Hockey player reveals 'Heated Rivalry' helped him come out as gay
American ice hockey player Jesse Kortuem opened up about how the hit series, Heated Rivalry, inspired him to come out after being a closeted gay athlete for years.
In his social media posts, Kortuem shared his struggles as a closeted athlete since he was young.
"For many hockey players, the sound of skates carving on that fresh ice is just a normal part of warm-ups before a game or practice. But for me, it is the sound of a place where I felt I had to hide," he wrote.
"I am a private person. Those who know me best know that I don’t share much if anything publicly on social media, but lately, something has sparked in me (ok – yes credit to #HeatedRivalry). I realized it is finally time to share a journey I have kept close to the vest for a long time," he added.
Kortuem grew up in Minnesota as the youngest of four boys. He revealed how he felt he "did not seem to fit into that world" and how he "lived in a constant state of dichotomy" during his teenage years.
"I loved the game, but I lived with a persistent fear. I wondered how I could be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport," he wrote.
He went on to lament how coming out felt impossible during the 2000s, especially since there were no positive representations for the community at the time. As he struggled, he made the difficult decision to leave his team, but returned to high-level hockey years later, still a closeted athlete, sharing how he feared that coming out would change how teammates saw him or bring unwanted attention to the team.
However, he reached a "breaking point" when he met athletes like him in a gay sporting event.
"It has been a long, vulnerable road to move past the closeted athlete persona (something I’m still working on today) and find actual peace through the friendships I have developed through hockey in Vancouver (Cutting Edges), Toronto (Misfits), and across the US," he wrote.
After his post went viral, Kortuem admitted that the reception has been "overwhelming," but in the "best way possible."
"For me, it was the fact that there are a lot of Shanes, Scotts, Ilyas, out there currently in the hockey world that are feeling alone," he told Out Magazine. "They're fictional characters but it's real-life at the same time."
"This stirred up a lot of emotions for myself, and I'm sure a lot of other people who are still in the closet...I want to let you know that you are not alone. You'll find your tribe," he added.
Heated Rivalry is a sports drama that follows two rival professional ice hockey players whose fierce on-ice competition hides a secret romance. It stars Connor Storrie (Ilya) and Hudson Williams (Shane). The series is based on the 2019 novel Heated Rivalry, the second book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series.
