How a Fierce Rivalry Became the Unexpected Catalyst for His Bold Coming Out Story

Kortuem played ice hockey in local leagues in Minneapolis during his teenage years, and occasionally dipped back into the amateur game as an adult.

It was not until he joined Cutting Edges, an LGBT-inclusive team who play across North America, in 2017 that he re-engaged with the sport – and it was only this year that he felt comfortable to be open about his sexuality with the wider hockey community.

Now 40, Kortuem says he had to “edit” himself in hockey – and life – to fit in.

But seeing the show, in which two athletes enter a loving relationship, stirred repressed feelings.

“I had to hide, and looking back now it was tough,” he says. “It was still a place of comfort, but a place I had to edit myself.