The new HBO max series, Heated Rivalry, centers on two NHL superstars playing for rival teams whose public animosity hides a private, long-running relationship. What begins as an impulsive encounter develops into a years-long connection shaped by playoff battles, media pressure, and the constraints of being closeted in professional hockey.

One of the show’s strongest elements is the acting, particularly from Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. The two leads are relatively new actors, and that works in the show’s favor. Their performances feel natural and unforced, which keeps the romance believable. They commit to the relationship without overselling it. They play the awkwardness, competitiveness, and gradual emotional shift with restraint. The chemistry builds in a way that feels consistent rather than exaggerated. It also helps that the actors seem comfortable with each other off-screen; that familiarity translates into small, convincing moments in scenes. The quieter exchanges like pauses in conversation and subtle shifts in expression, are handled with as much care as the more overtly romantic scenes.

Despite operating on a noticeably modest budget, the show makes strategic choices that keep the focus where it belongs: on the characters. The hockey scenes rely on tight camera work and editing rather than sweeping arena spectacle, which prevents the sport from overshadowing the relationship. Many of the most important moments happen in confined spaces (such as locker rooms, hotel rooms and apartments) to emphasize the secrecy and isolation that define their connection. 

What distinguishes the series from many mainstream sports dramas is its focus on a queer relationship between two men who are genuine equals. Both are elite athletes at the top of their careers. They share comparable status, income, skill, and public recognition. Because of that symmetry, their conflicts are not driven by hierarchy but by personality differences and emotional hesitation. The tension comes from pride, rivalry and the difficulty of sustaining intimacy under constant scrutiny, not from one character holding structural power over the other.

The show also presents a version of masculinity that is competitive without being toxic. On the ice, the players are aggressive and focused on their performance, reflecting the intensity of professional hockey. Off the ice, the series allows them to show vulnerability, frustration and care for each other. Their emotional restraint is portrayed as part of navigating the sport’s culture, not as an inherent personality trait.Ultimately, Heated Rivalry stands out because it keeps the story grounded and focused. The relationship develops gradually through rivalry, hesitation, and small moments of trust rather than big dramatic gestures. By showing two equal men navigating intimacy in a competitive, high-pressure environment, the series portrays a believable and relatable romance.

At about 6:45 on Thursday, October 2nd, I walked into the bathroom on the top floor of Jones Hall and noticed something on the wall. Someone had used period blood, as far as other witnesses and I could tell, to write the f-slur in large capital letters on the wall. I notified the Jones group chat, as well as sending a picture of the vandalism to my RA, and the slur was cleaned off the wall later that same night. The next day, I met with Student Life to let them know about the situation; Ryan West assured me that she had been made aware and Student Life was looking into it. I have received no further updates.

I conducted an interview with Sunny and Cal, a gay couple living on the wing of Jones in which this incident happened. When asked how this incident made them feel, they replied, “Honestly, it just sucks. It’s exhausting… homophobia isn’t new to us – [we] have already dealt with instances on campus before, but this feels different. This isn’t just a queer event getting cancelled, it’s someone going out of their way to do something meant to disgust or intimidate us. It takes a kind of effort and intent that [we] still can’t fully rationalize or wrap our heads around.” While Sunny and Cal reported not feeling afraid for their physical safety as a result of this incident, they “do feel uneasy and…unwelcome. It’s a reminder that there are people here who genuinely don’t see queer students as deserving of respect or belonging.”

Sunny and Cal also reported having spoken to Ryan West and the campus counselor, and they say this isn’t the first time they’ve done so. “Queer people have been targeted here before,” Sunny and Cal state. “[We] moved dorm buildings because we’ve been harassed, and of course there was the drag event being cancelled because of someone that isn’t even a student here… queer spaces and organizations have been shrinking on campus lately, and at the same time, incidents like this seem to be happening more often. It’s hard not to notice that correlation.”

The drag incident Sunny and Cal are referring to happened during the spring semester of 2023 – the Gender Inclusivity and Femininity Team (GIFT) planned a drag queen event which was cancelled by college administrators due to alumni outrage.

“We’re not looking for punishment or anything crazy,” Sunny and Cal state. “[W]e just want to feel like we’re being heard and that our safety and dignity matter as much as anyone else’s. We want to know that there are systems in place to protect queer students from targeted harassment.”

When asked if there was anything else they would like people to know, Sunny and Cal said, “Even if you don’t understand us or agree with us, basic respect isn’t a high bar. Writing targeted slurs in blood doesn’t just affect the people they’re targeted towards. They make the whole environment feel uglier and less safe for everyone. It takes way more effort and energy to do something like that … [than] to just be kind to your neighbors.”

“And to whoever wrote the slur,” they continued, “we’re here if you need to talk. Come grab a Capri Sun and watch a movie with us or something. Hang out with queer people and talk to us before you decide on hate. We promise we’re not that scary.”

