{"id":74921,"date":"2025-12-19T03:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T06:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/heated-rivalry-sparks-age-old-debate-on-gay-representation\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T03:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T06:58:13","slug":"heated-rivalry-sparks-age-old-debate-on-gay-representation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/heated-rivalry-sparks-age-old-debate-on-gay-representation\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Heated Rivalry&#8217; sparks age-old debate on gay representation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p><story-emphasis util-module-path=\"elements\/story\" section=\"opinion\" link=\"\/opinion\"\/><\/p>\n<hr class=\"colorbar section-opinion\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"display-5 subhead spacer-small\">Depictions of queerness in media will always feel voyeuristic and exploitative as long as openly queer actors continue to face discrimination in Hollywood.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"87083946007\" title=\"English actor Jonathan Bailey named People's Sexiest Man Alive\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/11\/04\/USAT\/87084136007-20251031-t-034826-z-1454667226-rc-2-omhagjjnk-rtrmadp-3-time-100-next.JPG?crop=5999,3375,x0,y312\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/11\/04\/USAT\/87084136007-20251031-t-034826-z-1454667226-rc-2-omhagjjnk-rtrmadp-3-time-100-next.JPG?crop=5999,3375,x0,y312\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>English actor Jonathan Bailey named People&#8217;s Sexiest Man Alive<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Wicked&#8221; and &#8220;Bridgerton&#8221; star Jonathan Bailey is People&#8217;s Sexiest Man Alive. He is the first openly gay man to win the title.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p>I get the appeal of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/04\/heated-rivalry-hbo-max-explained-gay-hockey-canadian-romance-books\/87608007007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/04\/heated-rivalry-hbo-max-explained-gay-hockey-canadian-romance-books\/87608007007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heated Rivalry<\/a>&#8221; and why it\u2019s been plastered all over my social media feeds. The ambiguous sexuality of the two lead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/twunk-post-twink-terminology-explained-211352482.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALS7NCcboo5ybiHPhttLlmtY44ShSazBl3BVZbJlVRIjaSaAHq3f5IC5Igy03jm7VJdWf3I_5R_8WqTRWooZ8Q4lXXI9y3XR1eiQvSzrhLTrve3GN8N1x8k18uRDLqJg-6W_WPGE7qqjEDGVRbaCf8SNGU5PVl2PFYAxwklStLm8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">twunks<\/a>, their butter-smooth skin, blade-sharp jawlines and sculpted abs nested neatly in our favorite homoerotic contact sport \u2013 hockey, that is \u2013 seem predestined for fan-fiction folders of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/12\/12\/heated-rivalry-gay-sex-tv\/87699186007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/12\/12\/heated-rivalry-gay-sex-tv\/87699186007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smut-obsessed netizens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>The Canadian ice hockey drama follows the steamy, secret romance between players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Aside from viral clips of titillating sex scenes, the show has reignited an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thepinknews.com\/2025\/12\/12\/heated-rivalry-hudson-williams-connor-storrie-queerbaiting\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.thepinknews.com\/2025\/12\/12\/heated-rivalry-hudson-williams-connor-storrie-queerbaiting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online debate about who gets to be gay in Hollywood<\/a>, specifically in regard to non-queer actors playing queer roles.<\/p>\n<p>Both lead actors faced pushback online for choosing not to disclose their sexualities. One corner of the internet defends their right to privacy, while others see this as another instance of non-queer actors profiting off the LGBTQ+ community \u2013 with both schools of thought screaming past each other. In reality, this debate is decades-old and requires more nuance than the internet allows.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Who gets to be gay in Hollywood?<\/h2>\n<p>Some argue gay actors should play gay characters because their lived experience could inform their approach to bringing the character to life, making the performance more authentic. But actors are actors. Any actor worth his salt should be able to play any character convincingly, regardless of his own sexuality.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>This line of thinking is also predicated on the idea that there\u2019s something inherently different or unknowable about queer love. Sure, there are cultural and societal factors that complicate the queer experience, but at its heart, queer love is no different than any other love.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/17\/USAT\/87801280007-2248297223.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/17\/USAT\/87801280007-2248297223.jpg?crop=1145,859,x1015,y189 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/17\/USAT\/87801280007-2248297223.jpg?crop=1497,1997,x813,y2 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/17\/USAT\/87801280007-2248297223.jpg?crop=1574,885,x845,y172 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Harold Feng\/Getty Images\" caption=\"Connor Storrie, left, and Hudson Williams attend the premiere of &quot;Heated Rivalry&quot; on Nov. 24, 2025, in Toronto. The Canadian series focuses on a secret romance between rising star professional hockey players.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A more valid argument is found in those acknowledging the lack of gay representation in Hollywood, and argue that gay roles are opportunities to increase visibility for openly gay actors.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Despite outward support for queerness, <a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/kate-winslet-gay-actors-hollywood\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/kate-winslet-gay-actors-hollywood\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hollywood isn&#8217;t a safe, equitable space for queer actors<\/a>. There\u2019s a storied history of queer actors who hid their sexuality to not stifle their career options nor limit their marketability (in concealing their sexualities, the actors of &#8220;Heated Rivalry&#8221; get to play into the fantasies of the show\u2019s primarily female audience).<\/p>\n<p>What makes this even more insidious is that many presumably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/story\/who-gets-to-be-gay-at-the-oscars\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/story\/who-gets-to-be-gay-at-the-oscars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cis, straight actors have played gay roles to much acclaim<\/a>. Timoth\u00e9e\u00a0Chalamet, Paul Mescal, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matt Damon and many more have played gay characters and were praised by critics and award bodies for their performances. Eddie Redmayne and Jared Leto, two cisgender men, both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2021\/11\/22\/eddie-redmayne-says-danish-girl-trans-role-was-mistake\/8720144002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won Academy Awards<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2021\/01\/27\/jared-leto-reveals-his-oscar-trophy-disappeared-three-years-ago\/4288086001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">playing transgender women<\/a>.