Heartstopper star Kit Connor explains why he refuses to label his sexuality
Heartstopper star Kit Connor shares that he really isn’t interested in labelling others or himself. (Netflix)
Heartstopper icon Kit Connor has opened up about why he’s not interested in labelling his sexuality and why it’s important not to ‘pressure’ others to come out.
Connor won countless hearts for his amazing portrayal of Nick Nelson, a bisexual teen who discovers that he’s in love with his best friend Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), in Heartstopper. The show has been lauded for its authentic LGBTQ+ storytelling and has even inspired fans to come out to their own families.
This fame has resulted in some questioning Connor’s sexuality on social media, and the young actor addressed why making such assumptions can be harmful during an appearance on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast.
The host referenced a tweet in which Kit Connor called out people who presumed they knew more about his sexuality than he did. He said the cast of Heartstopper are “all so young” so any speculations about “our sexualities” may “pressure us to come out when maybe we’re not ready”.
“I mean, for me, I feel like I’m perfectly confident and comfortable with my sexuality,” he elaborated.
“I’m not too big on labels and things like that. I’m not massive about that, and I don’t feel like I need to label myself, especially publicly.”
Kit Connor has said he doesn’t “feel like I need to label” his sexuality, “especially publicly”. (Getty/David M Benett)
He explained that he felt that he was “sort of slightly calling them [trolls] out” with the tweet, and he “found it a little bit funny” that people would “just make assumptions” about a person’s identity in 2022.
“It feels a bit strange to make assumptions about a person’s sexuality just based on hearing their voice or seeing their appearance,” Connor said. “I feel like that’s a very interesting, slightly problematic sort of assumption to make.”
Kit Connor isn’t the only Heartstopper star to face vile comments on social media
Locke revealed that he had been the subject of hurtful trolling after he posted a screenshot showing his name in the Twitter search bar, which was followed by the words “ugly” and “gay”.
The 18-year-old wrote on Twitter that “everyone should be entitled to an opinion”, but he wanted people to “just know we see most of the stuff people post online”.
Kit Connor and Joe Locke, the stars of Heartstopper, have faced vile comments on social media. (Netflix)
Elsewhere, Yasmin Finney – who plays Charlie’s friend Elle Argent – clapped back at transphobia after a stranger made ignorant remarks towards her at a restaurant.
Finney informed her fans on Twitter that a random woman, surrounded by a group of “her peers”, “shouted” “Are you a boy or a girl” at the trans actor as she was “about to leave a restaurant”.
“I was clearly in shock when she said this and she then said, ‘I’m not transphobic I have trans friends,’” Finney recalled. “At this point I’ve given up hope lol.”