Read the full interview here.

Earlier this month, the internet forum Kiwi Farms was dropped by its primary service provider, Cloudflare, after intense public pressure protesting the website’s encouragement of hate crimes. 

Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Kiwi Farms has been known to be a platform for harassment campaigns, particularly against members of the LGBTQ+ community. The forum has historically been used for attacks on individuals, such as by swatting—sending a false tip to authorities so that police will raid an individual’s home—and doxxing—publishing an individual’s private info on the internet with malicious intent.

A new Kiwi Farms site went online earlier this week, but was reported to have major security flaws in protecting user data. As the site owner of the new Kiwi Farms forum works to resolve the security issues, they warn that account usernames, passwords, emails and IP-address may have been leaked following a massive data breach on Sept.19.

The effort to get Kiwi Farms removed from Cloudfare reached its peak after Clara Sorrenti, a transgender Twitch streamer known as Keffals, was repeatedly doxxed by the forum. Last month, she was swatted and arrested in her own home by London police. Sorrenti fled to Ireland out of fear, where she was found and targeted again in a matter of days.

These attacks resulted in Sorrenti reaching out to multiple news outlets and posting on social media about the harassment she endured. She led a #DropKiwiFarms movement on Twitter that quickly picked up traction.

In the midst of the situation, Cloudflare was hit with widespread backlash. The service ultimately decided to take down Kiwi Farms after violent threats escalated on the forum. Following their decision, users were met with a statement when attempting to access the site: “Due to an imminent and emergency threat to human life, the content of this site is blocked from being accessed through Cloudflare’s infrastructure.” 

Opponents of the take-down argue that by dropping the website, Cloudfare is censoring free speech. Others counter that the harm done by Kiwi Farms far outweighed any semblance of free speech protections that it claimed to have.

Since the removal of the Kiwi Farms forum, an anonymous individual  bought the URL kiwifarms.info and redirected it to the Transgender Law Center website, where people can donate to “advance the rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming people, defend our victories and ensure our movement’s strength.”

Well, that didn’t take long.

The United States has suffered greatly since the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was one of the most ardent defenders of women’s and gay rights. She championed the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which resulted in the legalization of gay marriage. Now, two Supreme Court Justices want to tear it all down.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito issued a statement earlier this week declaring that they wanted to repeal their previous decision on the Obergefell case, therefore stripping the LGBTQ+ community of their right to marry. Their reasoning? In Thomas’ own words, the court’s previous decision “enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots, making their religious liberty concerns that much easier to dismiss.”

See the problem here?

The first amendment in the Bill of Rights is often interpreted to require separation of church and state. The line that states this, usually assigned to Thomas Jefferson, is that the establishment clause of the amendment declares that they build a “wall of separation between the church and state.” This prevented one’s religious beliefs from interfering with their ability to serve the American people. This law ought to invalidate Thomas and Alito’s statement. Technically, they are not supposed to consider how any decision they’ve made would impact people’s religious beliefs, unless it specifically infringes on the right of religious liberty.

But guess what? It doesn’t even matter. There will likely never be a time in the American government that church isn’t somehow connected with state. There is a National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington D.C. every year hosted by members of Congress – it really doesn’t get much more obvious than that. The White House is adorned with specifically Christian-oriented decorations during the winter holidays, including multiple Christmas trees. It shouldn’t be shocking anymore that there are religious reasons why people think same-sex marriage is immoral. That right is now in very serious danger.

This address from two Justices is only one more stepping stone on the path to reevaluating the decision that Obergefell represents. Amy Coney Barrett, who President Trump has nominated for the Supreme Court, has been very vocal about her Catholic beliefs. In 2015, she voiced her dissent with the Supreme Court’s decision to allow gay marriage. Should she truly be appointed to the Supreme Court, it’s almost inevitable that the decision will be appealed. Obergefell barely made it last time, scraping by with a 5-4 outcome. Barrett would sway that vote in the opposite direction.

I don’t know how many times the LGBTQ+ community needs to say it for it to sink in: gay rights are not – and should not be – a political issue. Someone’s mere existence should not be perceived as a threat to “religious liberty.” I’m amazed that this is still up for debate in the year 2020. There are bigger fish to fry. Aren’t we still in the middle of a global pandemic? The focus should not be on whether or LGBTQ+ individuals should be legally allowed to declare their love for one another.

All things considered, removing Obergefell invalidates the existence of millions of LGBTQ+ Americans, including those who are already married. There should be no reason at all that LGBTQ+ individuals pose some kind of a threat to those with religious values. By even considering repealing the case, the rights of such a marginalized community will be greatly impacted. Repealing this decision will be a major step backward in the fight for civil rights for all minorities in this country. The LGBTQ+ community is in serious trouble, and something needs to be done about it.