Kit Connor, a young British actor predominantly known for his work in Rocketman and Heartstopper, has recently been forced to come out as bisexual via social media. Following the wild success of Netflix’s Heartstopper, the 18 year old actor has faced months of vicious speculation surrounding the nature of his sexual orientation. Due to the intense pressure, Connor left social media for over a month, before taking to Twitter on 31 October 2022 and writing: ‘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’. Since his statement, Connor has received an outpouring of love and support from queer communities, however, this should not detract from the disgraceful situation which resulted in Connor’s coming out. 

 ‘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’

At only 18 years old, Connor has made quite a name for himself in the British acting scene. He has appeared in multiple productions, such as Get Santa, Ready Player One, His Dark Materials, and Rocketman. Most notably, Connor is best-known for his leading role in Heartstopper, Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel of the same name.   

Released in April 2022, Heartstopper stars Connor as Nick Nelson and Joe Locke as Charlie Spring. Charlie and Nick form an unlikely friendship at secondary school, and slowly come to the realisation that they are falling in love with one another. The teens have to navigate their sexualities in a pressurised high school setting, all while working out their true feelings for each other. As Nick Nelson comes out as openly bisexual in the programme, a group of overly intrusive fans have decided to question Connor’s own sexuality, taking to social media to accuse him of queerbaiting. 

When looking at the series that has unfortunately sparked this online hounding, it is evident how wildly inappropriate Connor’s forced coming out really is. Heartstopper makes a point of emphasising how impactful the process of coming out to your peers can be, and it is hard not to see the parallels to the situation that Connor has been put in by certain Heartstopper viewers. As Connor stated, it really feels like certain viewers ‘missed the point of the show’ when they decided that harassing the actor was appropriate. 

it is hard not to see the parallels to the situation that Connor has been put in by certain Heartstopper viewers

In the light of Connor’s heart breaking tweet, many have spoken out in support of the Heartstopper actor. The author of the Heartstopper graphic novel, Oseman, responded to Connor’s tweet, stating: ‘I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes’. Oseman emphasises how wildly inappropriate these actions are, especially in the light of the show’s premise.

Connor’s Heartstopper co-stars have also responded to his coming out, with Kitty Edgell (who plays Darcy Olsen) tweeting: ‘I love u kit I’m sorry this has been so disgustingly rough on you. been treated so unfairly’. Edgell brings light to the fact that Connor’s treatment has been incredibly unfair. He seems to have been singled out by these viewers and individually targeted with queerbaiting allegations. It appears clear to most that Connor’s online accusations have been entirely unfounded and unnecessary, and that the nature of his coming out is far acceptable. 

It is insensitive and invasive to think that any public figure could owe you intimate information concerning their sexual orientation

It is insensitive and invasive to think that any public figure could owe you intimate information concerning their sexual orientation. The situation with Kit Connor has ended with the worst possible outcome: his having to return to social media and being forced to disclose his sexuality to those who virtually hounded him about it. Demanding a public stance on an individual’s sexuality can be incredibly harmful, especially when concerning someone who is so young. 

---

If you enjoyed this, check out some more of our articles here!

The Ethical Dilemmas that ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ Chooses to Ignore

Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

A Commentary on Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral Coverage