Heated Rivalry has left a negative impact on the queer community just as much as it has left a positive one.
Hereās my take.
(Beware: OPINIONS. Scary, Ik.)
Heated Rivalry is a popular gay romance show and book (Heated Rivalry and The Long Game from the "Game Changers" series), and I will agree that the show is good and that I am active in the fandom. But in the fandom I see a lot of women. Now, women in this space isnāt a bad thing. Of course it isnāt, everyone is welcome in any fandom that they please, but there is a large percentage of women in the fandom causing issues, especially with gay men.
Before HR became a thing, fetishising gay men and queer romance was still a large thing. But ever since HR took off in popularity, the people who fetishise queer people have basically flocked toward the fandom with zero regard and respect for those who find comfort in the show because itās either relatable or decent representation.
Iāve watched men get harassed on the internet and get told āitās just a joke!ā By these women almost daily. Iāve watched men make entire videos saying how theyāre scared to post their same gendered friends online because of the comments they know theyāll receive if they do.
Of course women get harassed like this too, and that is just as vile, but this post is to bring attention to the topic about fetishisation in HR.
Itās become normalised for women to want MLM relationships but still want to remain a woman. Iāve seen SOME women fake being transgender just to āexperience gay lifeā, and I honestly find this very disturbing and disrespectful towards actual FTM men and gay men. Many of these people also view gay relationships as an aesthetic and not real people experiencing feelings and expressing them for one another.
Mind you, these women probably wouldnāt touch a bi man with a twenty foot pole.
People will probably read this and say āwell they could be questioning their sexuality and genderā like one of my irl friends did when I told them my hot take.
And very well, they could be. But I find it suspicious that women suddenly switch back and forth from being ftm and cis every time a new gay show comes out.
Iām not saying HR caused this. Absolutely not. What iām saying is that people have used being a fan of the show to fetishise queer people and take advantage of the 'harmless jokes' they can make within the fandom.
Not everyone is like this, not everyone is storming communities just because they seem to have āhotter and better relationshipsā, and iām not directly saying that people questioning their sexuality and gender canāt go around trying things out. What iām saying is that women should not romanticise gay men just because of a damn TV show about hockey rivals who gained feelings. Iām saying that communities who built their way up shouldnāt be ruined by people only wanting a āquick experienceā or to live a double life.
āāā
Anyways, thanks for reading my take on this.
The post may seem like sentences are out of place or things arenāt worded well, and thatās because I ofc decided to write and post this at 4 in the morning.
If you want to share your own thoughts or opinions on this matter, feel free to.









