Shane Hollander
I'm going to copy and paste this comment/response I had to someone for everyone else:
Real people have gone through what Shane Hollander went through. They are STILL going through what Shane Hollander went through. Queer NHL players have already spoken out about how some of them couldn't even finish the show because of how scarily accurate it was to their irl experience.
So yes. It IS that fucking serious. Because straight people have always erased the sexual identities of irl people to fit their standards, expectations, and narrative.
Imagine seeing a character that you can so heartbreakingly relate to and coming online hoping to find a community you can read, watch, speak to, etc, only to find out that they've chosen to not only get rid of a BIG part of his storyline but they're mischaracterizing him along the way.
I cannot imagine being so privileged and ignorant as to come into a queer space and complain about it's occupants wanting the fictional characters that represent them in the media to be respected.
Because to me, writing an x female reader for a gay character, a gay character whose ENTIRE ARC is coming to terms with and feeling comfortable being gay, is so disrespectful. Ignorant. And lastly, homophobic.
Fiction impacts reality, and if you cannot control yourself enough to have respect for a fictional character's sexuality, then you're outing yourself as an unsafe person for queer folks.
It may sound dumb, childish, ridiculous... But you ARE in a queer space as part of the Heated Rivalry fandom and making it uncomfortable for queer folks, especially queer men (edited: wanted to add this includes trans men and masc enbies. Not just AMAB), by insulting them, attacking them, dismissing them, rolling your eyes and huffing at them for wanting a character that they see themselves in, that represents them and their irl struggles and experiences, get mischaracterized into something he is not just because you don't care.
There are millions upon millions upon millions of straight male characters you can write for. Go write for them. Or start writing for male readers. Expand your horizons.
And for anyone who's going to chirp in my tired little ear 'youve written m!reader for non-queer characters!1!!1'. There is a stark difference between a character whose sexuality hasn't been confirmed or is presumed to be straight because their sexuality isn't important to the story vs a character whose ENITE ARC ONCE AGAIN revolves around their sexuality.
The entire reason they have to remain secretive is because they felt unsafe. Even in the grand ole 2026, queer people are being discriminated against. Our shows are being cancelled. Our rights are being threatened everywhere. God forbid we, and yes I say we as a queer woman, have an online community where we feel accepted.
So, yeah, it is that serious.
If you wanna fuck Hudson Williams, then write about Hudson Williams.
Shane Hollander is not for x female readers, and that's okay. Hudson is up and coming. He will have straight roles you can happily write about without others feeling disrespected.
You survived watching two queer men in a sexual and romantic relationship. You will survive reading about queer men, if you're such an ally of the community.
Which is a big if for some of you seeing how you behave and respond to valid criticism. You, intentionally or not, come across as 'ally until it's inconvenient', and maybe you should consider why.
As for the people tired of seeing Shane Hollander x female reader, my advice is to block the blogs who write it. Don't report, don't send asks, don't comment. Just block. You won't hurt their feelings because they won't know you blocked them. The block button is there and free for a reason.
I'm also very trigger happy with the block button, so if you want to discuss, do it with respect. You can block people even on anon.