Netflix's Stranger Things is facing backlash from viewers after writers devoted the show's penultimate episode to a storyline in which Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, comes out as gay.
In part because of the negative reaction to the coming-out storyline -- which appears in the third of three episodes released on Christmas -- Season 5 is now the show's lowest-rated season, earning a 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The episode itself, "The Bridge," is the lowest-rated of the entire series on IMDb, with a 5.4 score. All other episodes in Season 5 are rated 8.0 or higher.
Brock McGillis, the first openly gay professional hockey player, told PinkNews that he "wholeheartedly" disagrees with the idea that HBO’s Heated Rivalry will encourage more hockey players to come out.
McGillis, 42, played in the Ontario Hockey League and United Hockey League during a nine-year professional career from 2001 to 2010 and came out publicly in 2016. While he now advocates for greater LGBTQ inclusion in hockey, McGillis said the series -- which has drawn attention for its steamy gay sex scenes -- is just as likely to keep gay players closeted.
Swiss tennis player Mika Brunold has come out as gay, becoming only the second active male professional tennis player in the sport’s history to do so.
In a late November Instagram post, Brunold shared the news with fans and the wider sports world.
“One of the most important things I’ve learned is that success on the court isn’t just about physical skill -- it’s about discovering your personality and staying true to yourself,” Brunold wrote. “That’s why I feel it’s time for me to open up and share with you that I’m gay.”
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