Fans Rally Around Heartstopper Star Kit Connor as He Comes Out as Bisexual

Well, typically congrats are in order for when folks come out, but when people feel forced to let people into their world then it becomes a different ball game. Unfortunately, actor Kit Connor felt forced to confirm his sexuality and consequently came out as bisexual via Twitter.

The tweet reads “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”

This tweet comes almost a month and a half after Connor tweeted that he would be leaving the app stating, “this is a silly silly app. bit bored of it now, deleting twitter :).”

If you’re not familiar with Connor, he’s one of the stars of Netflix’s recent teen romance/coming-of-age series Heartstopper. Connor portrays Nick Nelson, a high school student who’s trying understand his sexual identity, while developing feelings for his clasmate Charlies Spring (played by Joe Locke). Heartstopper also features the talents of Yasmin Finney, William Gao, and Oscar winner Olivia Colman, who plays Nick Nelson’s mother. 

Heartstopper premiered to rave reviews and has quickly become one of the most popular shows on Netflix, as well as one of the most watched shows of 2022 so far. The series has also been lauded for its portrayals of queer and trans characters. Connor’s scene opposite Colman where his character Nick comes out to his mother was given extremely positive feedback from audiences. 

Connor is fully aware of how relevant and imperative it is to have shows like Heartstopper exist in this day and age.  

“That’s why Heartstopper is important,” Connor said for INTO. “It shows how to really put queer characters and stories at the forefront. It’s not to say that growing up we didn’t have queer characters and roles in mainstream media, but at the same time, there definitely wasn’t enough.”

And while Connor’s character and now he himself embody this representation, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental or physical health. Regardless, fans, loved ones, and Heartstopper co-stars rallied around the 18-year-old actor. 

While we can congratulate Connor for being able to embrace his sexuality, coming out should always be on your own terms and never feel like you have to do so.