Heated Rivalry: Hit gay romance show inspires US hockey player Jesse Kortuem to come out in heartwarming post
HBO’s hit show Heated Rivalry, which has been a pop culture sensation since its release, has been “ignited” by a US ice hockey player coming out as gay in a touching social media post.
Jesse Kortuem, who hails from Minnesota and plays ice hockey at a high level, posted a lengthy statement on his Facebook account detailing his experience as a closeted gay hockey player.
In the post, Mr. Kortuem described the “dilemma” of being gay while playing hockey and said he lived with a “constant fear” of being stereotyped while playing in top-flight leagues.
“I wondered how I could be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport… I never thought these two worlds could occupy the same person, let alone the same locker room,” Mr. Kortuem wrote in his post.
“Like many closeted athletes, revealing who I really was to my team could have changed everything in an instant; their opinion of me could have brought negative attention to the team that included a ‘gay player,’ so I never took the chance.”
Mr. Kortuem, who plays in multiple ice hockey leagues in the U.S. and Canada, said the popular romance series Heated Rivalry “sparked” his decision to go public.
The series, starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie and about the fictional love affair between two male ice hockey players playing in a professional league in North America, was HBO’s ‘debut’ for a non-animated series and was widely praised for its gay representation.
The series was also nominated for Best New TV series at the GLAAD Media Awards for its depiction and representation of LGBTQI+ experiences, which also inspired Mr. Kortuem.
“Coming out in the 2000s didn’t feel like an option, especially when there was so little positive representation in the media at the time and it would have been a social disaster,” Mr. Kortuem continued.
Hundreds of commenters flooded the post offering their support for Mr. Kortuem, one of very few professional ice hockey players to publicly identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community.
“Welcome, man. Thanks for sharing, and we hope young people in Minnesota and beyond can feel a little safer and begin to understand that being gay and an athlete isn’t contradictory,” he said in a comment.
“Reading this gave me chills,” another wrote.
Mr Kortuem said he was “completely overwhelmed” by the “love and support” shown to him after his mission.
“Thank you for making me feel so seen and proving how necessary this conversation is,” she said.
“My mission is to ensure that hockey and every sport is a safe space where your heart and effort are all that matter. When we lift the weight of the locker, we finally have the mental freedom to give our full 110% to the game.”
There are currently no openly gay ice hockey players in the National Hockey League.
