June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and All Elite Wrestling has fittingly released several pride-themed items of merchanise.
But Cody Rhodes’ “Pride” t-shirt, and the fact that its proceeds will be donated to the National Center for Transgender Equality, has been a source of negativity, as fans have questioned his motives.
In an interview with Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of Yahoo! Sports, Nyla Rose, a transgender wrestler who is blazing a trail every time she steps in the ring, responded to the criticism of Rhodes. She called “The American Nightmare” an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and explained that she appreciates the Rhodes’ support.
“People tend to be a little too woke a lot of times and overlook a lot of things,” said Rose. “Cody’s an ally and he wants to go out there and do good. How can you hate on someone who wants to do good because it isn’t how you want it to be done? That’s absolutely silly. Cody actually asked me about the charity, so I did my research and due diligence and said absolutely and we agreed it was a great place for the proceeds to go to.
“To have someone like Cody, Dustin Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes back me and see me as a person first, it means the world to me.”
In the same interview, Rose compared her prominent position in AEW to that of Laverne Cox, a transgender actress who starred on “Orange is the New Black.” Rose stated that she’d be honored if she can help inspire and educate people
“I honestly think that the first person that I had ever seen in a positive light as being trans was Laverne Cox on ‘Orange is the New Black,’” said Rose. “She was an actress playing a role and her character wasn’t the butt of the joke, her character wasn’t fodder for someone else. She was her own character, with her own story arc and that was so refreshing to see.
“Now, I’m in that position, so if I can give the younger audience inspiration or even help the older audience become more educated or have a better understanding, it’s an honor.”
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