The WWE may "integrate LGBT characters" into storylines at some point in the future, the organization's Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon told NBC Out at the Beyond Sport United event in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Tuesday. She didn't elaborate on how the WWE might roll out these LGBT characters, but she did talk about why she believes incorporating them one day is important for the brand.
"Throughout my life, I have grown up knowing gay [WWE] superstars and executives," McMahon said. "It's always been accepted, but now it's about getting that message out there."
She went on to say that "when it makes sense...absolutely we will integrate LGBT storylines into our programming."
The news comes just days after Hall of Fame pro wrestler Pat Patterson—who revealed he is gay in 2014 on Legends House, a show on the WWE Network—released a book called Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE. It also comes almost exactly three years after Darren Young revealed he is gay and became the WWE's first openly gay active wrestler in the process.
In addition to potentially integrating LGBT characters into storylines, McMahon also revealed that the WWE has teamed up with GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and used the organization to educate their writers. "We've had GLAAD come in and speak to our entire writing team and give a whole tutorial on sensitivities, the right words, the wrong word, [and] why those words matter," she said.
It's unclear when the WWE might possibly start working LGBT characters into storylines, but it's something to keep an eye on now that McMahon has spoken up about it.
