Heated Rivalry: Hit gay romance show inspires US hockey player Jesse Kortuem to come out in heartwarming post

The hit HBO show Heated Rivalry, which has become a pop culture sensation since it was released, has “sparked” a US ice hockey player to come out as gay in a touching social media post.

Jesse Kortuem, who hails from Minnesota and played ice hockey at a high level, posted a lengthy statement to his Facebook account which detailed his experience as a closeted gay hockey player.

In the post, Mr Kortuem described the “dichotomy” of being gay while playing hockey and said he lived with a “persistent fear” of being stereotyped while playing in high-level leagues.

“I wondered how I could be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport. . .I did not think those two worlds could occupy the same person, let alone the same locker room,” Mr Kortuem wrote in his post.

“Like 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 ‘gay player’, so I never took the chance.”

Mr Kortuem, who played in numerous ice hockey leagues around the US and Canada, attributed the hit romance series Heated Rivalry as having “sparked” his decision to publicly come out.

The show, which stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie and features a fictional romance between two male ice hockey players in a pro league in North America, was HBO’s ‘top debut’ for a non-animated series and has been lauded for its gay representation.

The series was also nominated in the Outstanding New TV series at the GLAAD Media Awards for its portrayal and representation of LGBTQI+ experiences, which also inspired Mr Kortuem.

“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,” Mr Kortuem continued.

Hundreds of commenters flooded the post offering their support for Mr Kortuem, who is one of very few professional ice hockey players to publicly identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community.

“Welcome out, dude. Thank you for sharing and here’s hoping that those teenagers in Minnesota and beyond can feel that little bit safer and start to understand that being queer and an athlete are not contradictory,” one comment said.

“Reading this gave me chills,” another wrote.

Mr Kortuem said he had been “completely overwhelmed” by the “love and support” shown to him after his post.

“Thank you for making me feel so seen and for proving that this conversation is so necessary,” he said.

“My mission is to ensure that hockey, and every sport, is a safe space where the only thing that matters is your heart and your hustle. When we remove the weight of the closet, we finally have the mental freedom to give the game our last 110%.”

There are currently no ice hockey players in the National Hockey League who are openly gay.