Russia’s anti‑LGBTQ+ laws haven’t stopped fans from embracing Heated Rivalry

The Canadian streaming drama Heated Rivalry, which follows a romantic relationship between two professional hockey players, has become a global sensation, drawing Russian viewers even as it violates the country’s 2022 anti‑LGBTQ+ “propaganda” law. The law, enacted by Vladimir Putin, allows fines of up to 400,000 rubles ($7,200 CAD) for “untraditional sexual relations” and was the basis for the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that the international LGBT movement was extremist. Russian fans now watch the show via VPNs or pirated sites, with more than 30,000 users giving it an 8.6 rating on Kinopoisk. Fans such as engineer Dima secretly stream while discussing the series on Telegram, highlighting the tension between state censorship and personal desire.