At a Beyond Sport United event earlier this week, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon announced plans to incorporate gay themes into programming. Sensitivity will be achieved through a partnership with – you guessed it – GLAAD.
“When it makes sense … absolutely we will integrate LGBT storylines into our programming," McMahon said at the event. "And I do think there will be an opportunity to integrate some of those storylines in the near future."
McMahon also expressed her belief that LGBT wrestlers have “always been accepted” by WWE, but that the issue now is “getting that message out there.” The timing of her talk was impeccable, as 75-year-old wrestling champion Pat Patterson had just released his book “Accepted” – a memoir about life as a gay fighter.
GLAAD will act as the PC police in this new endeavor, ensuring that the WWE’s screenwriters get everything right. "We've had GLAAD come in and speak to our entire writing team and give a whole tutorial on sensitivities, the right words, the wrong words, why those words matter," McMahon explained.
Considering that wrestling is not known as a particularly PC area of interest, some might wonder at the pro-LGBT strides WWE has taken. However, the fact that several of its programs air on the liberal USA Network certainly clarifies things.
