I find Jake really hard to take seriously. He puts himself out there as this emotionally open LGBTQ+ advocate, but everything about his online presence feels staged. He’s conventionally good-looking, extremely fit, and clearly knows how to market himself, yet he acts like he’s just a normal, relatable guy who’s struggled to be seen. It feels fake.

Look, I’m not pretending I’m above it. I’m as human as anyone else. If a good-looking guy posts a picture in tiny shorts with a clear bulge, of course my eyes are going to go there. Of course I’ll feel a flicker of attraction. That’s just being human. But Jake takes it so far. He’s constantly posting sexually suggestive photos, playing up the innuendo, and then trying to frame it as empowerment or advocacy. It’s not. It’s branding and attention-seeking dressed up as something deeper.

An example of the double standards was when he started promoting home HIV test kits. At first it looked like a positive message about regular testing, but it turned out he wasn’t promoting the NHS or like the Terrence Higgins Trust. He was advertising a private company run by a friend, who profits from selling the kits. When I called him out on it, he just said he was helping a mate’s business. But let’s be real, the fact that this supposedly humble, down-to-earth guy from the “closet world of sport” suddenly has close friends founding HIV testing startups tells you a lot. He moves in very privileged circles. That’s not a crime, but it proves he’s not just one of us, and it would be so much more honest if he stopped pretending to be.

What frustrates me most is that he never acknowledges how much privilege he benefits from. Being white, attractive, able-bodied and working in fitness gives him a huge advantage. Yet he’s built this whole image around being an underdog. For a lot of gay men who don’t look like him or have access to the same lifestyle, his version of representation feels hollow. It’s presented as empowering, but it just reinforces the same narrow beauty standards and social hierarchy we’ve always been judged by.

Honestly, I’m just waiting to see what the next bandwagon is. Probably Jake on a flotilla to Gaza in a pair of designer speedos, holding a “Queers for Palestine” flag and filming a reel about peace, protein powder, and personal growth.

I know I’ll probably get a load of hate for posting this, but hopefully some of you get what I’m saying. And yes, I’m fully expecting a few replies along the lines of “if you don’t like him, don’t follow him.” But that’s not really the point. The point is that he’s built a platform under the banner of advocacy and representation, and once you claim that space, you should expect to be held to a higher standard. If you’re going to speak for the community, then the community gets to respond
 
I find Jake really hard to take seriously. He puts himself out there as this emotionally open LGBTQ+ advocate, but everything about his online presence feels staged. He’s conventionally good-looking, extremely fit, and clearly knows how to market himself, yet he acts like he’s just a normal, relatable guy who’s struggled to be seen. It feels fake.

Look, I’m not pretending I’m above it. I’m as human as anyone else. If a good-looking guy posts a picture in tiny shorts with a clear bulge, of course my eyes are going to go there. Of course I’ll feel a flicker of attraction. That’s just being human. But Jake takes it so far. He’s constantly posting sexually suggestive photos, playing up the innuendo, and then trying to frame it as empowerment or advocacy. It’s not. It’s branding and attention-seeking dressed up as something deeper.

An example of the double standards was when he started promoting home HIV test kits. At first it looked like a positive message about regular testing, but it turned out he wasn’t promoting the NHS or like the Terrence Higgins Trust. He was advertising a private company run by a friend, who profits from selling the kits. When I called him out on it, he just said he was helping a mate’s business. But let’s be real, the fact that this supposedly humble, down-to-earth guy from the “closet world of sport” suddenly has close friends founding HIV testing startups tells you a lot. He moves in very privileged circles. That’s not a crime, but it proves he’s not just one of us, and it would be so much more honest if he stopped pretending to be.

What frustrates me most is that he never acknowledges how much privilege he benefits from. Being white, attractive, able-bodied and working in fitness gives him a huge advantage. Yet he’s built this whole image around being an underdog. For a lot of gay men who don’t look like him or have access to the same lifestyle, his version of representation feels hollow. It’s presented as empowering, but it just reinforces the same narrow beauty standards and social hierarchy we’ve always been judged by.

Honestly, I’m just waiting to see what the next bandwagon is. Probably Jake on a flotilla to Gaza in a pair of designer speedos, holding a “Queers for Palestine” flag and filming a reel about peace, protein powder, and personal growth.

I know I’ll probably get a load of hate for posting this, but hopefully some of you get what I’m saying. And yes, I’m fully expecting a few replies along the lines of “if you don’t like him, don’t follow him.” But that’s not really the point. The point is that he’s built a platform under the banner of advocacy and representation, and once you claim that space, you should expect to be held to a higher standard. If you’re going to speak for the community, then the community gets to respond
I agree with what you’re saying and it’s refreshing that someone can see beyond the beauty for what it truly is.

It used to be that sportsmen would secure themselves a sponsor to enable them to focus on their training and competing but I think Jake confused sponsor with sugar daddy and he doesn’t even try to hide it.

I wouldn’t consider him a role model at all. If a straight young female was DM’d on Instagram by a man three times her age he’d be called a creep and she’d be called a gold digger or prostitute. The fact they’re gay makes it empowering?

There was nothing organic about the way they met and there’s nothing he says or does that can be inspirational to young gay athletes.