Professional wrestler Anthony Bowens is making headlines after his recent bold move. 

On December 7, Bowens and his boyfriend Michael Pavano came across a group of anti-gay protestors.

The couple decided to spread love and not hate when they kissed proudly and fearlessly right in front of the homophobic posters as protestors watched on. 

The courageous duo also posted the photo on social media and received a flood of love and support for their actions in the face of bigotry.

“#Standup against hate,” Bowens wrote, tagging his partner, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign in the post.

His photo has been reshared on Twitter by both fans and celebrities.

A presenter for BBC Radio Cornwall, Jack Murley, commended the wrestler’s actions and appreciated him standing up against bigotry. 

Bowens came out as bisexual in 2017 and revealed that he was dating Pavano on a Facebook post.

He explained he wanted to change perceptions and break stereotypes as he continued on his journey.

Anthony Bowens and His Relationship

After coming out as bisexual and introducing Pavano to the world, Bowens and his partner uploaded a video detailing how they met on their shared YouTube channel. 

The duo agreed that their meeting was far from a fairy tale.

Bowens shared that he chanced upon Pavano’s profile while scrolling through Instagram and found him attractive. However, he was hesitant to reach out to Pavano, as he was still closeted at the time. 

But after some consideration, he slid into his DMs, and they talked for a little.

At the time, Pavano was on a break with his ex, but he soon got back together with him, which Bowens found out about. 

The pro wrestler shared that Pavano’s boyfriend messaged him and asked him to stop contacting Pavano.

Bowens, who was unaware of this, deleted both Pavano and his boyfriend, but he got a friend request from Pavano three months later.

Bowens accepted, and the two started talking. Pavano explained he had gotten out of the “toxic relationship” and was single again. The two eventually met up and hit it off. 

However, in 2019, the wrestler revealed he no longer identified as bisexual and came out as gay.

He explained he pictured himself being with a man for the rest of his life, so he started identifying less with the term bisexual and, as time went on, felt more comfortable labeling himself as gay.

Who is Anthony Bowens?

For those unaware, Anthony Bowens is a professional wrestler who has won the WrestlePro Championships thrice. 

He initially wanted to be a baseball player, but after a chance meeting with former WWE wrestler Santino Marella who saw his potential and encouraged him, Bowens took the plunge.

With the help of Marella, Bowens started his journey. 

He worked out and trained in the same gym as the other members of the WWE roster.

As he trained, he realized wrestling was more than just about staying fit and learning moves. The pro wrestler joined acting classes and studied comedy to build self-confidence. 

He wrestled his first match in 2013 and never looked back.