Heartstopper star Kit Connor feeling coerced into coming out as bisexual has ignited an intense discussion online as fans seek to defend the young actor from the uncomfortable situation.
Connor wasn’t able to come out on his own terms, with the actor citing the queerbaiting debate over Heartstopper as leading to him needing to come out prematurely on Twitter. The outing of an 18 year-old actor has incensed many, as a supportive network forms a phalanx of protection around the star.
The ongoing debate of non-queer actors taking on queer roles in media has been a difficult one to navigate, and many believe the response and treatment of Connor is based in biphobia. Connor’s experience fits in with a larger one which seems to actively detract from bisexual people feeling themselves, and feels sinisterly ironic given Heartstopper’s own themes around coming out.
Perhaps Connor’s case is an important reminder of not seeking to actively label people, and to properly allow people, especially younger people, to come to their own realizations on their own terms. Nobody deserves to have a crucial experience in their life be made into a game of whispers and speculation, as many have pointed out.
Human Rights Council explains coming out as not something which just happens once per person, or in one specific way but instead a “coming out experience is unique and must be navigated in the way most comfortable for the individual”. The treatment of Connor has been anything but.
Heartstopper’s viewers failing to understand the message of the series, one which shows people have unique and personal experiences of coming out, seems to have been utterly missed by some. The larger debate of apparently non-queer actors playing queer roles feels perhaps not thought out to account for closeted and unlabelled people.
Bisexual people experience a different sort of commentary and discrimination, with some quarters deeming them not queer enough, as being promiscuous, or faking their identity. You do not need to always be dating someone of the same gender orientation to be bisexual, and any thought otherwise is a dangerous one which will lead to further alienation of a whole section of queer people.
Queerbaiting is something which has existed in discussion for a long time, but feels unnecessarily applied to a series which deals with coming out. Attention is arguably better paid to series like Supernatural which have attempted to pander to the queer community for longer by only playing vague lip service.
Heartstopper is currently available to stream on Netflix.