Omg, a real-life hockey player comes out as gay after a decade and credits Heated Rivalry

After the massive success of Heated Rivalry, a real-life hockey player has come out as gay after keeping his sexuality private for years.

Heated Rivalry, the TV adaptation of a book series of the same name, follows Shane and Ilya, two rival hockey players who develop a secret relationship. It’s exploded in popularity over the past few months and has inspired a lot of people to be more comfortable in their sexuality.

Jesse Kortuem, who has professionally competed in multiple hockey leagues, recently shared a post coming out as gay after the warm reception Heated Rivalry got.

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A post shared by Jesse Kortuem (@pelotonjesse)

“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 realised it is finally time to share a journey I have kept close to the vest for a long time,” he said.

“As a young teenager, I carried a weight that did not seem to fit into that world, and I lived in a constant state of dichotomy,” he continued. “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.”

via HBO

“I spent every week in a locker room with guys I respected, yet I still did not feel safe enough to tell them who I truly was.”

After the heartwarming Instagram post, Jesse appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show for an interview.

“For me, episode five of watching, Scott Hunter, he pulls Kip down under the ice, and the fans are cheering, they kiss, and the announcer says, ‘That’s great for Scott Hunter’, and we finally have these magical moments in sports and stories like this, it’s such a positive reflection of what our society can be.”