Gabbi Tuft, a former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, has come out as transgender. The 42-year-old body builder, fitness guru, and motivational speaker shared the news with her followers on social media Thursday. “This is me. Unashamed, unabashedly me,” she wrote in an Instagram post of her smiling and sitting next to a framed picture of her pre-transition self.
“I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful,” she continued. “I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am.”
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Tuft then opened up about how the past 8 months have been “some of the darkest of my entire life,” due to the “emotional turmoil of being transgender,” she wrote. “Having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions.”
“However, the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light,” she continued.
In a follow-up announcement video, Tuft added that she wanted to support the “thousands of people” who might be struggling with similar feelings about their gender identity. “I promise to always be transparent, promise to give the truth,” she said. “I’m here to help. I wanna be a light. I wanna let you know that you’re supported.”
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Tuft, who has appeared in the WWE’s Superstars, Raw, and SmackDown, wrestled professionally from 2007 to 2017, before retiring to spend more time with her wife, Priscilla, and their daughter. In her press statement, the athlete has said that she received the “blessing of her loving wife, Priscilla” before coming out. Together they’ve started a podcast about Tuft’s transition called “Her.”
While the number of openly LGBTQ+ professional wrestlers are steadily increasing in the United States, there’s still very little trans representation among those who are working today. In 2019, Nyla Rose became the first trans wrestler to sign with a major U.S. promotion, making way for rising transfeminine athletes like Dark Sheik, Lola Starr, The Great Bambina, and Still Life With Apricots and Pears.
Despite that, former wrestling colleagues of Tuft rushed to congratulate her after she shared the news. Chris Masters, who once held the WWE Intercontinental Title, replied to Tuft’s Instagram post with, “Respect.” Tuft’s friend Brian Myers, best known by his ring name Curt Hawkins, also showed his support by sharing a picture of the two together on Twitter, writing, “I got nothing but love & support for my friend.”
In a recent interview, Tuft emphasized that everyone’s coming out process is different. “I don't ever want anyone to think that the way I did it is the way that everyone should do it,” she told NBC News. “I don't think there's a blueprint for this.”
When speaking about her gender transition, Luft said she is comfortable with sharing her deadname and WWE stage name, as well as photos of her pre-transition self, but she acknowledges that not all trans and gender non-conforming people are comfortable with those things.
“There’s a lot of people out there that may feel differently about their past,” she said. “They may not embrace the past, because it's been so painful for them. But I wanted the world to know that I loved who I was — but I love even more who I am today.”
Congratulations, Gabbi!
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