{"id":1042,"date":"2026-01-15T14:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/hockey-player-jesse-kortuem-comes-out-as-gay-inspired-by-heated-rivalry\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:55:13","slug":"hockey-player-jesse-kortuem-comes-out-as-gay-inspired-by-heated-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/hockey-player-jesse-kortuem-comes-out-as-gay-inspired-by-heated-rivalry\/","title":{"rendered":"Hockey Player Jesse Kortuem Comes Out as Gay, Inspired by Heated Rivalry"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Hockey player Jesse Kortuem<\/strong> has come out as gay after being inspired by the hit Crave\/HBO Max show Heated Rivalry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know many closeted and gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard by Heated Rivalry\u2019s success,\u201d Kortuem told Out<\/em> magazine on Wednesday, January 14. \u201cNever in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport,\u201d I\u2019ve struggled the last few weeks to put these emotions into words, fearing the impact on team dynamics, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cToday, I took the step to finally tell my hockey journey and my story. I\u2019m beyond grateful for all the positive comments I\u2019ve received from past teammates and high school teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kortuem further opened up about his journey in an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday, January 13, writing how he struggled to reconcile his sexuality with the sport when he was younger, and spent much of his career in the closet.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>‘Heated Rivalry’ Cast’s Candid Quotes About Filming Show’s Steamy Sex Scenes<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tHBO\u2019s Heated Rivalry is sparking intense conversations with its steamy sex scenes. Based on Rachel Reid\u2018s Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry follows two rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose animosity on the ice is just a front for a secret \u2014 and very passionate \u2014 romance. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kortuem wrote that \u201csomething has sparked in me\u201d to go public, crediting the success of Heated Rivalry<\/em>, which follows the romance between two closeted hockey players, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams<\/strong>) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a long time, however, the rink did not feel like a place where I could be all of me. I felt I had to hide parts of myself for far too long,\u201d he wrote. \u201cGrowing up as the youngest of four boys in the #StateOfHockey (Minnesota), sports and competition were not just what we did. They were who we were. 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. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kortuem continued, \u201cTo my younger self, that identity could never be revealed. I did not think those two worlds could occupy the same person, let alone the same locker room. Coming out in the 2000s did not feel like an option, especially with so little positive representation in the media at the time, and it would have been a social disaster at such a large high school. At 17, I walked away from the high school team and the brotherhood of hockey friendships I had developed from a young age for a myriad of reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kortuem said he got back into playing hockey \u201cat a high level\u201d as an adult, though he \u201cstill could not bring myself to be fully out on my adult hockey teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams Gets Messages From Closeted Hockey Players<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tHeated Rivalry breakout star Hudson Williams has been on the receiving end of messages from closeted athletes since his show became a pop culture sensation. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely the people who reach out, somewhat anonymously, who are like, \u2018I\u2019m still a professional player still, and I\u2019m still in the closet,\u2019\u201d Williams, 24, told Andy Cohen on [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOn the inside, I was still that kid in Minnesota hiding,\u201d he explained. \u201cLike many closeted athletes, revealing who I truly was to my team would change everything in an instant, their opinion of me, could bring negative attention to the team with the \u2018gay player,\u2019 so I never took the chance. 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. Even when the conversation turned to wives, families, or dating, I would quickly change the subject. If it came down to it, I would just tell them I was single, even when I was seeing someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, Kortuem said he found community in a gay hockey tournament in 2017, describing the experience as life-changing.<\/p>\n

He now plays for the Cutting Edges Hockey Club, an LGBTQIA+ hockey team in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a long, vulnerable road to move past the closeted athlete persona (something I\u2019m 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,\u201d the athlete wrote.<\/p>\n

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