Wrestling is very much an insider sport. A lot of wrestling in the past was referred to as a ‘brotherhood’, but the gendered terms are slowly fading away.

I'll be 40 this year and things have changed significantly since I was very young. I started wrestling when I was 18. Through the years, I’ve seen the world change, and seen how people in the locker room are becoming more comfortable with themselves and others.

I remember a time where the locker room wasn't necessarily a safe space for everyone. Personally, I called myself 'not a respectable queer’ meaning that I take my space. I boldly take my space, and I will not let someone else's negativity towards my gender identity ruin that for me.

I will be nice and I try to represent well and show a good face for other gender nonconforming people. But I will not take a lot of punishment from others. I will stand up for myself, and I will gladly do so.

I'm an 80s baby and I've been called slurs my whole life for being different from other people. I’ve taken that in my stride in the way I represent myself now.

I did a wrestling show in a private event for a biker gang recently. When I came out to wrestle, two of the audience members called me slurs as I made my way to the ring.

Instead of letting that get to me during the match, I took the perspective of how I’m showing them that as feminine and gender-nonconforming people, we can fight too.

We can stand up for ourselves. We can be strong and we can not let their slurs and hate bother us.

A lot of people don't think queer, femme people or gender nonconforming people cannot stand up for ourselves. They like to think of us as these weak people who can't defend themselves. I like to change that misconception.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta — to be continued under ‘Support’ tomorrow]