Pro Strongman Rob Kearney on Being An Openly Gay Athlete

How much you must be getting, I mean this is like the first time probably the LBGTQ community has gotten behind a strong man though. I mean this is... And even just a pro athlete in general. Really? You know I think, well that's like, that's the biggest reason for my Instagram name. Is just like showing LGBTQ like visibility in pro sports. Because it doesn't exist. Right. You know like there's a few. While in fighting the UFC Amanda Nunes is the greatest woman of all time. She's gay. Oh which is great and that's a cool but... men. Different animal. Yes. You know I think like there's this really big disconnect where like people think like okay lesbian women are allowed to be strong. They're allowed to be athletic. They can do all these really cool things. Gay men have to be feminine. They have to be put in this box. And they shouldn't be pro athletes. Mmm. And that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm so, you know, I call myself like unapologetically open about my sexuality. Because like it really is, you know the more you think about it like if you even try to think of like an openly gay man in any pro sport across the world. There's no really mainstream. I think you forgot about Brian Boitano. Oh, couche. Don't you remember South Park? What would Brian Boitano do? Yeah. Smart ass. Brian Boitano, I mean he's a goddamn trailblazer. But yeah, other than figure skating, who? Actively competing in a major sport. There really isn't anything. And I'm not saying like, you know, strong man is by no means like major or mainstream yet. But we're getting there. People know about it. For sure. And I think to see like an openly gay man, you know, I say competing in arguably one of the most like hyper masculine sports in the world. You know, I think like when I think of masculine sports, I think like UFC and lifting shit. Right? Yeah. Like right? Like one you're beating another dude up. The other one, it's a bunch of guys standing around a weight being like, Oh, I'm going to pick it up. No, I'll pick it up. I'll pick it up faster. You know, like it's like Neanderthal almost. Yeah, that's top of the food chain manly shit. Exactly. So I think it's like super important to see like an openly gay man in a relationship, rocking a rainbow mohawk and rainbow tights out on a competition floor. I think that makes people feel more comfortable than if you just out there slinging dick. Like if you weren't in a relationship, you were openly gay and just fucking everything. They move. They're going, Hey, this guy can pick up the fucking moon and he could butt. Fuck you. Well, that's dangerous. That was like one of my buddies. He said, he's like, you know, I'm not afraid of you. But what does scare me is if you wanted to rape me, you could. That sounds like he's setting you up. Well, it's like, don't definitely don't rape me. But if you were gonna, this is what I think you could grab me right here. Yeah, that's, uh, but yeah, those are definitely, I mean, right after fighting, that is the most manly shit, picking shit up. Exactly. You know, so I think that's why, like, that's why, you know, I've been so open about my relationship and what I'm doing in the sport and just trying to be more visible for the LGBTQ community, in pro sports in general. Um, you know, cause like I said before, like I get a shit ton of hate messages on a daily basis and so all the time. Why do you read? I love it. Really? Um, and I know a lot of people don't, but like to me, I use it as fuel. Like there's no bigger fuck you to that person than me winning. Right. You know, like, so that's how I, that's how I look at it. Like, okay, dude, talk shit about me all you want. I'm the American log press record holder. Yeah. I won an Australia. I'm competing against the top. I'm one of the top 10 strongest men in the world competing at this Arnold strongman classic in March. Um, so that's why I love it. Like I love reading that, but like, that is a funny thing. You said that guy in the audience. I suck. It's great. But the crowd goes silent. My favorite part, because that was California. People probably start cheering. Yeah. Well, they, they get Texas. What the fuck? He's right. Lick and leaners. Um, but totally sidetracked him. That's okay. Suck and dick. And you know, I get it. Um, it's, you would think that you would have a lot of sponsors that would jump in because of this though. I would think because you're open and because this is such a manly sport and it's such a non-stereotypical thing. Yeah. I would think that would be like really positive for the LBGTQ community. Yeah. I mean, let's talk in a week, Joe. Let's see what happens after the show. Well, I'm hoping I'm hoping we can help you. Yeah. It's, um, you know, and that's my biggest thing, like while doing this whole thing is like, just trying to spread positivity and love throughout the entire world. You know, I mean, I talk about the hate messages that I get, but like the ones that mean a lot are like, you know, I got a message a few months ago from a 16 year old kid who was on the verge of committing suicide, because he couldn't come to terms with the sexuality. And he said in his, in his post, like finding my profile, let him be comfortable with himself. You know, that's awesome. Crazy. That's so cool. And it's like, it's, I never expected to be that person just by saying, I love this dude. But that's sometimes how you get to be that person, right? Yeah. Being yourself. Exactly. And I think that's, that's why this whole thing has kind of blown up into what it is and why I'm, you know, fortunate enough to now be working on a documentary. What's the documentary? Um, so we literally are filming our, we, I just met the film crew this week. Um, yeah, the ones out there. Okay. So, um, I was approached by, um, Andy who she was on the set of world's strongest man. And she was like, once she saw my husband and I kiss after one of the events, um, like light bulbs just went off and she was like, there's something here. So, um, I was approached about doing a documentary kind of about my life and about being the only openly gay pro strong man in the world. Now, are there closeted gay strong men? I'm sure there are. And they just don't talk to you. Probably. You're dangerous. I know. It was wild motherfucker with a mohawk. I don't want bitches coming for my title. Right. You want to keep them in the closet. More cards start coming out. We're going to have to actually have a contest for this. What if it, what if strong man becomes like the WNBA where everyone's gay? Oh, that would suck. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just selfish. I mean, that's a good argument that sponsors won't show up though. Cause fucking everybody knows the WNBA is gay as fuck. True. But it's bad basketball too. Yeah, it's not great. That's not good. Yeah. Like at least strong men. Women's sports is awesome. But like, I always think of like the, uh, the family guy episode where they're talking about the WNBA and they're like, Oh, and listen to the fan. It's one guy cheering in the fan stands. Yeah. It's a, it's a tough sell. It is a sell.