Tutt said she was left ‘crushed’ after incident in 2020 on one of the first times she venture out presenting as a womanThe former WWE star is open about her transition from gladiator Tyler Reks to the woman she is today She and her family moved from San Francisco to Austin, Texas in before the pandemic but said she has had largely positive experiences in the LGBTQ+ hostile state
Transgender WWE star Gabi Tutt has opened up about the moment she broke down in tears after a store clerk misgendered her.
The wrestler turned influencer explained how she was left feeling ‘crushed’ after the incident with a salesperson in 2020.
It took place on one of the first times Tutt, 45, decided to venture out dressed as as a woman and two months before she officially came out.
‘I bee-lined for my truck and cried for half an hour,’ Tutt told the San Francisco Chronicle. ‘I didn’t present (as) female for over a week — it crushed me.’
Tutt, who competed in the WWE as dreadlocked gladiator Tyler Reks, frequently shares images charting her transition.
In January 2020, she and her wife Priscilla along with their daughter Mia moved from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, one of the least welcoming states for LGBTQ+ people.
Tutt revealed that she learned to use a gun shortly after moving to the state, receiving lessons from an Army member neighbor.
And in 2021, she decided to attend a New Years Eve party ‘in full presentation’ after being invited by the same neighbor.
‘I walked in the door and got a standing ovation,’ Tutt said.
While she acknowledged that her adoptive state has a bad reputation for trans rights, Tutt revealed that her experiences have markedly improved since the mall incident despite some online abuse.
The former wrestler also said her ability to get gender affirming procedures saved her life.
‘I would wake up every day feeling miserable, feeling like my life was incomplete,’ Tutt said. ‘And my heart breaks for every transgender human who is going through that.’
Tutt told how even as a child she would dress up in her mother’s clothes and gravitate towards girls toys.
But she buried her impulses after realizing they could get her in trouble. During puberty, she got into weightlifting and was scouted as a possible WWE star.
Tutt, performing as Reks, went on to have a career which spanned from 2008 to 2012, boasting appearances at Smackdown, Raw and Wrestlemania.
However, during the pandemic she was able to reflect on her gender identity and went on to transition.
‘I ask myself to this day, what made those feelings resurface at 36 years old,’ Tutt said. ‘And I haven’t been able to figure it out.’
Today, Tutt although in the process of splitting from her wife, runs a successful fitness business largely training women.
Priscilla has been supportive of Tutt’s transition and encouraged her to come out, while she remains close with Mia.
‘People will say, ‘You’re getting divorced, Gabbi,’ and yeah, the fairy-tale ending doesn’t always happen,’ Tutt said. ‘But I’m a successful businesswoman and I have a child who is well loved, and I am a trans woman.’
Tutt frequently shares insights into her transition, and hopes to be an example for other trans women.
She now has 124,000 followers on Instagram, and shares her journey as well as her fitness and lifestyle tips with her fans.
She has discussed everything from videos of her recovery from facial feminization surgery and the effects of hormone therapy and midlife puberty.
‘I understand what it feels like to walk out in public with no confidence, to fear what people might say or do or how they might look at you,’ Tutt said. ‘The solution is learning to love who you are on the inside. And we first must accept who we are.’
However, not all aspects of her transition have been smooth.
During the summer, Tutt revealed that she was missing WWE more than she anticipated and expressed disappointment that she was ‘blocked’ from going backstage at Smackdown at Madison Square Garden.
A representative for WWE told NYTimes that the issue was caused by a ‘shortage of tickets,’ but an exception still wouldn’t be made to go backstage.
