Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Fighting in Drag with LGBTQ Pro Wrestlers



Due to how the raging nonsense of the Trump Administration and its attack on the LGBTQ community sometimes renders us drained, from time to time, I like to take a break from calling out the anti-LGBTQ industry and feature videos which focus on comedic or unusually educational aspects of our community. I usually do this on Sunday, but today I found this incredible video, courtesy of the Youtube channel VICE Identity  and I had to share it.

Simultaneously, pro wrestling has a history of homoeroticism and homophobia. Images of muscular men in tights staging theatrical fights mixed with angles featuring extremely flaming villains (Gorgeous George, Exotic Adrian Street, Adorable Adrian Adonis) designed to inflame audiences have been a hallmark of  the industry for as long as I can remember. However, a new troupe of pro wrestlers have decided to turn this dynamic on its head and I rather like it.

 From the video:

For these drag wrestlers, there’s more at stake in the ring than a championship belt. Many LGBTQ wrestlers such as Rick Cataldo (aka “The Boy Diva”) and Jason Dewhurst (“The Samoan Wrestling Diva”) faced bullying and ridicule early on, but at their drag wrestling shows, they get to bring queer visibility to the ring in a friendly showdown.

Vice Identity also has a impressive web page of videos focusing on crucial issues such as race, gender, and sexual orientation. You should check it out. 

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