Olivia Colman has spoken out in support of her Heartstopper co-star Kit Connor coming out as bisexual, while criticising those who “bullied” him to talk about it.
Connor, 18, shared that he is bisexual in November after some viewers accused him of “queerbaiting” – hinting at identifying as LGBTQ+ for social or commercial gain.
The actor responded to these accusations in a tweet. “Back for a minute. I’m bi,” he wrote. “Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”
In the series, based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels of the same name, Connor plays the role of Nick Nelson, a star rugby player who begins to question his sexuality when he meets and befriends Charlie Spring (Joe Locke). His character later comes out as bisexual.
Though Connor’s tweet was met with widespread support, people also noted that he should not have had to speak about his sexuality in the first place.
Colman, who plays Nick’s mother in the Netflix series, commented on the situation during a red-carpet appearance on Thursday (1 December).
“I am so proud of him, but I am not proud of how people bullied him,” she told Variety.
“I think people should be allowed to have their own journey. But I'm incredibly proud of him as a young man to deal with all of that and be in the spotlight. It's unfair. But he's amazing. He's a very beautiful human being.”
At the time of Connor’s tweet, author and show creator Oseman also condemned anyone who’d pressured the actor to declare his sexuality.
“I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes,” she wrote in response to Connor’s message.
“I hope all those people are embarrassed as F***. Kit you are amazing.”
Heartstopper is expected to return to Netflix for season two in 2023.
