Former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Gabbi Tuft said she left the house and walked with her “head up” for the first time on Thursday after she came out as transgender.
She cried as she remembered the moment. “I felt so happy,” she told NBC News. “My hair wasn’t in my face, and I wasn’t clenching my fists and hiding my nails. It was so incredible. “
Tuft officially announced the news on social media on Thursday. In an Instagram photo, she sat next to an image of herself before her transition. “This is me,” she wrote in the caption. “Shamelessly, I shamelessly. This is my side that hid in the shadows, afraid and afraid of what the world would think; afraid of what my family, friends and followers would say or do. “
“I am no longer afraid and I am no longer afraid,” she wrote. “Now I can confidently say that I love myself for WHO I am.”
Tuft fought professionally from 2007 to 2014 and appeared on WWE shows “Superstars”, “Raw”, “SmackDown” and “WrestleMania”. She retired from wrestling to spend more time with his wife, Priscilla, and daughter, and began her career as a fitness coach and motivational speaker, according to one Press release announcing the departure of Tuft.
But behind all the success of his career, Tuft said, his mental health was impaired. “The previous eight months were some of the darkest in my life,” she wrote in her revelation post.
“The pain was unbearable,” she told NBC News, adding that she was fighting suicidal ideation. “I was that person who always preached, ‘Never mind what people think, be yourself’,” she said. “So, when my turn came, it was much more difficult than I ever imagined.”
Eventually, with the support of his wife, she started the process of taking over. She started an Instagram “countdown” 10 days before her official announcement. Now, she is inviting her followers on social media to ask questions and promises to be “transparent” about the whole process. With the help of his wife, she also started a podcast about her transition called “She”.
Tuft said his process shows that taking responsibility is different for each person.
“I don’t want anyone to think that the way I did it is the way everyone should do it,” she said. “I don’t think there is a plan for that.”
She said she wants to be open about her transition to help create awareness and understanding. For example, although many transgender people do not want other people to use their former name, also known as “dead name”, after they leave, Tuft said he is not offended by this. The Press release announcing his departure includes his former name, Gabe, and his WWE stage name Tyler Reks.
“The rest of the world is also in transition, it’s not just me,” she said. “I can’t expect a change during everyone’s night.”
Tuft acknowledged that while his Instagram ad featured a photo of her before her transition, this is not something that all trans people are comfortable with.
“There are a lot of people out there who may have different feelings about their past,” she said. “They may not accept the past, because it has been very painful for them. But I wanted the world to know that I love who I am – but I love who I am even more today. “
It is not her job to change people’s opinions, she said, but she hopes that by being transparent and sharing her story, people will identify with her and public acceptance by trans people will grow.
“All I want to do is create empathy, and maybe through empathy, we can get a little understanding and we can reduce the amount of fear and then make a change little by little,” said Tuft. “I think the more identifiable I am, the more we can create that empathy and build a relationship with the people who are watching, so that they know they are not alone.”
Since coming out, she said she is surprised by the overwhelming amount of support: neighbors knocked on her door to leave flowers and she received thousands of messages and comments on social media. “It tells me that there is still a lot of love in this world,” she said.
She said she is also surprised at the extent of the joy she feels. “I never expected to have a smile from ear to ear in the past 24 hours, but I can’t get the smile off my face,” she said. “It’s from the heart and the soul, and I never expected to feel that elated.”
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