Matt Kenny is now a distance runner finding his way back to the sport of ice hockey, which dominated his youth. | Photos courtesy of Matt Kenny, via Outsports
In a moving essay featured on Outsports, former competitive player Matt Kenny reveals how the hit LGBTQ+ sports series Heated Rivalry shattered fifteen years of silence regarding a secret, painful romance with a future professional player that ended in forced separation.
Kenny describes the “constant vigilance” and shame required to survive in a sport that felt like home but demanded the erasure of his identity, leading him to quit the game to find safety. After sharing his story publicly and reaching millions—including closeted professional athletes and families worldwide – Kenny discovered a massive, global community that replaced his isolation with belonging.
Now, he is reclaiming the sport by lacing up his skates for the first time in over a decade, writing a book, and collaborating with an AHL team to ensure the next generation of players never has to “survive in silence.”
Read more HERE.
