Anthony Bowens Says Coming Out Helped Him Connect With People, Recalls Segment With Harley Cameron

Anthony Bowens says that coming out as gay helped him on both a personal and professional level. Bowens was a guest on The Mark Hoke Show and spoke about how coming out relieved a lot of pressure for him, while also talking about his “I’m gay!” segment with Harley Cameron from last year. You can see some highlights below, per Wrestling Inc:

On the freedom he felt after coming out: “When I came out I felt like all of those walls came crashing down and I was able to connect with people more. I was able to connect with my fellow wrestlers, my friendships with them, and my other friends in general got stronger. I was able to connect with all different fans all over the world, other closeted athletes. So it really was such a positive thing and a relief — a complete relief that I got to be myself, I didn’t have to hide anymore, I didn’t have to structure conversations a certain way and I could just … I felt free and that’s basically what it was. And I was able to really focus on being a good performer and figuring out who I was as a character, as opposed to figuring out a character and figuring out who I was as a person in actual life. It was just a ton of stress and I was so glad when it was over.”

On his “I’m gay!” segment with Harley Cameron: “It’s never been said before [the word gay] in a wrestling ring on national television and I’m not the type of … My form of activism is, I go out and I am myself and I try to represent as authentically and positively as possible, I’m not really much in your face. But I always wanted to present it in a fun way ’cause a lot of times it ends up being presented in a very, very serious, emotional way. I wanted to present it in more of, you know, a happy-go-lucky [way].”

On the reaction to the segment: “I’ve been waiting to do something like this at the right time for a long time and I’m very, very, very happy with the result. I’m very happy that the crowd enjoyed it. I would have never in a million years expect them to erupt the way that they did.”