The 18-year-old actor made a rare appearance on Twitter Monday, writing: “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.”
Though Connor didn’t specify why he felt forced to come out, some have recently accused the actor of “queerbaiting” on social media. The controversy began after photos emerged of him holding hands with Maia Reficco, his co-star in “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.”
In “Heartstopper,” Connor plays Nick Nelson, a popular rugby player who befriends Joe Locke’s Charlie Spring; the two develop a romantic relationship.
Alice Oseman, the creator, writer and showrunner of “Heartstopper,” immediately shared her support for Connor in a reply to his tweet.
“I truly don’t understand how people can watch ‘Heartstopper’ and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes,” Oseman wrote. “I hope all those people are embarrassed as FUCK. Kit you are amazing.”
In interviews with Variety, Oseman, Connor and star Joe Locke all spoke on what they hope the Netflix series, which started production on Season 2 in September, can mean to young queer people.
“If ‘Heartstopper’ helps a young queer person in their coming out journey, or if it helps a parent understand their child a little bit better, it is the most lovely and heartwarming thing you could hear and makes it feel like it’s all worth it,” Oseman said.
Connor added, “To have a show where you see queer people being happy and being together and united as a group, I think there’s something really beautiful about that. I think that shows like ‘Euphoria’ that are very queer are still very much sort of adult in many ways because they are very dark and gritty. I think it’s really important to have a show that is just portraying queer love and queer beauty.”
Oseman replied to Connor’s tweet saying, “I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes. I hope all those people are embarrassed as F**K. Kit you are amazing.”
Kizzy Edgell, who plays Darcy in the streaming series, added, “i love u kit im sorry this has been so disgustingly rough on you. been treated so unfairly.”
Following the success of Heartstopper on Netflix, the series was renewed for two seasons back in May of this year.
Heartstopper is the story of boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. When gentle Charlie and rugby-loving Nick meet at secondary school, they quickly discover that their unlikely friendship is blossoming into an unexpected romance. Charlie, Nick and their circle of friends must navigate the ever-relatable journey of self-discovery and acceptance, supporting each other as they learn to find their most authentic selves.
Two months later at London's Pride parade, Connor and his Heartstopper castmates wore rainbow apparel as they danced in front of anti-LGBTQ protesters.
Connor had previously spoken about the pressure he and costar Joe Locke had been under to publicly discuss their sexuality. Instead, Connor said he preferred not to use any labels.
"We’re still all so young. To start sort of speculating about our sexualities and maybe pressuring us to come out when maybe we’re not ready," Connor told the Reign With Josh Smith podcast in May. "For me, I just feel perfectly confident and comfortable with my sexuality. But I don’t feel the need to really, you know — I’m not too big on labels and things like that. I’m not massive about that. I don’t feel like I need to label myself, especially not publicly.”
“It feels a bit strange to make assumptions about a person’s sexuality just based on hearing their voice or seeing their appearance,” Connor added at the time. “I feel like that’s a very interesting, slightly problematic sort of assumption to make.”
In Heartstopper, Connor plays Nick opposite Locke's character of Charlie as the two high school boys begin a friendship that turns romantic.
Fans of Connor's raced to his defense on Monday, welcoming him to the LGBTQ community while admonishing those who had pressured him.
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