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>Yet, queer people are seldom given the opportunity to play these roles, and when they do, they don\u2019t get the same accolades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Opinion: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2025\/07\/17\/emmy-nominations-white-lotus-hbo-severance\/85249241007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">&#8216;White Lotus&#8217; sweeps Emmy acting nominations. Does it really deserve it?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s difficult to watch queer actors be pigeonholed and discriminated against due to industry homophobia, while straight actors can profit off of queer roles and amass a legion of online fans who defend their right to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Correcting this industry&#8217;s ills, though, is what\u2019s difficult. Acting is a job.<\/p>\n<p><media-oembed util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" provider-name=\"\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"oembed-container\">\n<div class=\"oembed-frame\">\n<p style=\"padding:.5em;border:2px solid #4f4bb6;margin:0 auto\"><b>Opinion alerts:<\/b> Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don&#8217;t have the app? <a href=\"https:\/\/static.usatoday.com\/mobile-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download it for free from your app store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-oembed><\/p>\n<p>As Jacob Tierney, the creator of \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d pointed out, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thepinknews.com\/2025\/12\/02\/heated-rivalry-director-shuts-down-question-sexuality-hudson-williams-connor-storrie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">it&#8217;s against the law<\/a> to ask a potential employee their sexuality during the hiring process.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, preferring actors of a certain experience to play certain roles has been done before. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fxnetworks.com\/shows\/pose\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pose<\/a>,\u201d an FX show that followed New York\u2019s ballroom scene in the 1980s and &#8217;90s, had a cast almost entirely of trans women and openly gay men.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>It\u2019s not impossible to give queer roles to queer actors. It\u2019s just not profitable.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Ambiguity is marketable<\/h2>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/04\/USAT\/87608637007-episodic-sabrina-lantos.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/04\/USAT\/87608637007-episodic-sabrina-lantos.jpg?crop=5329,3994,x669,y5 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/04\/USAT\/87608637007-episodic-sabrina-lantos.jpg?crop=3000,3999,x2100,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/04\/USAT\/87608637007-episodic-sabrina-lantos.jpg?crop=5994,3372,x0,y310 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max\" caption=\"Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, left, and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in &quot;Heated Rivalry.&quot;\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I feel that if the two actors in &#8220;Heated Rivalry&#8221; were openly queer, the show wouldn\u2019t get the same response. Of course, fans poking and prodding into their private lives to find clues about their sexuality is uncalled for, even if privacy is the price of fame.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>The ambiguity is marketable. But how can we get more representation with this sort of don\u2019t-ask-don\u2019t-tell ethos?<\/p>\n<p>The actors of &#8220;Heated Rivalry&#8221; or any other queer media don\u2019t owe us their sexuality. Expecting that puts undue onus on two young actors to solve a problem that\u2019s plagued Hollywood since its inception. No one should be forced to explain a very personal part of their being to the world, nor should they be forced to come out before they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Opinion: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2025\/11\/08\/katy-perry-bandaids-new-single-trudeau\/87151464007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Katy Perry&#8217;s new single puts a &#8216;bandaid&#8217; over her past flops. Is she healing?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The pressure to conceal is an amalgam of societal expectations of masculinity and our myopic view of sexuality, issues that are much, much larger than one show can solve. In 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/read.dukeupress.edu\/demography\/article\/60\/4\/1257\/381063\/Sexual-Fluidity-Implications-for-Population\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/read.dukeupress.edu\/demography\/article\/60\/4\/1257\/381063\/Sexual-Fluidity-Implications-for-Population\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sexuality is harder to define<\/a> as some prefer fluid identities over ossified labels, complicating this conversation further.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>But depictions of queerness in media will always feel voyeuristic and exploitative as long as openly queer actors continue to face discrimination in Hollywood. Art and the stories we tell are inherently political.<\/p>\n<p>Who we allow to tell these stories is a reflection of our society.<\/p>\n<p><em>Kofi Mframa is a columnist and digital producer for USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><media-oembed util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" provider-name=\"\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-12-17 10:31:02.670114808 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-12-17 10:31:02.670114808 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2025\/12\/17\/heated-rivalry-actors-gay-hollywood-representation\/87783232007\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Depictions of queerness in media will always feel voyeuristic and exploitative as long as openly queer actors continue to face discrimination in Hollywood. English actor Jonathan Bailey named People&#8217;s Sexiest Man Alive &#8220;Wicked&#8221; and &#8220;Bridgerton&#8221; star Jonathan Bailey is People&#8217;s Sexiest Man Alive. He is the first openly gay man to win the title. I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow2JLhCw:productID":"","_gspb_post_css":"","maa_idioma":"","maa_pais":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8303,8304,8305,8300,8306,8301,8302],"class_list":["post-74921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ubirata","tag-ageold","tag-debate","tag-gay","tag-heated","tag-representation","tag-rivalry","tag-sparks"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Heated Rivalry&#039; sparks age-old debate on gay representation - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Depictions of queerness in media will always feel voyeuristic and exploitative as long as openly queer actors continue to face discrimination in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/heated-rivalry-sparks-age-old-debate-on-gay-representation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Heated Rivalry&#039; 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