lesbian heated rivalry wouldnât be in hockey because there are already many out queer women in hockey due to the fact that hockey is viewed as a menâs sport. the whole reason hockey is captivating for mlm is because it is a toxically masculine sport and the idea of having out queer men in that sport is surprising (requiring them to stay closeted/have situationships/etc), whereas it is not nearly as surprising for queer women. therefore, lesbian heated rivalry would actually occur in a setting like ballet, gymnastics, or some other stereotypically feminine sport (that has toxic feminine standards) where queer women are not as visible. in this essay i will
I totally agree that you couldn't explore the exact same themes in a lesbian heated rivalry, they do have their own, interesting shit going on.
Between the US/Canada rivalry (and then Chu and Ouellette getting married), homophobia from other players, fans, and institutions, and trying to get a new league off the ground after the first two failed, there's a lot of really interesting stuff you can do with women's hockey.
Hilary Knight has talked about the pressure to be femme and prove that hockey isn't a masculine sport while also being closeted. There are active homophobic players in the PWHL. The low wages force players to need for a second income. Hockey is one of the whitest sports in the US, and that's no different in women's hockey.
I love women's hockey and the PWHL. They've made great strides in recent years and having the league expand this year is a great sign. But sometimes I feel like people assume that because there are out lesbians in women's hockey that homophobia just disappeared.
