WWE referee Shawn Bennett chose the National Coming Out Day yesterday to publicly announce that he is gay.
“Oh yea, I’m gay. There’s the answer to the question I get asked most on social media. This should come as little surprise to those that know me, but I’ve never actually said it publicly before,” Bennett wrote on Instagram.
His announcement came with support of many of his co-workers, who tweeted him after he came out.
“I spent my first 10 years involved in pro wrestling terrified of my own sexuality. I was convinced that I would never be successful if people knew I was gay. Those were fears that I made up in my head,” Bennett said. He added that once he got to WWE, he kept to himself as much as possible and would talk in a way that would hide the sex of whoever he was talking about.
“The fact that I haven’t been public meant that I was still hiding behind a mask. This post takes a ton of weight off of my shoulders. This post crumbles the wall that I’ve had up for so long and removes the mask,” he continued. “I’m proud of who I am, what I’ve accomplished, where my life is headed, and my way of life. Like everyone else, at the end of the day I just want to be happy, to give and receive love, both to myself and others.”
