Despite all the pageantry and skin-tight clothing, professional wrestling is still one of the more stereotypically macho things that exists in American culture. So, it’s not necessarily all that surprising no professional wrestler has come out as as gay while signed with a major promoter.
Now, that has changed.
On Wednesday night, gossip outlet TMZ was doing what TMZ does: staking out LAX to see what celebrities they could harass. On this particular night, their cameras caught up with WWE star Darren Young — aka Fredrick Douglas Rosser — who’s been appearing for the WWE since 2005.
As is typical of TMZ, the cameraman began firing off seemingly random questions just to get Young to talk, asking him if a gay wrestler could be successful in the WWE. What the cameraman didn’t know — well, what no one knew — was that Young is, in fact, gay, and he took the opportunity to let the world know.
“Look at me. I’m a WWE superstar and to be honest with you, I’ll tell you right now, I’m gay,” said Young. “And I’m happy. I’m very happy.”
As Redalertlive.com points out, Young isn’t necessarily the first pro wrestler to come out, just the first to do so while active. In 2006, Chris Canyon said that he was gay, before recanting — and then recanted that denial. Also, in 2010, Orlando Jordan portrayed a bisexual character that was said to be based on Jordan’s real life.
Check out Young’s announcement in the video below.
Photo via Twitter/@DarrenYoungWWE
