WWE star Darren Young came out as gay in an interview with TMZ. The 29-year-old Young, whose real name is Fred Rosser, has been wrestling professionally since 2002. The ambush style reporting from TMZ paparazzi rarely produces anything of note. This time however, Young was more than willing to offer up personal information.
Asked if a gay wrestler could be successful, Young answered quite emphatically:
“Absolutely, look at me. 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 is not the first gay wrestler, others have come out after their careers were over. Most notably, Chris Kanyon, who said WWE fired him for his sexual orientation. Young does seem to be the first openly gay wrestler and a wrestler who’s still in the prime of his career.
I, for one, applaud him for being so frank in coming out. As if to say, “yes, I’m gay and yes, I’m not making a big deal about it.” There were no bells and whistles, there was no SI cover, there was no fireworks. There was just a man saying he loved other men.