Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins is the latest wrestler to use the#SpeakingOut movement to talk about sexual abuse he suffered when he was 15 years old and starting out in pro wrestling.

He claims he was abused by older female wrestlers at the time.

“I’ve always felt that double standard is wrong. On the flipside, I shared 2 stories last night with a loved one of myself at 15 being taken advantage of/pressured by older girls in wrestling who were 20-22 at the time. Hard to share cuz men are expected to be proud of such things. What makes it tough in the other direction is guys are both expected to be proud of such things, and also shamed for the sexist nature of being proud of such things. But it felt uncomfortable, nervous, empty, etc as anyone would feel in that situation. Difficult to express. I definitely don’t suggest it’s 50/50 or anything, and I absolutely don’t want to take any focus away from anyone who is sharing regardless of gender. There’s obviously double standards existing both ways and everyone’s experiences are different and should be viewed individually.”

What makes it tough in the other direction is guys are both expected to be proud of such things, and also shamed for the sexist nature of being proud of such things. But it felt uncomfortable, nervous, empty, etc as anyone would feel in that situation. Difficult to express.

, 🇺🇸 TJ Perkins 🇵🇭 (@MegaTJP) June 19, 2020