Gay black wrestlers

Punisher vs Legend. That’s where Anthony Bowens recently experienced a tremendously heartening show of allyship during Pride Month, when the openly gay Black pro wrestler was showered with support from thousands of wrestling fans. From the indies to GCW to NJPW, WWE and AEW, here are some of wrestling's biggest LGBTQ stars.

Allie Katch, who leads off this list for alphabetical reasons, identifies as pansexual, having come. Whilst several WWE stars have used their platform and newfound fame to help honor their sexuality, there are also several current AEW stars who are looking to do the same. The following list looks. But Billy Dixon, Outsports ’ pick for the year’s top LGBTQ+ wrestler, truly exemplifies the queer wrestling movement.

A Black gay wrestler who isn’t afraid to dive onto a row of light tubes to take a match to the next level, Dixon’s presence in the community is a beacon of inclusion for others. While that sounds like a traumatic experience, it was actually a heartwarming event that represents a sea change in how gay performers are treated in the traditionally homophobic sport of pro wrestling.

As soon as he said it, the crowd erupted in cheers. Anthony Bowens has some news to break to Harley Cameron. Queerness in wrestling has often been treated as a trait that makes someone a villain. What was your understanding of how queer wrestlers, or people who played queer characters on TV, were portrayed coming up? I really started to pay attention to all that once [former WWE wrestler] Darren Young came out in , because around that time was when I really started to think about becoming a professional wrestler.

And I thought, well, maybe if I was to become a professional wrestler, I would just be there and exist as opposed to being world champion one day. So that scared me. So a lot of that fear and anxiety kept me from saying something for a very long time. How did you decide this would be the moment that you come out publicly.

anthony bowens wwe

I met my boyfriend in May of , and we dated secretly for six months or so. One of his dreams was to have a YouTube channel and make a video with me once we got together. I need to be ready for it. I wish you would have told us. Everybody saw it really. They love you. They respect you. I had the support of my family. Now I had the support of people in wrestling, which meant a lot to me.

Would you be comfortable doing this? I like to go out and just be me, exist as successfully as I can and be as visible as possible and authentic to me as I can.

And I felt like this was a really, really fun segment to do it in. This would be a great time for it to be done. But the reaction really, really blew me away. Never, ever, ever in a million years would I think that a chant like that would break out in the most positive of ways. It was a fantastic moment. I wish I was able to go back and tell , , year old Bowens that everything was going to be okay and that he would have this amazing moment that all of these people would enjoy and also affect so greatly.

How do you think wrestling got to this moment? Fifteen years ago there would have been a totally different reaction. In wrestling, a lot of it has to do with policing each other. Because the more athletes we have that are more open and authentic, the more we can normalize it. David Dennis Jr. Up Next.