Sonny Kiss is an American dancer, pro-wrestler, and manager from Jersey City who is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Sonny brings much-needed femininity and fabulousness to men’s wrestling, which was seriously lacking in the past. He’s far from the first openly gay wrestler, with other greats such as WWE’s Sonya Deville living out and proud, but we stan him anyway.
Sonny is breaking other barriers in the sport by using both he/him and she/her pronouns. Regarding this, Kiss tweeted the following:
“I am he/him. I am not opposed to her/she. But do NOT call me they/them OR a he-she. If you see that my feminine presence makes me more of a girl and gives you a more ‘womanly’ vibe, then call me she or her. If your logic is ‘well he’s STILL a dude,’ he or him it is!”
His laid back take on pronouns is perfect for the wrestling community, which can sometimes skew more conservative. Unlike some of its competitors, AEW prides itself on inclusivity.
At AEW’s highly anticipated Double or Nothing rally in 2019, the first wrestler to make an appearance on the podium was none other than Sonny Kiss. He gave a speech in which he stated that AEW is for everyone, a sentiment that continued to ring true throughout the night, as Nyla Rose became the first trans woman ever to be signed to a major wrestling company.
Kiss never disappoints when it comes to clapping back haters. Back in July, Kiss responded to an internet troll’s now-deleted homophobic comments made ahead of his TNT Championship match against Cody Rhodes.
On Twitter, Kiss wrote:
“For me, I try my best not to counter hate with hate but rather with confidence. ‘An eye for an eye … well you know the rest.” to his community, he wrote a separate message saying: “To the LGBTQ+ community: this Wednesday. It’s ON! This is not only for me but for US! I’m going into this match feeling better than ever.”
After the match was announced, his competitor, Rhodes, responded to the negative comments, wanting to make it clear that “If you have a problem with a gay man receiving a title shot, you can kiss my ass.” He noted how he is also proud to share a ring with Kiss. Kiss then shared an official statement in which he thanked everyone for the overwhelming support, explaining how he has always been open and comfortable with who he is.
