An 18-year-old gay rodeo cowboy has received death threats for participating in his sport, but even that won’t stop him.

“The gay cowboy will never be silenced,” said Josh Goyne, a bull rider from Australia’s Central Coast.

Online rodeo forums have been merciless, but Goyne’s not backing down, nor backing out of the sport he loves.

“Today I was asked if I thought it was good that gays died of AIDS, and then the guy said he wished it was 1850 so he could shoot me for being a fag,” he said in a video posted on Facebook last month.

Goyne alerted police to the threat.

“They think they’re gonna silence me but there’s no chance in hell. They think they’re gonna stop me from riding in this week’s rodeo, not a chance in hell. I will proudly stand up to any homophobe and say right to their face that I’m a proud openly gay cowboy.”

“The gay cowboy will never be silenced. I will forever be an openly gay cowboy. I will happily give a voice to those too scared to speak up.”

Goyne told news.com.au that the response to his video has been almost entirely positive and that he’s, “even had straight cowboys say they will help me out at the rodeo and stand with me if I have any trouble.”

Writes Outsports: