Wrestling is gay

And then I Googled it, and the history of the statue is just as strange as its existence in the school. I love reading about it. From Twitter threads dissecting match aesthetics to group chats that double as safe spaces for flirting and venting, the digital wrestling fandom is full of queer joy.

These aren't just fan clubs-they're support systems.

Stranger yet, the heads were added onto the statue hundreds of years later after they were rediscovered and excavated in the 1500's. I love it a lot. The sculpture has a ton of different names, The Wrestlers, Wrestlers, The Uffizi Wrestlers, The Two Wrestlers.  He intertwines these images to ask viewers why a mainstream, often homophobic culture might assign straight identities to a male dominated tradition with clear sexual tension.

Why is that? Where memes are therapy, and meetups after local shows feel like family reunions.

And yes, sometimes those bonds become more than just shared enthusiasm. There are a lot of social conditions allowing the type of interaction one might see in wrestling to be acceptable to larges numbers of people from hugely different backgrounds across the world.

They're redefining what it means to perform masculinity, femininity, and queerness on their own terms. To some it seems unfair to make work about wrestling if I didn't wrestle. I love the sport. How is your work expanding on an existing conversation? 

And I'm really glad it's obvious to people.

And for fans whose attraction is sparked by charisma in the ring, the idea of flirting with someone who shares your love for wrestling adds a whole new layer of appeal.

For neurodivergent or socially anxious users, it can also be more accessible than traditional dating apps. One can point it out in football, lacrosse...but wrestling is more "in your face" about it.

It was a really poignant statue that I felt talked about a lot of the issues I had with wrestling. Why is this important?

I didn't actively start the project looking to include different types of representation for what I wanted to talk about with wrestling. Some gay fans are simply looking for connection that doesn't require a promo package.

And it's certainly not always accepted by people. From indie promotions with openly queer wrestlers to online communities where gay fans trade memes, thirst posts, and match recaps, there's a growing sense of visibility and belonging.