Fan Encounter Encouraged Gisele Shaw To Come Out As Transgender

IMPACT

During June 2022’s Pride Month, IMPACT star Gisele Shaw came out as transgender and is now sharing more about the decision.

In a new interview with Denise Salcedo for Instinct Culture, Gisele Shaw shares a powerful story about a fan encounter that inspired her to come out as transgender.

Discussing a powerful realization she had after meeting a fan during WrestleMania week, Gisele Shaw said:

“WrestleMania week, I attended an event called Dresslemania, where we auctioned off dresses that were important to us and has significant value to us. At the event, we told stories about our personal, you know, quite personal adversities, me having a rough childhood because I was being bullied by people, and it just wasn’t nice.

“This fan came up to me after the event, who happens to be a trans woman as well. She just wanted to share her story with me, and, she just wanted to talk to me and say that she could relate to my story. For me, at the time, because I wasn’t out, I panicked inside, and I was like, “Oh, my God,’ I’m like, ‘You’re at my workplace, and you want to talk about this.’ I just didn’t know how to deal with it. I know, I just brushed her off — which I went home, and I was just so feeling like I was feeling like crap, after because I looked up to the Knockouts and looked up to the Divas, and these women, incredible women, inspired me to be who I am today, and to follow my dreams and my goals and all this stuff.

“I am on the other side now, and I have the opportunity to do that for someone else, and I didn’t really do that for them, I brushed them off. So, that’s when it clicked. I was like, why am I so scared? I’m taking my power back. Enough is enough.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Gisele discusses bringing her important decision to IMPACT wrestling as well as comments on her view of her job as a transgender person with a platform.

Gisele Shaw featured on tonight’s (August 18) edition of IMPACT wrestling’s pre-show where she took on Rosemary and won.

Transcription via Fightful

If you’re in the UK but didn’t manage to get tickets to Clash at the Castle on September 3, WrestleTalk is hosting a watch party at The Joiner on Worship in Shoreditch, London, and we’d love for you to join us! Click here for more details.

• Giselle Shaw
• Denise Salcedo
• LGBTQA+
• IMPACT

Share this article with friends