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WWE Superstar Sonya Deville has spoken about how important it is to have representation for the LGBTQ+ community in the field of professional wrestling.
Deville became the first openly gay female superstar after she came out in 2015 during an episode of Tough Enough. Despite not winning the contest, she still signed with WWE and became the eventual face of the company for LGBTQ+ representation.
While in an interview with Today, The Pride Fighter discussed her experience and the importance of her platform. She recalled how uncomfortable she was before coming out. Deville mentioned wanting to be a "positive representation" for younger people.
"I just look back at my life seven years ago, before I came out in WWE, and how much I was hiding, how much less comfortable I was with who I am. I look at that girl, that version of me, and I'm like, if I can be the voice and representation for the community, for that young [person], whoever is going through a similar experience but can see me on WWE doing my thing and being out and being open and being free... I just want to be that kind of open, positive representation I wish I had back when I was not out yet," Deville said.
Check out the results from this week's SmackDown HERE.
Sonya Deville talks about fans' response after joining WWE
In the same interview, Deville spoke about her experience with the fans. She said it was mostly positive and that her fans have been with her through everything.
"I would say it's like, 90% love, 10% hate, and when I do get the hate, I just feel bad for people that are still in a state of mind of not being able to... accept the people around them for who they love. The good, the bad, and the ugly, my fans have kind of been through it all with me."
Sonya recently celebrated Pride Month with her girlfriend, Toni Cassano, during the Los Angeles Pride Parade. As for her career, she recently returned as a superstar after a long stint as an official for the brand.
