Stephanie Mentions The Possibility Of A Gay Character

[The GOAT]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ed-to-go-lgbt.html?via=desktop&source=twitter

In August of 2013, WWE wrestler Darren Young took a leap and came out publicly as the company’s only active and out gay athlete, propelling pro wrestling along with him into a progressive new future. Like most historic moments in celebritydom, it was captured at an LAX baggage claim by TMZ.

“I’m a WWE superstar and to be honest with you, I’ll tell you right now—I’m gay. And I’m happy. I’m very happy,” Young said, a few well-timed days before one of wrestling’s biggest pay-per-view events of the year.

The WWE—home to generations of pumped up performers hyping packed arenas with thinly veiled homoerotic ring theatrics and occasional homophobic slurs—issued a statement of support. Young turned face that Monday, four days after his landmark revelation. Critics and fans wondered if and when Young’s orientation would be written into the show.

Two years later, they’re still waiting for the WWE to fully embrace its only current out-of-the-closet superstar. In Los Angeles for the ESPYs last week, WWE’s Chief Brand Officer and sometimes-onscreen villainess Stephanie McMahon hinted that Young’s wrestling coming-out party is still on the table.

“Darren Young was the first WWE superstar to really come out as being homosexual, but his character in the show is not,” she told The Daily Beast. “At least, we haven’t done anything with it either way—just yet.”

A former WWE scribe thinks it’s even less likely we’ll see an LGBT storyline now.

Cheering ESPYs guest of honor Caitlyn Jenner for courageously coming out as trans on the world’s stage, McMahon suggested that a gay character could yet still make an entrance into the WWE. That is, when it makes business sense. “It could very well pop up in WWE because we are all about what’s relevant, and what’s pop culture, and what people want to see,” she said. “So if there is an opportunity, we might just take it.”

Anyway, what do you think? A gay character would be welcome as long as they didn't go too far with it, but the idea could be doomed from the start, unfortunately. Because despite technically being a global brand, WWE is still very much an American-based company and they cater almost entirely to the American audience (hence all the ever-prevailing jingoistic storylines about the Good Guy American Hero versus The Evil Foreigner that have happened over the years) and given how many homophobes still exist in America, I can't imagine that it would go over well with a lot of folks.

Then again, people as a whole are becoming more acceptable of homosexuals and the gay lifestyle, the supreme court has even ruled that gay marriage is now legal all across the board, and gay/bisexual characters within film and television are becoming a little more frequent, so all the good publicity (especially from GLADD) that comes out of it could easily end up overriding the bad.

 

[Majour]

Doomed. I highly doubt that WWE could handle a gay character sensitively, also doubt the capability of some fans to be accepting too.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Just a bad idea

 

[Green Jesus]

I can see Darren joking or making a off-hand remark during a promo, but making a character out of it? Nope nope nope.

WWE can't handle sensitive matters, they would just piss everyone off, homophobes included.

 

[Wacokid27]

It would be best to just treat the character the way they've been treating the character. I love the concept that "his character's not gay". So far as I can recall, they've never specifically addressed most of their characters' sexual orientations. So far as not addressing Young's homosexuality, he has appeared at events with his boyfriend/husband (are they married? I honestly don't know).

I think that having a flamboyantly gay character would actually be more offensive to homosexuals than continuing to basically ignore his sexual orientation. It seems like everytime I see an "openly-gay character" whose orientation is made a huge character point, it's far more offensive to the average, real-work homosexual/bisexuals than it would have been to have a realistically gay character (by which I mean a person who just lives their life and plays their role in a show while being homosexual/bisexual). I worry that a homosexual/bisexual character in the WWE would likely end up being far more offensive (whether intentional or not) than just having Darren Young continue to be Darren Young, who happens to be homosexual.

wk

 

[Raine]

I just don't know if this would fly to well in the WWE. Wrestling is such a physical sport/entertainment that I think it would be hard for a lot of fans to get over that fact that a Gay Character in in the ring touching all over another Straight Character. People are becoming way more accepting of this but there are still a ton of people who hate it. I think it would be a disaster especially if the Gay Character is over the top Flamboyant.

 

[Stopspot]

It all comes down to presentation. If they present the character to get heat/be offensive, it is going to be. Flamboyant characters is one of the oldest things in wrestling going all the way back to Gorgeous George in the 20s-30s. Goldust spent most of the 90's getting WWE heat with GLAAD and other such organizations. And flamboyant doesn't equal gay in wrestling (or life for that matter).

Dalton Castle is a prime example of a flamboyant babyface character done right. He's only been in ROH for less than 6 months but he's already one of their most over guys.

Look at his "main roster" debut for example. He's flamboyant as fuck, but in the ring he delivers, and that is key. Don't let them flamboyance become a crutch.

 

[Raine]

It all comes down to presentation. If they present the character to get heat/be offensive, it is going to be. Flamboyant characters is one of the oldest things in wrestling going all the way back to Gorgeous George in the 20s-30s. Goldust spent most of the 90's getting WWE heat with GLAAD and other such organizations. And flamboyant doesn't equal gay in wrestling (or life for that matter).

