PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- At the Sochi Games, he was the medal-winning athlete who overshadowed that achievement by rescuing five stray dogs .

Get used to it" posts and photos of him kissing skater Adam Rippon , and taking swipes at U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

Eventually, Gus Kenworthy hopes, he'll be talked about more for his skiing, the insane tricks and risks he and other slopestylers take negotiating the big jumps and zany rails of the Olympic course.

By vigorously embracing an unofficial role as Olympic flag-bearer for the LGBT community, Kenworthy is edging sport closer to the point where being a gay athlete is no longer even an issue.

Kenworthy's silver medal in an historic U.S. sweep in slopestyle skiing's Olympic debut in 2014 in some ways took a backseat to his adoption of five Sochi strays , with pop star Miley Cyrus among those who tweeted about his puppies and their mother.

But the experience of competing at the Sochi Games, which shone a spotlight on homophobia in Russia, proved to be a watershed in his decision the following year to come out.

"Myself being out, Adam being out, all these athletes that are finally out for the first time, I think it just shows a shift and a change and hopefully it means that in the future it won't be a big thing.