, he wasn’t able to take a “single day of paternity leave.”

This time around, for baby number two, Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks, and he used an additional three weeks of PTO).

The time off changed Remington’s entire outlook on parenting, and his insights are something all parents could probably use.

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parenting
Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

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Education

8 changes that were made to a classic Richard Scarry book to keep up with the times. Progress!

All the misogyny and racism you may not have noticed are now gone.

Images via Alan Taylor/Flickr, used with permission.

Updating the kitchen.


Remember those beloved Richard Scarry books?

Books from when you were a kid?

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Education

Voice recordings of people who were enslaved offer incredible first-person accounts of U.S. history

"The results of these digitally enhanced recordings are arresting, almost unbelievable. The idea of hearing the voices of actual slaves from the plantations of the Old South is as powerful—as startling, really—as if you could hear Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee speak." - Ted Koppel

Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

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history
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