A Boston civil rights group says the success of Heated Rivalry may have led to a spike in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment in Massachusetts school sports, especially hockey programs.

As Out reports, Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston (LCR) published an open letter to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell (D) outlining its concerns and urging Campbell’s office to take action.

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“We are currently seeing a surge of LGBTQ-related harassment in high school sports teams, with school districts and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (‘MIAA’) increasingly unwilling to adequately intervene when discriminatory incidents arise,” the group wrote.

The group notes that they have observed “a noticeable spike” in incidents involving homophobic slurs, locker room intimidation, team-based hazing, and harassment, particularly within school-affiliated hockey programs.

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“We are concerned that this rise is a backlash to the growing visibility and popularity of the television series Heated Rivalry — and the resulting attention, commentary, and social media discourse it has generated around gay hockey players,” the group says.

The Canadian TV series, which streamed on HBO Max in the U.S., was a surprise hit when it premiered late last year, and quickly became a phenomenon, particularly on social media. The show centers on the secret romance between two male professional hockey players.

“As Heated Rivalry grows in popularity — and as it fuels conversation about hockey culture and what happens on and off the ice — we are increasingly concerned about the backlash we are now seeing in school-affiliated hockey environments across the Commonwealth,” LCR wrote.

According to the group, the complaints it has received recently from student athletes at public high schools not only involve anti-gay harassment from peers, but from coaches as well.

“These reports include direct statements from coaches to players that explicitly police gender expression and use graphic, sexualized language,” LCR says.

LCR says it has received reports that students who are gay, or are perceived as gay, have been intentionally benched during games, denied meaningful playing time, and excluded from team events and activities.

“The concrete harm includes stigma, exclusion, and a hostile environment within a school-sponsored program — often with students fearing retaliation if they report what is happening, given the power coaches and team leadership hold over playing time, team standing, and future opportunities,” according to the letter.

In an interview with WPRI, LCR Executive Director Iván Espinoza-Madrigal said that such an uptick in bullying incidents occurring independently across multiple high school hockey programs in such a short time “suggests a systemic issue that warrants civil rights attention.”

LCR is urging the Massachusetts AG’s office to investigate patterns of anti-LGBTQ harassment in school hockey programs, ensure meaningful enforcement mechanisms within the MIAA to counteract harassment, and to hold institutions accountable when discriminatory conduct occurs.

“Heated Rivalry is opening up important community conversations, especially about LGBTQ+ people in sports,” Espinoza-Madrigal told WPRI, “and public discourse shouldn’t be chilled by bullying, harassment, and intimidation.”

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