Jake Kuzyk Says He's 'Very Proud To Be Gay!'

Professional snowboarder and skateboarder Jake Kuzyk has come out gay, making him the fifth snowboarder to come out in a week.

The athletes came out in a series of interviews published by Torment magazine.

In an Instagram post, Kuzyk, 30, said that he's “very proud to be gay!”

“I'm very proud to be gay!” Kuzyk captioned a photo of himself.

“I really hope that this can help push for further acceptance and understanding in our community for LGBTQ+ and all other folks who feel marginalized in this world,” he added.

Kuzyk said that tolerating LGBT people wasn't enough.

“If you have learned acceptance for me through my story, I ask you to find that same acceptance for all people in the LGBT+ community and beyond,” he wrote.

Also featured in the Pride series are snowboarders Chad Unger, Kennedi Deck, Jill Perkins, and Tanner Pendleton.

Kuzyk told Torment that he cried when he learned in 2018 that Pendleton was gay.

“I cried in my room,” he said. “I couldn't believe it.”

“When Tanner told me he was gay, I felt completely disarmed. I knew we would see each other in Montreal for Dillon’s memorial and that I needed to say something. It was late that night, and we were with a huge group of all his friends in the park. People from all over. It was really beautiful. Tanner and I had a short moment alone. I knew he was leaving early the next morning and that was my only chance. I just said it. 'I’m gay.' I broke down. We moved to an empty part of the park and talked for hours. We could relate on so many levels right away. It was this huge release,” Kuzyk said.