I knew heated rivalry was a thing, but it wasn't until I saw Bravo's Andy Cohen, late-night Stephen Colbert, and our own Anderson Cooper live on TV, making jokes about it.

What? It's true. But I'm a bossy bottom.

Oh, my God. Stephen Colbert is a bossy bottom.

Wait a minute. Yes, he is. Oh my God.

Has Heated a rivalry made everybody insane?

Yes.

So Heated Rivalry is the little gay hockey smut romance that could, chugging its way to the top of the ratings, propelled basically by straight women who know the books that they're based on, and gay men, shocked by a show willing to depict not just queer sex,

but love and intimacy on mainstream TV,

which is just what creator Jacob Tierney intended.

I think as queer people, we don't get,

I don't think we get a lot of happy endings to our stories, and I don't think we get a lot of healthy sex in our stories between consenting people. I think there's a lot of trauma, which is real, but I think it's also nice to see the other side of that coin where this is just unashamed, unabashed, happiness and horniness.

And if you have no idea what I am talking about, this is the assignment episode Unashamed, unabashed, unabashed, happiness and horniness.

And if you have no idea what I am talking about,

this is the assignment episode for you.

I'm bringing on TV writer Ira Madison III.

He actually wrote a piece for Them Magazine called Are Men So Back Notes on Masculinity's Return to Gay TV?

Stay with us.

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