Out wrestler Anthony Bowens brushes off a homophobic fan who called him the f-slur.
On Wednesday (8 December), Bowens was featured on the popular wrestling series AEW Dynamite as one of its headlining fighters.
During his 4-on-4 tag-team match, a fan screamed “f**king f*g” – which was also caught on the televison broadcast.
Shortly after the match, Bowens took to Twitter and shared the clip alongside a powerful message.
“This is why I posted that photo the other day. Stuff like this unfortunately still exists. Not phased, I’ll just keep fighting against stuff like this til the day I die,” he wrote.
The 30-year-old athlete gave further insight into the incident during an interview with TMZ Sports.
“Unfortunately that kind of stuff comes with the territory, being an out LGBTQ athlete,” he told the news outlet.
“This is actually the first time that I’ve audibly heard something like that during a performance or during television.”
This is why I posted that photo the other day. Stuff like this unfortunately still exists. Not phased, I’ll just keep fighting against stuff like this til the day I die. 🌈 https://t.co/OI29dCeNU2
— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) December 9, 2021
He went on to say that he has “thick skin” when it comes to homophobic slurs and even referenced the amount of hate he received on his YouTube Channel.
“I’m kind of used to it from my boyfriend Michael and I. We have our YouTube channel and when we first started that the comments were brutal,” he explained.
Bowens ended his interview on a hopeful note and said that the recent homophobic incident is not a reflection on AEW as a whole.
“This is not indicative of the AEW fans at all. Any interactions I’ve had with them since starting the company have all been positive,” he said.
Since coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community in 2017, Bowens has made consistent efforts to fight for equality.
Just last week, the wrestling star shared an image on Instagram of him sharing a kiss with his boyfriend in front of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters.
Two years ago, he told Sports Illustrated: “I’m representing the LGBT+ community and athletes that are LGBT+, but even more than that, too. I’m representing the small-town kid who was told he’d never make it, and I’m here for the shy kid that is ready to burst out of his shell and be that social butterfly.”
He added: “To know that I’m having a positive impact on people is a blessing, and makes me feel that I made the right decision to come out.”
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