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The history of pro wrestling and the LBGT community has been checkered, at best. Characters like Goldust and Gorgeous George mocked homosexuals, and, recently, Vince McMahon planned to turn James Ellsworth into a Transexual character until others in management convinced him otherwise.
Wrestling, like many forms of American entertainment, was originally intended for an almost exclusively white, hetero-normative audience. It wasn't until the early 1990s when a major promotion -- WCW -- finally crowned an African American champion. That champion was Ron Simmons.
Representation matters, and while Japanese and other nationalities were represented in the pro wrestling world, they were often reduced to stereotypes or villains. Shinsuke Nakamura is a great step forward in the way foreign wrestlers are portrayed.
But what about the LBGT community? They have been ridiculed the most of all. However, there has been a sea change in society, and pro wrestling has become more in tune with the cultural Zeitgeist. Here are five encouraging signs that things are getting better for the LGBT community.
#5 Sonya Deville and Darren Young
Even though the WWE has long employed homosexuals -- our next slide will touch on that --there has been an unwritten rule about the Superstar remaining closeted. With openly gay Superstars Darren Young and Sonya Deville, the WWE has proven a change to get with the times.
The fact that both Young and Deville are not using their sexuality as part of their in-ring persona does little to dilute this achievement by the WWE; after all, Finn Balor isn't really a demon, and The Undertaker isn't really dead.
#4 Pat Patterson's long WWE career
Pat Patterson was the first Intercontinental Champion. He is also the first openly gay wrestler to work behind the scenes.
He did have a brief return to in-ring action during the Attitude Era, but Patterson has chiefly been a backstage overseer for most of his career. The fact that Vince McMahon has taken care of him for so long hints at a more enlightened character to the chairman of the board.
Unfortunately, Patterson's advanced age and illness have kept him off of WWE programming for the last several years. Patterson helped break ground for those that followed.
#3 ROH Fans Cheer Dalton Castle
When ROH invited indie darling Dalton Castle to their Top Prospect tournament, he was meant to cause a sensation. ROH executives planned for returning star Nikki Six to be the babyface, while the flamboyant and openly gay Dalton Castle would be booed as the heel.
Nothing could have prepared them for the enlightened ROH audience, who embraced Dalton more quickly than any other wrestler in their history. Though Dalton was eliminated in his first match, he quickly rose through the ranks to challenge Jay Lethal for his Television Title.
Why is Dalton a good example of representation and Goldust a bad one? Simple: Dalton Castle makes no attempt to seduce his opponents. He relies on his wrestling ability to win matches, and his gimmick is more a representation of who he is than trying to shock and offend the fans.
While Pro Wrestling has shown homophobic tendencies in the past, those tendencies have mirrored societal norms. Just as society has evolved, so has Pro Wrestling. However, It remains to be seen if the ultimate threshold can be crossed: an openly gay world champion.
#2 Kwee Wee
The flamboyant and effervescent Kwee Wee -- journeyman wrestler Alan Funk - -brightened WCW's failing years with his intriguing persona and 'crazy snap' mental condition. While Kwee Wee was usually jovial and benevolent, his alter ego Angry Allan was not.
Kwee Wee was one of the first bisexual characters to be pushed as a babyface. The crowd's positive reaction to his gimmick is proof that the pro wrestling audience has been evolving for years. Also, Kwee Wee was portrayed as a legit tough man, instead of a weak or wilting character
#1 The Velveteen Dream
One of the developmental stars the WWE is very, very high on now is Patrick Clark Jr., better known as the Velveteen Dream. Mixing the fluid sexuality of celebrities like Prince and the toughness and high flying acumen of the Macho Man Randy Savage, Dream presents a total package that the WWE loves in its top card talent.
Quickly bundled into a feud with international star Aleister Black, it would appear that the WWE has high hopes for Clark, indeed. If the biggest promotion in the world can push a star whose character is supposedly gay, the times have truly changed.
There you have it; five times the wrestling industry was positive toward the LBGT community.
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