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In one 2002 stunt, WWE tag team duo Billy and Chuck publicly announced that they were gay, planned a marriage in the ring, received an official endorsement from GLAAD, and then revealed the marriage was a sham-a homophobic gimmick played up for ratings and an embarrassment for GLAAD. The WWE's LGBTQ storyline announcement this month came in the face of decades of missteps and insensitivity toward gay people, both in and out of the ring. It's not authentic, and it's like a slap in the face." "They haven't had to deal with the bullying. "They don't know what it's like," wrestler Eddy McQueen told VICE. They kept their fling a secret, fearful of how they'd be treated if they came out. In their minds, being gay and wrestling were mutually exclusive. "We had a show the next day, and I had to see him, and it was the most awkward day of my life."
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"My heart just stopped," Foster recalled. We're not going to do this and this can't happen. "So the morning after, I just panicked and texted him." I didn't know anything about Steve, if he was openly gay, or if he thought this would be an ongoing thing," Foster told VICE. "The first time we were intimate, I remember I had all the regrets in the world afterward.
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Sterling and Foster, for their part, say they felt forced to remain in the closet for far too long while participating in a sport that worships masculinity. Additionally, Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of the WWE, publicly acknowledged earlier this month that the company wants to include more LGBTQ themes in the "near future" (though the company has not yet disclosed specifics).īut homophobia is deeply ingrained in wrestling, and the path toward equality for LGBTQ athletes in the sport runs uphill. Over the past few decades, a handful of wrestlers (both active and retired, indie and WWE alike) have come out, including Terry Garvin, Rosa Mendes, Matt Cage, Pat Patterson, and the WWE's Darren Young, perhaps the most high-profile gay wrestler working today. Recent developments suggest that after decades of discrimination, the culture of wrestling-in both indie leagues and at the WWE level-may be progressing toward a measure of inclusivity and acceptance of LGBTQ wrestlers.