Hearstopper hit the internet by storm when it was launched on April 22, 2022. The story centers on Charlie Spring, a homosexual high school student who eventually falls in love with his bench mate, Nick Nelson. The show received great accolades for its portrayal of the homosexual and bisexual communities. The actors that played the major characters were highly praised for their acting abilities. Because they played a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, their sexuality has been called into doubt. Kit Connor, who portrayed Nelson, has been probed about his sexuality, namely if he is homosexual or bisexual in real life. However, the actor is not pleased.
Kit Connor’s Personality
It’s no wonder that Connor became a household name with the success of Heartstopper. Many individuals who have been in the closet have looked up to him and his character Nelson. In the episode, Nelson struggles with his gender identity and sexuality as he falls in love with his buddy, Spring. Finally, he knows himself and accepts his sexuality. Many others have been inspired by his steady growth, particularly to come out to their parents. While Nelson was just a role played by Connor, the two have been confused for one other.
As a consequence, many people thought the actor was homosexual or bisexual since he played a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. But the Heartstopper star was having none of it. On May 3, 2022, Connor turned to Twitter to express his displeasure with his gender orientation and sexuality. He described the platform as amusing since individuals there understood more about his sexuality than he did. He retweeted his co-star Joe Locke’s message the same day. It was a screenshot of a Twitter search in which the most popular Locke searches were “Joe Locke unattractive” and “Joe Locke homosexual.” “Primary school playground memories,” Connor wrote. The actor has not made his sexual orientation clear to his fans and following.
twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…
— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) May 2, 2022
Kit Connor Discusses Queer Representation
On April 22, 2022, Connor spoke with Teen Vogue on his role as a bisexual man and LGBT representation in Heartstopper. He praised the Netflix program for providing a “safe environment for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
He said that the program was for LGBT kids and individuals since they were witnessing something to which they could connect. He recognized the issues that the LGBTQIA+ population faced since they were seldom featured in mainstream media.
“Growing up as gay may sometimes mean that you don’t have as much representation,” Connor added. He noted that such representation is beneficial “not just for educational reasons, but also so that others can experience what it’s like to grow up and be a gay adolescent.”
Similarly, he was pleased that society had progressed to the point where major platforms such as Netflix were presenting LGBT tales. He acknowledged that gay representation was improving, but said “there’s never too much.”
Connor is also enthused over his role, saying he was honored to portray a bisexual person. However, similar to his thoughts on gay representation, the actor said that “there isn’t a lot of representation for male bisexual characters.”
Regardless, he believes that things will improve in the future and that Heartstopper was the first step toward success.
