Heated Rivalry fans defend Hudson Williams over ‘queerbaiting’ claims after showing girlfriend

Heated Rivalry fans have jumped to the defence of Hudson Williams after he was hit with accusations of “queerbaiting” for sharing that he has a girlfriend. 

On Valentine’s Day (14 February), Williams, who plays the role of Shane Hollander in the gay ice hockey drama, shared a collage dedicated to his long-term partner. 

The 25-year-old Canadian actor wrote over the collage of photos: “With me since my 2000 gold Mazda Protege smoked and squealed and I had no job.”

Williams’ girlfriend has previously appeared on his Instagram, including in a photo he posted from Italy on 31 January. The post also includes a clip of them sharing an ice cream sundae. 

READ MORE: Hudson Williams breaks the internet with new pics as he makes big statement on Connor Storrie

However, following the sweet post, Williams has been accused of queerbaiting on social media, which usually relates to a movie or TV show teasing queer content while not actually delivering – in other words, baiting its queer audience.

Use of term has widely been criticised, with some suggesting that celebrities who are not open about their sexuality are “queerbaiting” fans. Heartstopper actor Kit Connor said he felt forced to come out as bisexual in 2022 due to accusations of queerbaiting.

In Heated Rivalry, Williams portrays a gay character who falls for Boston Raiders captain Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie. 

But up until now, Williams had kept his personal life private from fans and had commented on speculation around his sexuality, saying it’s “just the nature of a celebrity”. 

One person wrote of Williams on X: “Hudson Williams only talent is queerbaiting. The entire press of his for Heated Rivalry is just making sexual gay innuendos just for him to have a girlfriend. He is not sexy and he can’t act. His only talent is being fake gay because fujoshis eat up anything.” A “fujoshi” is a Japanese term that refers to women who enjoy gay male romance in media.

Comments underneath the post agreed, with one person writing: “Someone finally said it!” 

Another post criticising Williams read: “Hudson Williams the most queerbaiting GAY FOR PAY.” 

But fans of Williams were quick to respond to the hate, with one person pointing out: “He’s an actor for God[’s] sakes.”

Another fan wrote: “People abuse the term queerbaiting too much. Nobody owes you any extra information about who they’ve slept with to prove to you that they’re queer. The discourse around Hudson Williams ‘queerbaiting’ is deranged and ridiculous.” 

“The way Hudson Williams has been tackling these tender and sensitive queer subjects and shown everyone that he has a real understanding of the identity he portrays yet people are still engaging with him in bad faith is so sad to me and a product of ww conservatism at large,” a different fan wrote of queerbaiting accusations against Williams. 

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