Thirty-six years after coming to America, the man once known by fellow body­builders as the Austrian Oak was elected governor of California, the seventh largest economy in the world.

It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, if you're young or old, what the racial thing is, nothing matters to me.

I know a lot of athletes and models are written off as just bodies. I never felt used for my body.

For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves.

So let me tell you, as you prepare to go off into the world, remember six rules: Trust yourself, Break some rules, Don't be afraid to fail, Ignore the naysayers, Work like hell, and Give something back.

I posed for a gay magazine, which caused much comment. But it doesn't bother me. Gay people are fighting the same kind of stereotyping that bodybuilders are: People have certain misconceptions about them just as they do about us.

Some information I just keep to myself.