Why was Heartstopper’s Kit Connor ‘forced’ to come out as bi? Meet the Netflix breakout star who played young Elton John in Rocketman and was invited to join Loewe at Paris Fashion Week
- Connor came out as bisexual on Twitter in November but said that he felt ‘forced’ – fans had previously accused him of queerbaiting after he was seen holding hands with Maia Reficco
- Heartstopper joins other successful Netflix teen shows like Young Royals, Sex Education and Elite – but the 18-year-old actor stays private, preferring to use Instagram simply to promote his work
Netflix star Kit Connor came out as bisexual on November 1 via Twitter – but his post wasn’t a celebratory one.
The British Heartstopper actor said in his tweet that he felt “forced” to come out as bisexual, stating: “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.”
Nearly two months ago, Connor tweeted that he planned to delete the app after being accused of “queerbaiting” when he was photographed holding hands with his A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow co-star Maia Reficco while in Paris, per Them.
The term “queerbaiting” originally meant media producers hinting at queer stories to gain support of the LGBTQ+ community, without ever having plans to actually follow through on them. However, today’s fans are increasingly accusing actors of “queerbaiting” by playing queer roles while appearing to be straight in real life.
Connor, who plays the gay character Nick Nelson in Heartstopper, had been bombarded by fans with inquiries about his real-life sexuality after the show was released back in April. He tweeted in May, “Twitter is so funny man. Apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do.”
Connor is now busy with upcoming projects including Heartstopper’s season two. Here’s what else to know about the rising star, besides the furore around his sexuality …
The child actor played a young Elton John
