The summer of 2020 was notable in professional wrestling not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also due to the #SpeakingOut movement. Many stories of inappropriate language and conduct, both of a sexual nature and not were brought to light against many wrestlers from across the globe. This was not limited to just big companies or just small ones, or just to wrestlers but to managers and people in the management of promotions as well. Moving forward in the wake of these revelations, many strides were made in the addition of liaisons or safety officers as well as women in general to promotion management teams. The goal of those moves is offer a safety net to help deter these negative and predatory acts from happening in the future, and to offer support options for when they sadly do occur. Now in 2021, Terra Calaway and her organization Dropkick Depression hope to offer some real tools to implement change as well.
Calaway has become a beacon of empowerment and a force of change in the year that has passed since #SpeakingOut came to light. She had already had the non-profit organization Dropkick Depression and ran charity wrestling events to help increase awareness and support for depression and other mental health issues. Now they have partnered with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) to develop and deliver a sexual misconduct, assault education, awareness, and support program, specifically geared towards these issues in wrestling. The first course, projected to take place in the fall or winter of 2021, will be available to wrestlers, promoters, and other individuals involved in professional wrestling.
❕@OperationDD x @RAINN❕
A sexual misconduct and assault education, awareness, and support training program specifically catered to and for the professional wrestling community has officially started development.
Full details: https://t.co/T72vJ9OEHl
— Terra Calaway (@TerraCalaway) June 11, 2021
Here is a portion of the statement from Dropkick Depression:
“Dropkick Depression is happy to announce that we have engaged RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, to develop and deliver a sexual misconduct and assault education, awareness and support training in the fall/winter of 2021. This training is being specifically tailored to cater to the world of professional wrestling, will be interactive, and will relate to our experiences of how sexual violence affects us.
This course will be available online (date/dates to be determined) for all professional wrestlers, promoters, and other individuals within the professional wrestling community.
Our goal is to create a community of prevention and safety as well as help those understand how to handle situations that may arise in the future. We owe it to ourselves and to those who have been affected by sexual harassment and assault within our world to help create a better environment so that professional wrestling may be able to thrive.”
You can read the full statement here.
We would like to congratulate and thank Terra Calaway for all of her hard work in bringing this project to fruition for the betterment of wrestling and the wrestling community as a whole. As the development continues, we wish Terra, Dropkick Depression and RAINN the best of luck as they work
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
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