Inclusivity has always been a hot topic when it comes to the world of professional wrestling.
AEW star Sonny Kiss, who's an openly proud member of the LGBTQ+ community recently appeared on The Sessions with Renée Paquette to discuss the subject of inclusivity within All Elite Wrestling, touting the company's acceptance to all races, genders and sexual orientations.
“I love being at AEW and it's awesome that AEW allows their LGBT talent to be themselves and allows everyone in the community,” Sonny explained. “Just diversity in general and allows them to embrace that. The company does embrace it. We have Tony Khan, a brown man, Megha, a brown woman, they are being inclusive and allowing diversity to be seen. I definitely want to make that statement. I'm just saying that I can't tell my own stories if I'm not shown. We'll work on that."
When it comes to LGBTQ+ athletes, Sonny explains that not every storyline one of those athletes are involved in needs to focus on the subject.
“Just letting them be done and letting everyone individually be themselves, that's honestly the best way to call it,” expressed Sonny. “People as far as storylines, feel like it has to push the envelope. It doesn't have to. You can have a storyline with an open gay male and a cisgender straight male and it still be cool. When you look at Bowens on TV, you don't think of Bowens as 'oh, the gay wrestler.' He's just Anthony Bowens. People don't look at Leyla and identify her really. They don't go to that immediately. Just letting everybody be them. Even with me, I pitch storylines all the time that isn't about my sexuality or the way I look. It's just straight up ideas that will keep me in dialogue with the fans. It's more about being used. I can't really do it if I'm not being used. It's just being seen by the audience and being in dialogue with them. Hopefully, with this year coming, I'll be able to get opportunities and tell those stories and be in dialogue with them and give that representation from my point of view.”
Sonny has been a staple of both AEW Dark and Dark Elevation and last appeared on the 10/21 edition of AEW Dynamite in a losing effort against Kenny Omega in an AEW World Title eliminator bout.
