Kristi Yamaguchi: I Support Brian Boitano For Coming Out As Gay Ahead Of Sochi Olympics

Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi applauded her friend and fellow figure skater Brian Boitano, who came out as gay last month, in an interview with HuffPost Live this week.

Calling Boitano "a good friend," Yamaguchi noted, "I completely support him and [I'm] proud of him. It's something that doesn't define him, but it's part of who he is."

Yamaguchi, a "Dancing With The Stars" veteran who was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2005, also offered some suggestions for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes who plan to participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi at a time when Russia has come under fire for its controversial "gay propaganda" legislation.

This is [the athletes'] lifelong dream, and I think they will really be focused on the task at hand," she said. "Hopefully the Olympic spirit and the Olympic movement will overshadow any negative that is there. ... Just go there, be who you are and go after your dreams. That's really the main point."