Out wrestling star: WWE should include LGBTQ characters in the ring

Professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Sonya Deville says she wants World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. to incorporate lesbian storylines into its programs.

Deville, a New Jersey native whose real name Daria Berenato came out in 2015 when she revealed that she is a lesbian during an appearance as a contestant on the reality show WWE Tough Enough. Deville made history and became the first-ever active, out female WWE star in the ring.

In an interview with Talk Sport, Deville said:

“LGBTQ inclusion is something I’ve talked about for years. To incorporate that into WWE TV organically should happen because it’s just part of life. It’s like every TV show usually has a gay character because, statistically, there would be a gay character! 

“I think it’s a natural thing. I’d like it to be really organic. I’d like it to be done right, of course, but I would like it to be organic so that if it was every a part of my character or a layer of me, I would like it to be subtle and make sense. 

“You don’t necessarily need a whole angle around it. We’ve had ideas in the past and things like that, but it just needs to be organic. 

“If there’s a scene where one of the male superstars called his wife backstage and then one day, I could call my girlfriend backstage, you know what I mean? Just organic things like that which are a part of life, I don’t think anything needs to be forced.

“When some people think representation they think ‘oh, we’re going to do a love angle with Sonya and Mandy’ and it’s like no, it doesn’t mean that. It means you could just find out one day that my character likes women and that would be cool.”

Follow Sonya Deville on Instagram here. Follow Daria Berenato here. She also has a business selling sweet treats such as donuts and cookies. Check those out here.