Sonya Deville became the first openly gay female wrestler in the WWE’s history when she joined the company in 2017. Since then, it’s become a much more accepting world, but Deville has still had a tough experience in her time. Speaking with Wrestling Inc. about her experience coming up, Deville noted that her mother always supposed her, even when she had to deal with her own denial.
“I knew [my mom] would be supportive. I just, I was in such denial within myself for the longest time, just because of the place I grew up in,” said Deville. “Like, it wasn’t common. I didn’t know anybody that was gay. I think I had one gay friend in high school and she never even, like, came out. It was just, like, we all just knew.
Deville also touched on being uncomfortable with saying that she was gay, and that it took some time for her to accept that with herself. “I was just this girl that nobody would have expected. Maybe had someone said, ‘are you gay?’ I would have been like, ‘yeah, yeah, I am actually.’ You know what I mean? And it took that opportunity, that opportunity happened when I was 17 living in Florida, when I just graduated high school. My friend’s mom said to me, ‘honey, I think you’re gay.’ And I go, ‘yeah, I am.’”
Although Deville spent some time second-guessing herself, she is now openly out, and continues to aim and make the world a more accepting place.
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