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Miscellaneous Debris
Aug. 23rd, 2013 07:29 pmA little news item last week- Darren Young became the first WWE superstar to be openly gay.
Young is a mid-carder, part of the tag team the prime time Players.
In the uber-macho world of pro wrestling, it's probably no surprise that it has taken to 2013, but even all of male sports seem to be in the same situation, not just the one where men exclusively roll around with other muscle-obsessed men while wearing pink spandex or leather.
The list of gay wrestlers has been fairly short, though inevitably there have been more. Decades after his career, Pat Patterson is openly gay, and in his onscreen persona 9he is an 'executive' type role), it is an open secret.
The late Chris Kanyon said he was released by the WWE for being gay, and worked a gay gimmick into his post- WWE character. It's hard to say with Kanyon- it is easy to believe him. Kanyon indeed had been diagnosed as bipolar, had a legal record, was a major player in Raven's lawsuit against the WWE claiming that the WWE cheated their employees out of healthcare and other benefits, and was never a maincard talent. It is also probably revelatory that he had recanted his 'coming out' as a gimmick, and saying he did it for publicity, before eventually coming out a second time.
Similarly, Orlando Jordan has come out as bisexual after leaving the WWE. He wanted this as part of his character before parting ways with the WWE, and using it in TNA, where he played a Dennis Rodman- style character.
Of course, gay characters have always been played for laughs or for horror (imagine being in a ring with someone who gets turned on by it), and Jordan's character was largely that (dropping double entendres that his tag team partner didn't get). For years, being gay was a heel move like being a Communist, and was always implied never out and out stated, from Adrian Adonis to Goldust.
The most famous gay characters were probably towards the end of the WWE attitude era and prior to Linda McMahon's Senate runs and Rated PG makeover (when WWE was at their most Jerry Springerish), Chucky and Billy- who were a cross between SNL's Ambitiously Gay Duo and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" jokes.
That started off with good intentions (the WWE got GLAAD's blessing), before turning into business as usual and ended up offending GLAAD and just about everyone.
So, kudos (so far) to the WWE which seems to be handling everything just right, mentioning the fact but not using it as a tasteless storyline (yet). It is also in line with the WWE's anti-bullying program that they have been promoting for the last year or two. It is probably a bit telling about the current atmosphere that Darren's twitter profile interests were (and I paraphrase) "good food, girls, and fast cars."
Westboro Church protests at Wrestlemania to follow.
Young is a mid-carder, part of the tag team the prime time Players.
In the uber-macho world of pro wrestling, it's probably no surprise that it has taken to 2013, but even all of male sports seem to be in the same situation, not just the one where men exclusively roll around with other muscle-obsessed men while wearing pink spandex or leather.
The list of gay wrestlers has been fairly short, though inevitably there have been more. Decades after his career, Pat Patterson is openly gay, and in his onscreen persona 9he is an 'executive' type role), it is an open secret.
The late Chris Kanyon said he was released by the WWE for being gay, and worked a gay gimmick into his post- WWE character. It's hard to say with Kanyon- it is easy to believe him. Kanyon indeed had been diagnosed as bipolar, had a legal record, was a major player in Raven's lawsuit against the WWE claiming that the WWE cheated their employees out of healthcare and other benefits, and was never a maincard talent. It is also probably revelatory that he had recanted his 'coming out' as a gimmick, and saying he did it for publicity, before eventually coming out a second time.
Similarly, Orlando Jordan has come out as bisexual after leaving the WWE. He wanted this as part of his character before parting ways with the WWE, and using it in TNA, where he played a Dennis Rodman- style character.
Of course, gay characters have always been played for laughs or for horror (imagine being in a ring with someone who gets turned on by it), and Jordan's character was largely that (dropping double entendres that his tag team partner didn't get). For years, being gay was a heel move like being a Communist, and was always implied never out and out stated, from Adrian Adonis to Goldust.
The most famous gay characters were probably towards the end of the WWE attitude era and prior to Linda McMahon's Senate runs and Rated PG makeover (when WWE was at their most Jerry Springerish), Chucky and Billy- who were a cross between SNL's Ambitiously Gay Duo and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" jokes.
That started off with good intentions (the WWE got GLAAD's blessing), before turning into business as usual and ended up offending GLAAD and just about everyone.
So, kudos (so far) to the WWE which seems to be handling everything just right, mentioning the fact but not using it as a tasteless storyline (yet). It is also in line with the WWE's anti-bullying program that they have been promoting for the last year or two. It is probably a bit telling about the current atmosphere that Darren's twitter profile interests were (and I paraphrase) "good food, girls, and fast cars."
Westboro Church protests at Wrestlemania to follow.
