Teen actor accused of queerbaiting; forced to come out

After months of pressure from online communities and the media alike, the star of the television show “Heartstopper,” 18-year-old Kit Connor, came out as bisexual on Monday.

In a tweet, Connor wrote, “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.”

The television show “Heartstopper,” is a Netflix teen rom-com revolving around Nick Nelson, played by Connor, a high school rugby player who falls in love with his classmate Charlie Spring. 

Over the course of the eight-episode series, Connor’s character questions his own sexuality amidst his growing feelings for his previously mentioned classmate. However when Connor was spotted in public holding hands with his female co-star Maia Reficco, he was quickly attacked by fans, with many accusing him of  “queerbaiting.”

Queerbaiting, originally used by politicians to attack opponents, has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community and popularized by tumblr users in the 2010’s is, “A term used to describe the perceived attempt by advertisers or canon creators to draw in a queer audience and/or slash fans by implying or hinting at a gay relationship that will never actually be depicted. Queerbaiting is most often — but not always — applied to television and film.”

At its core, the term queerbaiting was a well-intentioned term meant to protect the LGBTQ+ community from being fetishized and exploited by the film industry for profit. You can see elicit examples of this in television shows like “Sherlock,” where Holmes and Watson share many scenes during which there is romantic tension, and a relationship between them is hinted at, but never truly explored. Something that attempts to keep LGBTQ+ viewers guessing, in order to keep them interested in the show.

However, recently queerbaiting has morphed into something else entirely, with fanbases harassing celebrities for hinting at their sexuality or even simply doing something that is viewed as flamboyant.

Recently countless celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Timothee Chalamet, and now Kit Connor have been wrongfully accused of queerbaiting, and pressured into revealing their sexuality.

Simply put, a person’s sexuality is no one’s business but they’re own, and the way fans are treating these celebrities is a direct form of bullying and harassment. Someone’s sexuality is a very personal thing, and they should not be attacked to an extent where they feel forced to come out to the public.

Ryan Harris, a fourth year sociology major said in response to Connor being forced to come out, “The job of an actor is to mold into any character, I think that was simply wrong.”

As a society, should we really be policing peoples’ sexual orientations? Why must we force people to out themselves in order for their sexuality to be socially acceptable?

Meghan Lettow, a fourth year business major said, “It’s honestly really sad that he felt forced into coming out. No one should have to feel that way, figuring your sexuality out is a deeply personal process and honestly be difficult to come to terms with. I totally understand the need for LGBTQ+ actors playing those characters, but there needs to be some sort of understanding that just because an actor plays a queer character, that doesn’t mean you can go ahead and pester them about their sexuality.”

In the case of Connor, he’s an 18-year-old actor, and he was forced to admit that he was bisexual because he played a character that shared that sexual orientation. One’s sexual orientation oftentimes develops over time,  it’s part of discovering who you are as you grow up.

We must allow people to explore their sexuality at their own pace, instead of forcing them to publicly choose a label.