NJPW STRONG Openweight champion Fred Rosser recently appeared on Insider’s Edge to discuss his career in the industry thus far, which includes him detailing why he decided to come out as gay during his run in WWE, a decision he made so he could be an image to those who felt bullied or afraid to come out themselves. Highlights from the interview are below.
On his decision to come out when he was signed with WWE:
“There are many reasons why I wanted to come out publicly. With WWE I had reached the top of the mountain. So I pretty much sacrificed my career to inspire others to be and accept themselves.”
Says he came out so he could live his life normally and bring his partner backstage:
“One of them was having the opportunity to be able to bring my partner backstage into the world of professional wrestling. To be able to walk with him on the red carpet and be happy and be confident. And I was able to do that. Being the first openly gay WWE Superstar, I now have a duty to instill confidence in our youth and to lead by example.”
How he hopes to be a role model for anyone who gets bullied:
“By being the first,I’ve paved the way for other gay athletes to come out and be themselves. Not just gay athletes, but anyone that gets bullied in silence,” Rosser said. “I speak to kids all over the world about my ‘Block Hate’ campaign and the damaging effects of bullying. That’s where my journey continues now.”
(H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)
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