A straight Russian chic discusses Russian-Canadian gay sports romance! Join FL in a hot game of hockey.

Content Warning: Sexual Language, Mentions of Suicide.

Mentions:

HR novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heated_Rivalry_(novel)

Cheburashka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheburashka

Doxa vid on HR: https://youtu.be/L9ruQnm8kYM?si=8-PpfCbyGhhqlric

PH blockade: https://www.thedailyaus.com.au/crime/aussies-content-on-pornhub-09-03-2026

Dark Romance:

Penelope Douglas:

Birthday Girl

Credence

Corrupt (DNFd)

Five Brothers (TBR)

Navessa Allen:

Lights Out

Caught Up

SPOILERS: this is an extremely spoilerific episode discussing characters & plot, listen at your own risk.

Hot Open: passage from HR

Warm & Fuzzy Nostalgic Close: Chorus & 1st Verse of Wham’s Last Christmas: https://genius.com/Wham-last-christmas-lyrics

Sources:

Wikipedia: LGBTQ rights in Russia

LSE European Politics Blog: A history of LGBTQ rights in modern Russia

The Conversation: 30 years of LGBTQ+ history in Russia

CRIN: Russia's "gay propaganda" law

Council for Global Equality: The Facts on LGBT Rights in Russia

Equaldex: LGBT Rights in Russia

Russian Homophobia from Stalin to Sochi (2018, Bloomsbury Academic) 

Find me: @filmladyroyal on Letterboxd, Bluesky & Instagram.

Email: [email protected]

Extended Show Notes: https://kinoroyale.net/episodes/heated-rivalry-novel

Discover Film Lady: https://filmladyproductions.netlify.app/

Music - via Free Music Archive — CC BY: 

• Doctor Turtle - The Talons Of Adventure, The Antlers Of Romance

• GrW - Alaska 1

• Kirk Osamayo - (Ambient) Fleur

• LaFaena - Sexy

• Meydän - Away

• PC-ONE - Love

• Steve Combs - Love

• Tea K Pea - light

• YuraSoop - Beautiful Ambient

• YuraSoop - Nature Ambient

• Geoff Harvey - Purple Planet Music - Romance of the Isles

• Magenta Six - Christmas 1

Acknowledgment of Country

I would like to acknowledge that I live, work, and learn on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Darkinjung peoples. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.