More men touching men, please.
Also, a date and time for the upcoming Dance in Company gathering is in the contents of consumption. You coming for some feel good connection and community?
Lads, Come here {Irish accent optional}
If you’ve been under a rock for the past month, and by under a rock I mean not on the internet, which quite frankly is impossible these days but just in case, then you might have missed the worldwide pop culture phenomenon that is sweeping the nether regions of women and queer people aplenty ~ Heated Rivalry.
In short it’s gay soft core porn. In length it’s gay ice hockey rivals, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov, played by newbies Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, living out man on man first love with sex scenes a plenty and has sent everyone into a corkscrew spin. EVERYONE. What started as a small Canadian show swiftly got picked up by HBO and has spread like wild fire around the world’s undercarriages and is flagrantly refusing to leave our consciousness.
We can’t get enough of it. It has made us rabid beasts. We don’t seem to be able to think about anything else and we’re not functioning properly. And it’s not {just} because of the sex. Yes, we came for the sex initially but then we stayed for the relationship.
We stayed because we saw a lack of power dynamics in a sexual partnership and it made us feel safe. We stayed because we saw men being open and honest with each other and it bowled us over. We rewatched multiple times because the fantasy of no one getting hurt or shamed or abandoned is ridiculously appealing.
It has united us all and given us hope and joy. It’s incredible. There are hundreds of think pieces and op eds and edited videos littering this fickle floor of the sticky web we live in. Game Changers, the series of books that the show is based on have sold out multiple times and have put the author, Rachel Reid, on many a bestseller list.
Why are we so obsessed? Where has this insane out pouring of love and infatuation come from?
I agree with many of the theories floating around about women feeling unthreatened by homosexual yearning and sex. I get why we want to look at fit, young men in the nude {that one’s a no brainer with a boner} but I’m adding a theory. The internet does not need another article about why we love this show so much but when do I ever do what I’m supposed to.
My theory is that what we’re attracted to is men expressing themselves in ways that we’re not used to.
We are fascinated with these men showing love and affection for their own sex in ways that women do all the time. Because, let me tell you, Fellas, women are handsy as fuck. We’re big huggers and arm squeezes. We pat backs, link arms, rub shoulders, smack butts. We kiss a lot and we sit on each others laps. We still share beds well into old age and we hold each others hands. It’s natural for us to express ourselves this way and we think you should too because it can make you feel so good. It shows kindness and care and love and respect.
The whirlwind press tour of these two young whippersnappers who have been flung with such force into the limelight has been the real highlight for me. In the past six weeks they have gone from unknown jobbing actors, with day jobs, to presenting at the Golden Globes and carrying the Olympic torch. It has been the internets absolute pleasure watching these platonic friends touch each other.
It’s really enlightening about the culture of how men and man-on-man affection is received because you don’t see that a lot. It’s taboo for men to be friends and grab each other a certain way or hold hands ~ Connor Storrie
I think I had my own biases, maybe that would be too strong of a word, but my own discomfort if I expressed myself fully, physically and affectionately, both with women and men. It would feel inappropriate. There are so many taboos. It’s much harder on men. I had to let that go, and I got to learn how freeing that is ~ Hudson Williams
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams
They are completely unafraid of physically showing us what the other means to them. They sit close, a hand on a knee. They hug and put their arms around each other. There’s praise and admiration and joy for one another. Utter joy. It’s like they’re shouting ‘Hey! Hey! Look, it’s my friend. Isn’t he great?’
Who doesn’t want that?!
So, now it’s your time, Fellas. It’s what we all need from you. I’m telling you. We need to see you connecting to each other differently. We need to see male sensitivity and communication. It’s going to solve the world’s problems, trust me.
It’s as simple as complimenting your buddy on his excellent traps whilst your have your arm around him as you sit next to each other in the pub. Shout out to my Bro in Law who recently told me what traps are. Or it could be a big hug and a kiss when you greet each other followed by a ‘You look great, Mate’.
The words might be easier to say but the touching is what really needs to happen.
In other cultures heterosexual men have no qualms in showing their affection physically. It’s not uncommon in the Middle East or India for male friends to walk down the street arm in arm, hand in hand.
‘But do people think they’re gay?’ I ask Gulshan as we stand in the cloakroom at work eating chips ‘If they see two men walking down the road in India holding hands?’
‘No! Not at all. It’s normal. They walk like this’ She says putting her arm around my waist and pulling me towards her ‘Or like this’ as she moves her arm up around my shoulders.
