Writing for LGBTQ Nation, Greg Owen says the standing room only spectacles of an avant-garde wrestling group are “making the latent and self-loathing homoeroticism of WWE wrestling overt.” Owen writes, “In a world marked by rising hostility to trans people, trans men and others across the gender spectrum have taken to the wrestling ring to turn traditional ideas of masculinity on their head – literally.
T Boy Wrestling, organized by Trans Dudes of LA, is packing venues across the country with a politically charged mix of classic American wrestling, staged psychodramas, mixed fighting with strip teases, and drag.” T Boy Wrestling comes with Pretty Boys and Heels (that is, heroes and villains) and soap opera-like story lines. “Juicing” is not strictly forbidden, as part of the show can be wrestlers giving one another Testosterone injections.
It’s fun, artistic, and athletic (like all pro-wrestling), but it’s all trans dudes. The therapeutic quality, for entertainers and audience, is that they don’t need to talk about trans-ness…they just live it out loud and on stage, or the mat as it were. This might be a very liberating addition to the pro-wrestling world, and a great gift to the entire LGBTQ+ community.
