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.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit:
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."