Brian Anderson was once one of of THE best and most successful professional skateboarders and he’s just come out publicly as gay in a new segment on Vice.

In the piece about Anderson, they talk with other skaters and colleagues. Anderson said he doesn’t recall a single negative reaction to his coming out from anyone in his sport which came as a surprise because he heard anti-gay language and gay slurs from skaters over the years.

Anderson says he most definitely NOT “into” skateboarders. He said he knew he was gay as a kid when he was fascinated by men in beards, like Popeye’s Bluto. He still digs the Bluto-type today.

“I think of how I felt when I was younger, totally scared. A lot of these kids who don’t have hope are really scared to death. To hear what I went through, and that everything got better for me, and I got a lot happier and felt more free and didn’t have all this shame buried in my body, you become a happier person. So to convey that message is really important to me.”

Watch.

(via Out Sports)