Heartstopper Star Accused of Queerbaiting, Forced to Out Himself
Kit Connor previously quit Twitter after accusations of queerbating, but the reason he came back on October 31 is not particularly positive one.
Heartstopper star Kit Connor, who portrayed Nick Nelson on the Netflix hit show, came out as bisexual in a bitter Twitter post, accusing people of "forcing an 18-year-old to out himself".
"I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye," he added, apparently hinting that his self-imposed Twitter hiatus is to continue.
Connor announced that he would put tweeting on halt after a video of him allegedly holding hands with Cuban Girl's Guide actress Maia Reficco triggered accusations of queerbaiting from fans.
Queerbaiting is a word that is used to describe a practice when any sort of a queer relationship is implied but never explicitly shown. After Connor's sudden coming out, fans showered him with love and lambasted those who harassed him into the unwanted revelation.
"Queerbaiting is a technique used in fiction, not in real life. You are not entitled to know anyone's sexuality, even people in the spotlight, and no one should be forced to come out just to please others." – @taIesofbasingse
People were clearly upset with how a supposedly freeing experience ended up in a true mess for Connor.
"Coming out should be empowering, but instead, unfounded queer-baiting accusations have forced Kit Connor to come out as bi to everyone before he was ready. This is so messed up. I hope he's ok and I hope the people who harassed him feel bad and actually learn something from this," Twitter user DavidOpie said.
The "forced" coming out felt even more "gut-wrenching" to fans who remember that Heartstopper promotes a message that such revelations should come on time and never be forced.
"Heartstopper was the first thing to make me feel safe and accepted as a bisexual person, and seeing that hstwt bullied Kit Connor into coming out is absolutely gut wrenching. That's the one thing that Nick Nelson was afraid of, and you've done it to the person who imbodied him." – @darcystrumpet
One fan on Tumblr even listed the occasions when the characters from Heartstopper addressed this exact situation in the show.
"Hey remember when Aled Last said "there's this idea that if you're not straight, you have to tell [people] immediately, like you owe it to them. but you don't. you don't have to do anything until you're ready" and Charlie Spring said "you didn't just force yourself because I'm out already?" and Tara Jones said "don't feel like you have to come out to anyone before you're ready" and Nick Nelson said "I'm not saying I want to have a public announcement, but I want to tell the people who matter" and when Geoff explained that Charlie getting outed was a trauma? remember all that??" the Tumblr user recalled.
Connor has been weathering the queerbaiting accusations for quite some time now, insisting that he was against labeling himself, "especially not publicly".
He said he would delete Twitter on September 12, calling it a "silly app".
His character on Heartstopper struggles to come to terms with his sexuality while enjoying the romance with Joe Locke's Charlie Spring, who is also queer. Season 2 is currently in production, likely to air in 2023.