Published: Jun 28, 2023 by Connel Rumsey | Last Updated: Jun 28, 2023 by Connel Rumsey
Connel has over five years of wrestling journalism experience writing about some of the biggest stories from across the wrestling world. Being a fan for 20 years, Connel has an expansive knowledge from a wide range of various wrestling promotions, including WWE, AEW, NJPW, TNA and Joshi.@connel1405
WWE
WWE star Sonya Deville became the first openly gay female WWE star after she came out during her audition for WWE Tough Enough back in 2015.
Eight years later, Sonya remains a regular part of WWE television, and is now a more confident person after she ‘accidentally’ came out during her tryout.
Speaking with The Messenger, Sonya reflected on her time on Tough Enough, and how she ‘accidentally’ came out on the show.
She said:
“One of the questions from the higher ups in the audition process was, ‘Are you in a relationship?,’ which is a pretty straightforward question to most. I was not really out and open about my sexuality at the time, but I did have a girlfriend. I got nervous, but I told the truth and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I have a girlfriend.’ That’s how it happened. It was something that was super unintentional.
“It ended up being such a blessing in disguise, because it ushered me along into the process of being open and proud of who I am. Here I am eight years later, much more confident than the girl I was eight years ago.”
Sonya continued on, explaining how it ended up helping her grow and embrace who she is.
She added:
“At first it was nerve-racking and I didn’t know what to think of it. I was like, ‘What does this mean, and does this change anything?’ I was so young. I was 21 and I didn’t really understand what it meant.
“Over the last almost decade, I’ve been able to be more proud of who I am and learn to love myself more, which in turn has allowed me to embrace this entire community of people online, on social media, and hear their stories — and just find a whole other community that I belong to and am proud to be a part of. It’s been really cool.”
Sonya is far from the only openly gay wrestler in the industry, with the Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens recently being a part of a great segment which saw him be embraced as a gay man.
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