Gisele Shaw came out as transgender about a year ago. Since then, the reactions she’s gotten from IMPACT and in general have mostly been great.
Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, Shaw spoke about her experience.
When Gisele Shaw disclosed she was transgender during 2022 Pride Toronto, Impact Wrestling’s “Quintessential Diva” was admittedly nervous. The 34-year-old didn’t want to be labeled but judged solely based on abilities and skill in the ring. Despite the initial apprehension, she decided to move forward.
“I thought it was a good time to tell my story so that I can inspire and educate and put the spotlight on what is really important in the community,” Shaw said. “That transgender people, people in the LGBTQ+ community are targets of violence and discrimination. I think so much has happened in a year that I feel like I’m living authentically, happy, and being myself. I have found my own voice where I am able to stand up for not only myself but for other people as well going through the exact same thing I am.”
The Filipino has not been one to shy away from the spotlight and using her newfound platform afforded to her by Impact Wrestling. By the same token, the company emerged as a beacon for diversity and inclusion across its roster. It released a Pride Month shirt with a portion of all sales to be donated to the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA). Shaw threw out the first pitch and served as the guest speaker during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Gay Softball World Series in Dallas. Impact recently hosted its first-ever Pride photoshoot.
“I’ve been super fortunate that I told my story here at Impact Wrestling because the company has been so welcoming and supportive,” Shaw said. “At Impact it’s just a normal thing for the women to main event. We are all given equal opportunity. That is really amazing. It was really scary for me at first to disclose my story because I didn’t know how my peers were going to take it and react. I’m just really thankful that I have such a great support system from my friends, and family but also at work.”
Shaw, who is often accompanied onscreen by Impact’s first openly gay wrestler Jay Vidal, looks at how far the business has come. She recalled being inspired by the likes of Trish Stratus and Gail Kim, a trailblazer who now works as a producer at Impact.
“When I first started wrestling it was still close-minded where the women for example were seen as eye candy doing bra and panties matches,” Shaw recalled. “They weren’t given matches in general like the men were given. The exact same mentality with LGBTQ+ wrestlers. They never really talked about it compared to now where there is so many people that disclose their stories and are proud of who they are. I’m just really happy with the progress we accomplished but there is so much work to be done…Wrestlers should be fully judged by their skills and effort they put in and their performance. You don’t go to a play and say that’s the trans, gay, lesbian person. You appreciate the play itself because of the performance. That’s where we’re heading. I want it to come down to a time where we don’t have to hav
e a discussion of what’s what and who’s who.”
Shaw aims to lead by example and be that source of inspiration for those watching to chase their dreams no matter their gender or sexuality. Social media can often be a dark place, but she believes the positive has outweighed the bad. However, the star believes specifically with the LGBTQ+ community, negativity often comes from a lack of understanding.
“I’m here to educate people and inspire and really shine a spotlight on what is really important. That we are often a target for violence,” she said. “I wake up along with other people in the community thinking, ‘If people don’t agree with how we are, are we going to get beat up today? Are we going to get killed today? What drives me to keep pushing forward and help that next generation…We’re all human, and I feel like as humans it’s our responsibility to take care of one another. Make sure we leave a great environment and world for the next generation because we are all on limited time in this world. That’s what we need to really understand.”
H/T Scott Fishman of TV Insider full article here
Gisele Shaw fell to Trinity in Trinity’s first LIVE match with IMPACT at Under Siege at the end of May. Since then, Shaw has continued to be a thorn in Trinity’s side. Shaw teamed up with Savannah Evans to take on Trinity & Deonna Purrazzo at Against All Odds almost two weeks ago.
It was announced on the IMPACTonAXSTV episode last week that Deonna Purrazzo will defend her Knockouts World Title against Gisele Shaw at the company Australia: Down Under Tour on July 1st in Wagga, Wagga, New South Wales.
If Shaw wins, she will become the NEW IMPACT Knockouts World Champion and will be added to the Knockouts Title Match scheduled for Slammiversary between Trinity & Deonna Purrazzo.
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