Val Venis, the former professional wrestler, has drawn ire and criticism on Twitter for his recent transgender-phobic remarks, with prominent figures such as Chelsea Green publicly condemning his comments.
The notable episode started when Venis responded discouragingly to a tweet made by fellow wrestler, Nikki Cross. Cross had shared an image stating, “Trans Rights Are Human Rights,” to mark the International Trans Day of Visibility on a recent Monday.
In his response, Venis stated: “It’s sad to see the entire entertainment industry riddled with self-righteous virtue signaling propagandists. Pray for these folks. Pray they find Jesus Christ. Pray the world finds Jesus Christ.”
In a continuation of the discourse, after Chelsea Green demonstrated her solidarity with Cross, Venis responded with more controversial sentiments about entertainers engaging with political matters. Additionally, he expressed frustration over being labelled “transphobic” and “bigoted.”
To this, Green reacted by saying, “Val, I’ve been holding back from responding with the same level of hostility you’ve shown, but I won’t be responding again: I’m Canadian—I can’t even vote. My advocacy for human rights transcends politics and aims for equality. End of discussion.”
Following this exchange, three transgender women wrestlers Gabbi Tuft, Nyla Rose, and Gisele Shaw, who have previously fallen victim to Venis’ derogatory comments, voiced their support for Green.
In response to Venis’ complaints about being labeled with hateful terms, Tuft pointed out the insults he has hurled at her and her colleagues. Meanwhile, Rose refuted Venis’ views and highlighted the inconsistency of his actions, and Shaw called him out for perpetuating hate while profiting from their platform.