Nyla Rose was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated, where she spoke about a recent transphobic sign that a fan held up at AEW Dynamite that got him kicked out of the arena.

“For the most part, people understood why that sign was wrong. Maybe that person didn’t quite understand the gravity of what they were doing. You want to boo, that’s cool. But there is a line….people might feel it’s a conflict of their beliefs by simply respecting someone else, but it’s not. You don’t have to understand or even agree with somebody’s situation to show them simple respect and kindness, like respecting their pronouns and respecting their way of life. I’d love for people to be cool with it, but if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. But shouldn’t people want to treat their fellow humans with a little respect and kindness?”

On her transition:

“My transitional journey might be completely different from somebody else who grew up in the same conditions as I did, or grew up in totally different conditions. The transition is completely different for every single person. That’s one of the things that gets lost on a lot of people. You hear this umbrella term of transgender and you think it’s supposed to be black-and-white, and that’s not the case. For me, I am a binary trans woman. I identify with everything that is femme and female. That’s where I’m comfortable, that’s where I live. I personally believe it is a broad spectrum, and anyone can fall anywhere on it.”

On embracing the role of representing different communities:

“People from so many different walks of life have connected with me, and I think that’s wild. I grew up a wrestling fan, and I found inspiration in my life from the things the wrestlers did. I’m going out there thinking I’m just performing and putting on a show, but people have told me I’m a beacon for them. Black families have said they see me as someone who is so strong. As a Native person, I’ve heard from families that tell me it makes them so proud of their heritage, that they’ve broken down in joy when they see themselves reflected in the Iroquois flag. The LGBTQ community has such a prominent figure [in Nyla Rose], and I understand the importance of that. We’re not made to be a punchline; we are not here to be a joke. This character isn’t going to be a pushover. It’s meant a lot to a lot of people, and it’s taking me time to process that.”