For those who haven’t yet fallen under the intoxicating spell of the new TV show Heated Rivalry (created by writer/director Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady, and adapted from Rachel Reid’s books), it may seem easy to dismiss as a steamy, niche gay series about sports and romance (to which I’d say, your loss!).
Throughout the first season, I was indeed and entirely captivated by this deliciously fun romp — but I was also intrigued and often sobered by its complex and compelling characters and their motivations and struggles. Viewers are drawn into the lives of Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), a star hockey player from Russia, and Canadian professional hockey phenom Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), as they begin a clandestine physical relationship that spans several years. By the last episode, we’re with Shane and Ilya at “The Cottage” — Shane’s private lakeside retreat where they can enjoy being in a safe space together and finally confess their love.
At the end of what has been an incredibly challenging year for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people around the world, Heated Rivalry gave us something we desperately needed: queer joy. I’ve been especially moved by the number of friends and colleagues across the globe who love the show, even in places where it’s not yet officially available — or may be banned.
In my own life as a lesbian — and in my work supporting LGBTIQ activists with Outright International — I’m constantly reminded that this kind of joy sustains us even in the darkest of times. The resilience and pride of LGBTIQ people quite literally saves lives. We also have something special to share with the rest of the world about self-expression and identity, accepting and including others, the expansiveness and abundance of love, creating affirming chosen families, and persevering even in the face of stigma, discrimination, and persecution.
Many of us have long yearned for more, diverse queer representation and authentic, positive storytelling — and many have also recently experienced rising and dangerous attacks on our rights and communities, and a devastating defunding of our movement across the globe.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 24: Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams attend the show’s premiere at TIFF Lightbox on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Harold Feng/Getty Images)So while I relish the unabashed romance, sexiness, hopefulness, and even humor of Heated Rivalry, I cannot entirely forget the harsh realities that so many queer, trans, and intersex people face around the world, including in Russia. The first season chronicles Shane and Ilya’s relationship between 2008 and 2017, offering occasional glimpses into Ilya’s life back home, where he struggles under the expectations and demands placed on him by his family, the government, and society overall — not to mention the potential dangers posed by his secret intimate encounters with men, if he were to be exposed.
After the two hook up at the Major League Hockey Awards at the end of episode 2, Shane asks Ilya: “Are you heading back soon? To Russia, for the summer? Is it safe?” Ilya’s response is resigned: “What do you mean, safe? What difference does it make?”
A few years (and episodes) later, when Shane suggests they try to be in a relationship, Ilya responds with frustration and sadness: “I wouldn’t be able to go home again. Ever. Do you get that? I would not be able to go back to Russia.” When Shane asks, “What would happen to you?” Ilya shares: “I don’t want to find out.”
For viewers who are curious about Ilya’s fears, let me share some background:
Before 2008 (when Shane and Ilya meet for the first time), there was some social and legal progress and growing LGBTIQ activism in Russia. In the early 1990s, Outright International (then known as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission) worked closely with activists in Russia, campaigning to decriminalize same-sex relations (achieved in 1993) and end the psychiatric hospitalization of LGBTIQ people, helping organize queer conferences and film festivals, and bringing anti-retroviral HIV medications and condoms into the country.
However, in recent years the Russian government has unleashed a wave of repression against LGBTIQ people, which is escalating rapidly with alarming consequences. As outlined in our Russia Country Overview, in 2012, a “foreign agent law” was passed, imposing severe restrictions on any civil society organization receiving foreign funding, including LGBTIQ groups. In 2013, the notorious federal law prohibiting the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors” took effect, banning any communication about the existence of LGBTIQ people or LGBTIQ issues to children. This law has been used to ban activities by LGBTIQ organizations, shut down LGBTIQ websites, and even target authors of posts on social media.
After the timeline of the current Heated Rivalry narrative, things have only gotten worse: The documentary film Welcome to Chechnya highlighted the brutal purges targeting mostly gay men in Chechnya, a republic of the Russian Federation, from 2017–2019, and the activists working to help refugees escape abduction, imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial killing by Chechen authorities. In 2021, same-sex marriage was banned in Russia, and same-sex couples were prohibited from adopting children. In July 2023, the Russian Duma (parliament) passed legislation to prohibit gender-affirming health care and annulled the marriages of trans people. This law further bars trans people from adopting or being legal guardians of children. In November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court ruled that the international LGBT movement was an “extremist organization,” effectively outlawing LGBTIQ activism in the country, with jail terms of up to 12 years.
As J. Lester Feder described in Foreign Policy, these restrictive laws have taken a disastrous toll on the queer community in Russia. “The executive director of an LGBTQ community center in Moscow said the movement is now backpedaling after years of encouraging people to come out…Most people she knows who were visibly out have left the country, and she and other activists now advise people living in Russia to stay in the closet for their own safety.”
Russia’s approach also impacts LGBTIQ people beyond its borders: The country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has deeply harmed and impacted everyone in Ukraine, including and especially LGBTIQ people. For queer people, the prospect of Russian occupation is particularly alarming, as it would likely bring with it the enforcement of Russia’s deeply anti-LGBTIQ policies. In addition, other countries have proposed and in some cases passed similar anti-LGBTIQ laws prohibiting so-called “propaganda,” organizing, or assembly, including Kazakhstan, Uganda, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ghana, and the U.S., where a wave of “Don’t Say Gay” laws have been introduced in more than a dozen states.
I hope Heated Rivalry fans like me who adore Shane and Ilya’s story will keep celebrating and amplifying queer joy — and help Outright International and our partners create a world that embraces and uplifts every queer, trans, and intersex person and family. LGBTIQ people exist everywhere, yet there are clear and disturbing disparities in the safety, freedom, acceptance, civil rights, and opportunities we can access and experience around the world. No country has achieved full equality and there’s a coordinated backlash harming our communities — even in places where significant progress has been made.
Fortunately, there are activists, artists, and allies in every society who are working tirelessly for social, cultural, and legal change (including Russian activists in exile); our most recent Pride Around the World report documented that Pride events were held in at least 100 countries in 2024. Many LGBTIQ people are also finding ways to access shows like Heated Rivalry and produce their own relevant and rich content locally.
While we rewatch season 1 and eagerly await season 2, let’s also support the queer, trans, and intersex people in our own lives and communities — and join in solidarity with the real Shanes and Ilyas across the globe who want to be safe, celebrated, and loved. Real people who, as the show reminds us, all deserve sunshine.
Katie Hultquist is the Director of Leadership Giving at Outright International, a 35-year-old organization dedicated to protecting the human rights and improving the lives of LGBTIQ people around the world. Take action here or follow @outrightintl.