When the first episode of “Heated Rivalry,” a low-budget TV series about two closeted gay hockey players, came out last November, few expected it to be a big hit. Yet over the past few months, the show has become a pop culture and social media phenomenon. At the Golden Globes this month, “Heated Rivalry” was omnipresent: Host Nikki Glaser made repeated references to the show and the two stars, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, presented an award.
While it might seem like the success of the show signifies a revolution of LGBTQ+ representation, there is an important distinction between supporting two conventionally attractive men on-screen and supporting LGBTQ+ rights in real life. The former is an indulgence in entertainment, while the latter requires voicing one’s support even when it goes against the prevailing sentiment. In a time of increasing discrimination toward LGBTQ+ Americans, supporting gay representation in popular culture, and specifically in sports, requires active engagement rather than simply watching a steamy show.
Some critics have taken the unexpected success of the show to be a sign of increasing LGBTQ+ representation in media and acceptance of gay people in popular culture. They say that the show has exposed viewers — the majority of whom are straight women — to LGBTQ+ romance and relationships for the first time. The prevailing view seems to be that gay people are having their love story shown on the big screen and it’s been met with acclaim.
Many fans’ obsession with “Heated Rivalry” has less to do with supporting gay representation and more with enjoying an unrealistic, stylized view of gay romance. The show presents a love story that doesn’t capture the experience of most LGBTQ+ people. It only follows two conventionally attractive, straight-presenting men. Its many explicit sex scenes may attract viewers who are more in it for the porn than the plot. Influencers fetishize the characters and receive thousands of likes, and online chatter is mostly focused on the intimate parts of the leads’ relationship. In short, just because you’re streaming doesn’t mean you’re actually doing something to further realistic, meaningful LGBTQ+ representation.
If we are to truly increase gay representation in popular culture, we can start by supporting LGBTQ+ athletes in the real world. Out of thousands of professional male athletes, there are currently no openly gay or bisexual players in the four major American sporting leagues, including the National Hockey League. Sports culture has long emphasized traditional notions of masculinity that can exclude gay men and encourage homophobia. While the success of “Heated Rivalry” has encouraged some athletes to come out, the fact is that LGBTQ+ representation in sports has a long way to go. As the Supreme Court seems poised to uphold laws that would ban transgender women from participating in sports, it is more important now than ever that sports leagues create a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ athletes and that they provide resources and support systems for those wishing to come out.
In addition to sports, progress is needed in the realm of supporting openly gay actors. It’s worth noting that the two stars of “Heated Rivalry” have not openly disclosed their sexualities. While it’s not their responsibility to divulge the details of their private lives to the public, it does raise the question of why so many queer roles are portrayed by apparently straight actors. The examples are numerous: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brokeback Mountain,” Timothée Chalamet in “Call Me By Your Name,” Sean Penn in “Milk” and Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia.” While it’s not the responsibility of Storrie or Williams to fix a problem that Hollywood created by mostly casting straight actors to play queer characters, it sets a standard that allows straight people to profit off of gay stories.
All of this is not to say that “Heated Rivalry” has done more harm than good, or to claim that “Heated Rivalry” fans don’t also support gay representation in other spaces. The truth is that the popularity of the show means that millions of people across the world have been shown that non-heterosexual relationships are normal and should be celebrated. But it isn’t enough to simply watch a story about gay people on television. In a time of increasing discrimination, attacks on trans people by the Trump administration and book bans and censorship targeting LGBTQ+ stories, we must actively support and fight for their representation in all spaces — including on the playing field and in the rink.
Max Mooney ’29 can be reached at max_mooney@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
