Who Remembers Kanyon? Nobody…

Brian Damage

(Image courtesy of lovebscott.com)

The WWE’s own Darren Young recently “came out of the closet” to reveal he is gay. It has got the internet wrestling world buzzing. Some say they were shocked and others say they suspected it all along. Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and Forums have been chatting away about the rather nonchalant announcement by Young. Some say it is a “work” by Young to get a better push, some say the WWE orchestrated this as some sort of storyline, a few have cracked jokes about his revelation, but most have come out and supported him.

Personally, I make no bones about who I am as a man and as an American…I am a Republican. Am I conservative in many of the issues of today? Yes. Does that mean I have a problem with Darren Young’s sexuality? Absolutely NOT! I sit here writing this 100% in favor of Darren Young’s decision to come out as a homosexual. It’s who he is, I am not a judge or jury to decide what should make him happy. Nor will I ever….for any man or woman. Was I always this way? No, but as I got older and wiser I do believe you love who you love and that’s that. Nothing I say or do will change or end homosexuality. Nor do I want to. It is what it is.

What I DO have a problem with is the reaction by many websites and mainstream news outlets as if Darren Young is the first wrestler to come out. Some sites I have seen sport the big headline as…”Darren Young Comes Out As the First Openly Gay Active Pro Wrestler…” Just reading that particular headline irked me…because many know differently. Many knows that although Darren had the guts to come out, he did it in an era of more acceptance than ever before. Are there still homophobes? Of course, just not like it was a few years ago…When pro wrestler Chris Kanyon came out….Who remembers Kanyon?!? Nobody….

In 2004, Chris Kanyon (real name Christopher Klucsarits) admitted he was gay only to later retract that statement by saying it was a publicity stunt. The fact was and is Kanyon really was gay but feared retribution from promoters and other wrestlers for his lifestyle. His struggles with his homosexuality were chronicled in his autobiography entitled, “Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon, Wrestling’s Gay Superstar,” written with Ryan Clark. It was Kanyon’s personal memoir of the pain, humiliation and struggles he endured and the redemption he tried to achieve.

The relevancy of his memoir has certainly increased with the latest news of Young’s admission. It should be read with two thoughts, how Darren Young can benefit from his own outing and how Kanyon felt he never would be accepted for his. There have been wrestlers in the past who were “exposed” as homosexuals such as Pat Patterson and the late Terry Garvin, but were done so due to sexual harassment lawsuits. There are still wrestlers today who continue to live a lie for fear of their careers.

As for Kanyon, his struggles were sadly met with a suicide in 2010. He was found dead in his New York apartment clutching an empty bottle of antidepressants and a suicide note profusely apologizing to his family.

So as much as we celebrate Darren Young’s courage for coming out as a gay man, I implore wrestling fans to remember Chris Kanyon as well. A man who suffered immense pain both physical and mental for his love of professional wrestling. May he and perhaps other wrestlers and everyday people from different walks of life not live in fear but acceptance. Who Remembers Kanyon? I do.