Beyond The Ring : "Pride"
On June 26, 2015, Love won when same-sex marriage became legal in the United States. Ad time went on and before the U.S., everywhere around the world has fought their right to love and be equal.
We are living in a society where love is taking over and equality is being brought up with more force behind it. Everyone is gathering in numbers to fight for what they believe in, and that's nothing different when it comes to wrestling. We take a look at the trailblazers in wrestling, as they share their stories and opinios about being in the LGBTQ community and wrestling.
PJ Moon (@therealpjmoon) : I think that being an LGBTQ member in the wrestling world is good and bad. Mostly good, but also bad. I enjoy doing what I do, however, and I believe that’s all that truly matters.
As my good friend Ace Falcon says: "If you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing, you’re doing it wrong”. If I were to be honest about being an LGBTQ wrestler, people will immediately think it makes it more fun. Well, yes and no. Yes, because you stand out among the roster. And no, because you stand out among the roster!
Think of it this way: if you’re the rainbow colored guy in a crowd of single colored straights, you have a giant unavoidable target painted all over you. Sadly, despite what people say, homophobia is an even more prominent feature in our society. But we cannot sit here and just accept it.
As for the wrestling aspect, I would definitely say that I have pushed the sport to a new terrain, not only with my flashy in-ring performance, but with my unique appearance along with that.
I have bent the rules that our wrestling ancestors set in motion decades ago, and have drawn in an amazing fan base while doing so, making wrestling much more enjoyable for me.
It’s a true honor to be able to represent the entire LGBTQ community as a wrestler, and as a leader; it’s an accomplishment that can never be topped. The fact that I can inspire others to be who they truly are, regardless of who they are, is a true achievement that I will always cherish.
Aniyah VaDoll (@ThicFlair): Being an LGBTQ star has always been..."different" for me. You had the girls who were nervous, I'd touch them or be inappropriate in the ring when in reality, we know that only happens in the locker room..just kidding, just kidding. I never really felt any type of friction or animosity being LGBTQ in wrestling, you'd here a comment here and there but wrestling is a family. A brotherhood and most of the time, i'm treated like the stylish super-duper star that I am.
I'm proud and I use that word purposely, to represent for any little girl out there who's a little different. isn't necessarily into barbies, and don't wear a lot of make up. Whatever it may be, Niyah just wants to be an influence, one of the ones that didn't just open doors, I want people to say that thick, yella' bish kicked them down!
Kasey Benz (@TheKaseyBenz) : We are proud to be celebrating our relationship in front of our millions of fans! And hope to encourage people who are struggling to come out, to be brave and also to stay strong.
Céline (@SorceressSiren) : I love that we have a entire month dedicated for the LGBTQ+ community because, we have so much to overcome. Luckily enough for us, like Kasey said, we have our fans to back us up and support us! We really appreciate all the support and we have so much to give back to our community and fans.
If you want us to give your favorite wrestler an interview or would like one yourself, messages on our official Twitter account (@CAWTMZ). And, if you have some "tea" you would like to spill, let us know, it might even get posted from us.