do you remember when being a fan was something not necessarily toxic? You got excited about the premieres, you made fanzines, you went to the events, with luck you could get an autograph… Now, the world of fandom has changed so much because of social networks that it has made many actors not want to know anything about the themselves, feel threatened or have to talk about their sexuality by force. The latter is what has happened to Kit Connor, the protagonist of, paradoxically, ‘Heartstopper’, a series from which his followers have learned very little.
It’s a dumb app
To understand what happened, you have to go back to the promotional interviews for the Netflix series, in which Connor refused to reveal his sexual identityamong other things because he was a minor and did not feel prepared. The fans took for granted that he was gay and, therefore, they were furious when they saw him hand in hand with Maia Reficcoher co-star in ‘A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow’.
The fandom accused Connor of queerbaiting (or, what amounts to the same thing, of lying when pretending to be part of the group to gain followers) and, as is normal on Twitter, the insults and threats increased. In September, the actor tweeted “This is such a dumb app. I’m a bit bored with it now, I’m deleting Twitter :)”something that did not appease the fury of his followers, who continued to accuse him until yesterday he was forced to come out of the closet.
An inalienable right that we should all have over our sexuality is that of decide when and how to open up about it. Connor hasn’t been allowed to, and you can tell he’s not comfortable about it.
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
— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) October 31, 2022
I’ll be back in a minute. I’m bisexual. Thank you for forcing an 18 year old out of the closet. I think some of you did not understand the series. Bye.
Whatever sexual or political leanings you have, it’s easy to understand why. forcing an 18-year-old to explain their sexuality is not, in any way, right. Of course, the followers who wanted to know so much how he defined himself have gone on to tell him that “You have to protect him at all costs” and his co-star, Joe Locke, has responded “You don’t owe anyone anything. I’m so proud of you, my friend.”
He is not the only person related to the saga who has wanted to give his point of view. Alice Oseman, the creator of the comics, has explained “I really I don’t understand how people can watch ‘Heartstopper’ and then spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes. I hope all those people are ashamed of the HOST. kit you are amazing“.
For now, fans of the series will be able to see Connor for at least two more seasonsalthough Netflix has not yet given a release date for the second part.