According to exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, watching Heated Rivalry in Russia would be “an act of rebellion and hope”. In an article published in Vanity Fair, he explains that many queer people in Russia watch the series on pirate sites, as it could be accused of “LGBTQ+ propaganda” by the regime.
Ilya, a queer character far from Russian clichés
In his article, a Russian gay man testifies: “[Ilya] does not resemble either an extraterrestrial or a caricatured Russian gangster in a ushanka – the kind of Russian typically seen in Hollywood films. He is simply a human being – surely traumatized by a difficult childhood and trying to hide behind crude jokes, but ultimately just as terrified as his boyfriend, Shane, who grew up in Canada. [He is] just an ordinary, living, and vulnerable person.”
