Zeke Smith, the Survivor contestant who was outed by Jeff Varner for being transgender, was just ousted from the show last night. But he said he’s “grateful and humble” by his experience the show.

The episode in which he was outed was filmed nearly a year ago, and in op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter, he wrote: “I prepared for Survivor with barbells; I prepared for this next adventure with booze-fueled confessions of my deepest intimacies to my friends. ‘I’ve never told anyone this before …’ became my new catch phrase… Where we expected angry villagers wielding pitchforks, we confronted a sea of puppies and rainbows.”

He continued: “I remain at a loss to fully explain the reaction, but I am grateful and humbled. I am optimistic that this moment — both the example set by Survivor and ‘The Episode’s’ response — will serve as a model for how trans people will be treated by the media in the future. To the trans person who enters the spotlight next, I hope you get it as good as I did. To the person after, I hope you are met with utter indifference.”