Meet the ‘World’s Strongest Gay’ couple Rob and Joey Kearney who can lift weights as heavy as 5 ADULT… – The US Sun
A COUPLE who competes together in strongman events – one half of whom is known as the “World’s Strongest Gay” – has opened up about their journey in the sport.
The World’s Strongest Man competition takes place every year with men from around the world coming together to compete for the title.
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Rob Kearney, a self-proclaimed “not-so-athletic kid,” says he knew growing up that he was different.
“It was always just pushed to the back of my mind. And I never wanted to deal with it,” Rob told Gio Benitez, speaking to Nightline about his journey.
Rob, who has deadlifted 971 pounds, turned pro, went to college, and was dating a woman when he realized he was ready to live more authentically.
“Once I realized it for myself and I could confidently look in the mirror and say ‘I’m a gay man’ and be proud of that … I realized if people didn’t like it about me, I didn’t need them to accept it.
“I was finally accepting myself.
“And that was opening up these new doors that I never knew existed.”
After coming out in 2014, Rob quickly began to refer to himself as the “World’s Strongest Gay,” and became the first openly gay professional Strong Man in the history of the sport.
Shortly after Rob ended his relationship with the woman he had been dating for more than a year, he met his now-husband, Joey.
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Joey didn’t realize the extent of Rob’s career at first.
But upon further inspection, he found it to be “pretty cool.”
“I want to do that,” he said.
Together, the couple has written a book and they both compete in strongmen events.
“I think all too often, gay men are seen as weak,” Rob said.
“And they’re typically portrayed as feminine, flamboyant … and that’s really it.
“Gay doesn’t have to look a certain way.
“Here I am as a gay man with a mohawk and these muscles and competing at the highest level of this hyper-masculine sport of Strongman.
“It’s been a really great way to be able to show people that sexuality really has no bearing on things you can achieve.”