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| Cage's act is brave and sorely needed Photo Credit: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette |
Matt Cage is a rising star on the independent scene who has worked for Beyond Wrestling, several promotions in the Chicagoland area, and in the fertile wrestling grounds in Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area. He is perhaps the most notable of that group that also includes Angelus Layne, Christian Rose, and Alex Castle. And this past Thursday, he came out of the closet as a gay man.
The announcement comes as no surprise to his inner circle of friends, as in the Facebook post linked above, he's identified as bisexual in the past. He's not the first male wrestler to come out of the closet, as he joins the late Chris Kanyon (who came out after his retirement), Darren Young, and Pat Patterson. Still, the numbers are few, which is not surprising in the testosterone-soaked haven of toxic masculinity that is sports or sports entertainment.
Naturally, his announcement is no less important due to the still-overbearingly homophobic atmosphere that not only pervades wrestling, but also America. Even as homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted, the pushback from conservative Christian groups and other various homophobic persons has gotten more and more severe. While more and more people in the genpop feel comfortable coming out, it's rare to see someone in sports or sports entertainment identifying. If Cage can help one person come out of the closet and be comfortable with himself or herself, then he's helped.