Let’s be clear, It’s not taking anything away from your masculinity. We can feel your balls shrinking as you take in this new request from us but chill, Buddy. We know that’s something you’re afraid of but don’t be. We’re all grown up enough to distinguish between physical closeness and sexual intent. And if people can’t? Tell them to open their minds a little. It’s 2026 y’all. Anything goes. Literally anything. A fourteen year old recently told me about furries ~ People who identify with furry animals
{Hold for silence}
If that exists in the world I think you can put your hand on your buddies knee.
To us your physical displays of comfort will only add to your masculinity and turn it into something different. Less toxic, More soft power. Which, on a base level, is incredibly hot ~ To men and women. Can you imagine what it would do for your ego, your street creed, your sex life?
Also, We all know you want to do it and we certainly know you’re capable of doing it. We see you getting touchy feely during sports all the time. There’s all the hugs and kisses in the world when a goals been scored, right?
Tell me you don’t have a massive smile on your face after watching this? Come on! Isn’t it great?
At The Restaurant the amount of man on man ‘wrestling’ and play fighting that happens between my male colleagues is sometimes ridiculous. Most days there are young men grappling and laughing with each other in my foyer {Sadly not a euphemism}
Just give each other a hug I feel like barking as I break them apart to let a pensioner shuffle between them on their way to the accessible bathroom.
Whilst you might not have seen Heated Rivalry {yet} or want to admit that you’ve rewatched the show multiple times know that these two beautiful, open and honest men have done you a favour. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have given you a permission slip. They’ve simulated a lot of hot sex on screen so that you can link arms with your best friend. They have showcased their friendship physically so that you can hug your homeboy more. They walked so you could run…..straight into the arms of your bro.
Save the world and start touching each other, please. We all need it.
📰Further AD WRITES should you so be interested…go on…I know you’re interested:
The Contents of My Consumption
~ Watching 📺~
Heated Rivalry | Sky Ondemand/Now TV
I mean, yes, I’ve been watching this hockey smut on repeat and you should too because I love discussing it with people. As mentioned above it’s a sexy show but it’s also a funny, well made one. It’s very clever with its obviously small budget, has incredible cinematography {The club scene at the end of Episode 4!} and has a storyline that will have you crying, laughing AND cheering. What more do you need? Oh also, spoiler alert. He ain’t Russian in real life!!!!!
~ Listening 🎧 ~
Good Hang with Amy Poehler | Maya Rudolph {Live}| Wherever you listen to your podcasts
After writing my last newsletter on wanting to be part of a team I realised that I’m always interested in anything to do with the old SNL gang being together because I guess they’re the ultimate team. Listening to alumni Amy and Maya talk about their tenure at SNL and just how great it was had me smiling from ear to ear. They’re ridiculously silly together and it was a beautiful antidote to a grey afternoon in January.
~ Theatre 🎭 ~
Guess how much I love you? | Royal Court Theatre | London
You know you’ve got the best of friends when they rip a small gifted tissue, from a stranger, in half and pass it to you in the theatre to dry your sodden cheeks. Thank you Yinka 🥹 Written by Luke Norris this new play follows a couple as they make life changing decisions about having a baby and how they weather the aftermath of those decisions. It is gut wrenching, visceral but also witty and uplifting. I would question whether it’s in the same category as Hamnet, which has been described as grief porn, but part of me doesn’t care when it’s acted so well. Rosie Sheehy was incredible to watch.
~ Reading 📚~
A venue has been booked in South West London, Lovers!!! And the date is…..
🪩🪩🪩Saturday 7th March🪩🪩🪩
💃🏻💃🏾 7 - 11pm 🕺🏿🕺🏼
The location for getting our groove on will be DM’d to all subscribers. As a free subscriber you get to come as you are. As a paid subscriber you get to come as you but also have access to a plus one! Whoooop!!! Not a subscriber at all? Get into the groove, disconnect from the internet and come be apart of something tangible and fun
Sicily | June 2023
If you’re not up to date with what Dance in Company is then catch up here and get that sweet date in the diary. It’s time to disconnect and then reconnect……
If you enjoy reading this post then please click that saweeet ❤️ and/or forward it on to someone else you think might be interested.
It helps me work out whether people are interested in what I’m producing….or not 🥴
Don’t be mad at me but I have Heated Rivalry a go and could not get into it! But having said that, I am all for men touching each other!
You need to change the date for Dance In Company babe…I’m away😭