Anthony Bowens is an out gay man, and doesn’t care who knows.
The trailblazing pro wrestler recently clapped back at a social media troll who claimed nobody knows him. The troll in question instructed Bowens to head home and fornicate with his wife.
Well, Bowens had quite the retort.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“[I’M] GAY, B*TCH,” he posted.
We call that a knockout punch!
It’s only a matter of time before we start printing up t-shirts. Or better yet, crop tops!
WE’RE GAY, B*TCH!
Twitter is all the way back, baby!
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) January 10, 2024
You are, AND WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!
— Melissa Karrick (@KarrickPhotog) January 9, 2024
Bowens, 33, is one of the biggest stars in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Two years ago, he became the first out gay wrestler to win an AEW championship.
When Bowens captured the AEW World Tag Team championships with his partner Max Caster, they celebrated with pink and white confetti.
Never one to shy away from his identity, Bowens dedicated his big win to LGBTQ+ youth.
“I never thought that I would be able to live my dream because there was a time when I was very confused. And I didn’t know how to accept myself,” he said. “But I fought through that [bleep]. I fought through all that [bleep]. And now I cry because I’m a champion. Max, and I, The Acclaimed, we are champions!”
Since coming out in 2017, Bowens has used his platform to promote LGBTQ+ rights–never shying away from haters. He once shared a photo of him kissing his partner, YouTuber Michael Pavano, in front of anti-gay protesters at a Pride match.
Unsurprisingly, the pic went viral.
Historically, pro wrestling hasn’t been the most welcoming space for LGBTQ+ competitors. But that is changing, and Bowens is leading the way.
“We’re in a lot better place than where we were when I first started, because there’s a ton of open LGBTQ wrestlers out there,” he said in a cover story interview last summer with Between the Lines. “Some on television, a lot of thriving [ones] on the independents. So hopefully we continue to grow and get more in, because there are a lot more in other sports and entertainment.”
One of the hallmark moments in Bowens’ journey as an out gay wrestler came last June, when a raucous crowd showered him with one of the most self-affirming chants imaginable: “He’s gay!”
A female commentator, Harley Cameron, said she could tell Bowens was attracted to her.
He quickly corrected the record, with the help of thousands.
Bowens credits coming out, and the freedom he’s felt since, for his success in the ring. He published a moving letter last fall in The Players’ Tribune, in which he talks about getting passed over when he tried out for WWE.
While Bowens says evaluators told him he looked great and performed well, he lacked charisma when holding a microphone.
The feedback wasn’t surprising. Bowens, like many closeted individuals, suppressed his personality.
If he was going to thrive as a wrestler, he needed to put himself out there.
“I think I knew the truth: As long as I was closeted as a wrestler, I wasn’t going to reach my full potential. Because I wasn’t going to be able to tap into everything that makes me me,” he writes.
Bowens received plenty of positive reaction; but of course, there were wrestling fans who criticized him for talking about his sexuality.
“Who cares?!,” they cried.
Bowens posted a screenshot the negative responses, and came back with a great response.
“If you’re someone making that comment… THIS part of my life isn’t for YOU,” he posted. “It’s for those that can relate to me and the struggles that I have gone through in my life because of it. I didn’t have someone to look up to and now I have the opportunity to be that others. So yes, it DOES matter.”
Exactly. Bowens and other out LGBTQ+ figures don’t share their stories for the benefit of internet trolls. They tell their stories for LGBTQ+ youth, so they can see they’re not alone.
Bowens is yelling out for all to hear: he’s gay!
But you already knew that…
Discover more
frapachino
It takes character and confidence to ignore “trolls”.