Hello Out readers!
Are you still getting heated about Heated Rivalry? We sure are! The Out.com team loved episode 4 of the popular hockey romance, which introduced Connors, one of Ilya's (Connor Storrie) teammates on the Boston Raiders. While Connors has only just been introduced, we can't wait to see more of the character played by history-making hockey player Harrison Browne.
In a new interview with Bernado Sim, Harrison Browne discusses his role on the show and how he became the first trans athlete on a professional sports team in North America when he came out while playing in the Premier Hockey Federation from 2015 to 2018.
In the interview, Browne says, "It's really nice to see hockey be 'sexy,' you know? Hockey is an amazing sport that I think deserves way more attention. The response to Heated Rivalry gives me a lot of hope. There's an audience for my stories and the things that I want to tell. And that's epic." Check out the rest of the interview here!
While we're loving the show, not all gay men are! I Love LA star Jordan Firstman drew the ire of Heated Rivalry fans when he told Vulture that he wasn't feeling the show's queerness.
"I’m sorry, I watched those first two episodes of Heated Rivalry, and it’s just not gay. It’s not how gay people fuck. There’s so few things that actually show gay sex," he said.
Heated Rivalry star François Arnaud, who clapped back at the critique Friday in an Instagram comment. "Is there only one way to have 'authentic' gay sex on TV?" Arnaud asked. "Should the sex that closeted hockey players have look like the sex that sceney LA gay guys have?"
Now, Firstman has apologized, saying he loves the show, "and ultimately I'm a f*ggot who can't shut the fuck up but I'm gunna get better at that."
Keep reading to find out our Man Crush Monday and all the best pop culture news!
- Mey Rude
Heated Rivalry star Harrison Browne unpacks coming out as trans & historic hockey career
Toronto Film Festival; HBO Max/Crave Canada
Jordan Firstman sorry for calling 'Heated Rivalry' sex 'not gay' after backlash
Kenny Laubbacher/HBO / Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max
Nicki Minaj and Elon Musk slam Gavin Newsom for 'trans kids' comment
Frederic Legrand/Shutterstock | Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock | DFree/Shutterstock
Jason Collins, first out gay NBA player, reveals he has 'deadliest form of brain cancer'
Kathy Hutchins/Shuttershock.com
Meet the handsome hunks headlining Electric Forest in 2026
Brenton Ho/Billboard/Penske Media via Getty Images / Erika Goldring/WireImage / Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Man Crush Monday
Dylan Efron is our Man Crush Monday as he strips down in a sexy Santa costume! Check it out!
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