Dalton Castle is a prime example of a flamboyant babyface character done right. He's only been in ROH for less than 6 months but he's already one of their most over guys.

Look at his "main roster" debut for example. He's flamboyant as fuck, but in the ring he delivers, and that is key. Don't let them flamboyance become a crutch.

You can be loud and flamboyant without being labeled as gay for sure, but if the character is to represent a flamboyant gay character I think that maybe too much for some fans to take.

 

[Stopspot]

You can be loud and flamboyant without being labeled as gay for sure, but if the character is to represent a flamboyant gay character I think that maybe too much for some fans to take.

Yeah, and I guess it is too much to ask for Vince McMahon to book a gay character that isn't SUPER GAY. If they booked Darren like they do now and just had being gay as one small aspect there would be very little outcry I think.

But knowing Vince (who finds SUPER GAY to be hilarious) we'd get Billy and Chuck again. And that would be a ride in today's society.

 

[Raine]

Yeah, and I guess it is too much to ask for Vince McMahon to book a gay character that isn't SUPER GAY. If they booked Darren like they do now and just had being gay as one small aspect there would be very little outcry I think.

But knowing Vince (who finds SUPER GAY to be hilarious) we'd get Billy and Chuck again. And that would be a ride in today's society.

I think certain fans would jump right on the bandwagon and go along for the ride but others would say the hell with WWE. I don't know if the WWE is ready for a big chunk of there fans to go bye bye.

 

[Zany Clowny]

No, just...no. I don't want to see a Gay character because it'll be stupid. Being Gay can be a part of the character, but what are they going to do? Dress Darren in a leather suit waving a rainbow flag and dry humping people backstage? Lmao. It shouldn't be relevant in wrestling, really. Darren's great where he's at, don't use his homosexuality as a cash cow. It was brave of him to come out - but that's out of character, not in character.

 

[Rogue]

There's a difference between letting a person give out his/her choices from time to time on TV, and using the choices to develop their character. I'm all for WWE letting the commentary casually talk about something from one of their social media accounts during their matches here and there, and showing their boyfriend/girlfriend in the crowd. But if they're going to make Darren start wearing tied up crop tops, and have awkward segments with him flirting with other superstars then I'm not for it.

I feel like they would try to execute the ladder of those situations, and if that's the case then they shouldn't even try it.

 

[Farooq]

I wouldn't care for the character really. Making a character based on a sexuality would be awkward, at least to me... Unless it's a really really straight man that trys to flirt with all the Divas, even during their matches(if it's poor Divas fighting) and getting caught in the locker room. That would be funny right?

 

[The GOAT]

It would be best to just treat the character the way they've been treating the character. I love the concept that "his character's not gay". So far as I can recall, they've never specifically addressed most of their characters' sexual orientations. So far as not addressing Young's homosexuality, he has appeared at events with his boyfriend/husband (are they married? I honestly don't know).

I think that having a flamboyantly gay character would actually be more offensive to homosexuals than continuing to basically ignore his sexual orientation. It seems like everytime I see an "openly-gay character" whose orientation is made a huge character point, it's far more offensive to the average, real-work homosexual/bisexuals than it would have been to have a realistically gay character (by which I mean a person who just lives their life and plays their role in a show while being homosexual/bisexual). I worry that a homosexual/bisexual character in the WWE would likely end up being far more offensive (whether intentional or not) than just having Darren Young continue to be Darren Young, who happens to be homosexual.

wk

There's a difference between letting a person give out his/her choices from time to time on TV, and using the choices to develop their character. I'm all for WWE letting the commentary casually talk about something from one of their social media accounts during their matches here and there, and showing their boyfriend/girlfriend in the crowd. But if they're going to make Darren start wearing tied up crop tops, and have awkward segments with him flirting with other superstars then I'm not for it.

I feel like they would try to execute the ladder of those situations, and if that's the case then they shouldn't even try it.

I agree. I think the most sensible way to approach this matter is to present them as someone who is just like any other superstar or role model only they happened to be attracted to the same sex. Just have a babyface character mention at some point that they're gay (and maybe have it keep being mentioned off and on just enough so that no one forgets, though not to the point where you're shoving it down people's throats, no pun intended) but not to have their entire character defined solely by that.

When David Simon made the Omar Little character gay in The Wire (GOAT television show), part of the reason was to squash some of the more negative stereotypes that still persist in some people's minds, such as that all homosexual men are weak and overly-effeminate. Omar was the baddest-ass character on the show and pretty much everyone on the streets feared him, but being gay didn't define who he was, it was just something he happened to be. The Aaron character from The Walking Dead is much the same (except for the bad-ass stuff, but he's cool.)

 

[EvilBlackCat]

I don't think a person's sexuality really makes for a good wrestling gimmick. It can be part of the character, but not the whole of who that character is. In fact, the only time someone's sexuality comes into play is when there are relationship based story lines. so unless they want to have two openly gay characters in a relationship I don't think it has a place on the show. Well, I'm sure they could pull it off with two Divas but that just brings up a whole other set of issues.

Simply having an openly gay wrestler on their roster is awesome. I think they should encourage their superstars to be open and honest with themselves about who they are but I don't think they need to write a story line about it.