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The WWE's LGBTQ storyline announcement this month came in the face of decades of missteps and insensitivity toward gay people, both in and out of the ring. In one 2002 stunt, WWE tag team duo Billy and Chuck publicly announced that they were gay, planned a marriage in the ring, received an official endorsement from GLAAD, and then revealed the marriage was a sham—a homophobic gimmick played up for ratings and an embarrassment for GLAAD. (Today, the WWE works closely with GLAAD to ensure equality in portrayals of gay and lesbian people in storylines.)Chris Kanyon, a WWE and World Championship Wrestling character who came out in 2004, said he was forced out of wrestling for being openly gay and protested matches with signs asking fans to "pray for my gay soul." He committed suicide in 2010 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And Darren Young, a WWE tag team champion who came out in 2013, claims he was excluded from performing in WWE shows in Abu Dhabi because of his sexuality, though the WWE responded he was left out "for his own protection.""They don't know what it's like," wrestler Eddy McQueen told VICE. "They haven't had to deal with the bullying. It's not authentic, and it's like a slap in the face."
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