Hudson Williams, the 24-year-old actor who plays hockey player Shane Hollander in “Heated Rivalry,” has amassed an unexpected fanbase: lesbians on the internet. While both straight women and gay men are obsessed with the Canadian series, the sapphic adoration for Williams is rooted in a deeper desire for romantic queer representation. If “Heated Rivalry” is a fairy tale for fulfilling relationships in an era of hookup culture, as some sex therapists have claimed, then Hollander is the princess that queer women can relate to. In his seven-figure Olympian existence, we can step out of our solitary pining into an enviable characterization, one that is seldom offered to characters that look and love like us.
The WLW craze for Williams began in January, when beloved celesbian Reneé Rapp reposted a TikTok of the 24-year old Canadian actor with the comment “sorry but yum.” Her comment sparked an online trend, #lesbians4hudsonwilliams, where fans revel in playful adoration for the actor who has dampened underwear across the gender and sexuality spectrum.
