One of the reasons I liked ‘Heated Rivalry’ was the intelligent performances of the lead actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, giving nuance and texture to the development of a loving relationship between two men in an environment that made it unlikely to happen. Understatement, of course, and the prurience aside, their depictions of their respective onscreen characters was appropriately understated, and in consequence, authentic. Sidebar comment- in real life, I readily acknowledge that men do have sex from time to time, as do women. In consequence, given the long chronologic trajectory of the series, the numbers of times the two were depicted in erotic embrace does not seem inordinate. If a voyeuristic thrill is all you got out of watching the show, I might suggest you hie yourself to the outside world and engage in the real thing. Once and done, then return inside and watch all six episodes again.
Perhaps this sounds simplistic, but their characters were, albeit talented athletes, men who were focused on a career in an activity that they loved. It was the love of the game and devotion to their teams that took precedence, for much of the series, over their developing love for each other. I liked that fact and could identify with it and realize from my long existence as an openly gay man- sorry for the cliché- the landscape isn’t always that easy to navigate. And doubtless more complicated in an endeavour that, shall we say, is somewhat less than queer friendly
One of the best words I have seen come out of recent queer culture is ‘homonormative’, defining people of either gender whose sole divergence, if it can even be called that anymore, is the physical and emotional attraction to a person of their own birth gender. And I suppose, as a homonormative man, the two homonormative sports figures on the small screen resonated with me.
What then happened to cause them to get-up the way they did at the Met gala? The outlandish clothes, with capes and trains and bare skin, to say nothing of Hudson Williams’ cat eye make up reminded me not so much as anything except bad low-drag in the Castro on Halloween. Is that what they were going for? In any event the effect was cringeworthy. No question, the Met gala was every bit a place for both of them to be seen, but why kitted in ways that made them figures of fun? Not ‘having fun’, mind, but being made fun of.
The only thing I can think is that someone who manages them both- I doubt if any of this was their own idea- considered that homonormative is the same thing as gender bending queer divergent, and frankly, I resent that, that idea of then being stereotyped as outlandish makes it easier to marginalize all of us.
So, with the gender-bending some fashionista sought to accomplish with Connor and Hudson, we’ve all been victimized, and the good work that Heated Rivalry accomplished is being undone. And to what purpose? Sooner rather than later- and I hope sooner- these two men will take control of their careers and are not directed into become grotesqueries the result of a poorly considered campaign of some misdirected publicist. I hope sooner rather than later, the two actors who did such a good job portraying homonormative men will look back on this blip and be no more than just embarrassed by it.