As a pro wrestling-obsessed teenager, I was among the thousands in attendance at The Baltimore Civic Center in 1986 to witness WWF Champion Hulk Hogan's title defense against the hated "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.
Unlike many of the top wrestling villains of the day, Adonis did not generate heat from the fans by being a bully, a cocky ladies' man or an anti-American foreigner. The fans despised Adonis because his character was an over-the-top, cross-dressing homosexual.
I vividly recall how loud the chant of a gay slur directed at Adonis was that night. I also remember it was Hogan, the All-American good guy who urged kids to "train, say their prayers and eat their vitamins," who was the one leading the chant.
