Heartstopper's Kit Connor 'slightly disappointed' by fans pressuring him to come out

Heartstopper star Kit Connor is reflecting on his decision to come out as bisexual via social media amid looming pressure from the Netflix series' fans last year.

In October, Connor made a brief appearance on Twitter to confirm his sexual orientation and condemn fans of the romantic comedy — which follows Nick (Connor) and Charlie's (Joe Locke) relationship throughout their high school years — for "forcing an 18-year-old to out himself." He added, "I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye."

Now, in a recent interview with British Vogue, Connor said that his tweet was an emotional response to multiple factors in his life. "I'm a young man, so I'm already kind of going through certain things, in terms of just life and mental health," he said. "I just needed to let that energy out."

The British actor noted that coming to terms with his sexuality had always been "a very natural process" throughout his life. "I didn't really have an 'oh, s---' moment. It just became more and more evident," he explained, noting that his family was "super accepting and inclusive and wonderful," even if his all-boys school "wasn't hugely inclusive."

Still, when Heartstopper fans began pressuring him to come out and accusing him of queerbaiting online, Connor said that his sexuality "wasn't something I was ready to talk about." He added, "I wasn't angry. I was just slightly disappointed by this reaction."

The 19-year-old noted that he believes the show's fanbase felt comfortable demanding to know more about his personal life because of his decade-long career beforehand. He explained, "I think there's almost a feeling that because I'd been in the industry for a little while, there was almost this understanding that it's like, 'Oh, well, he can take it.'"

Now, in hindsight, Connor wishes that he would've come out on his own terms. "I think 'forced' isn't the right word I would use, but I would say that I would have preferred to do it another way," he said. "I also don't know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day I don't regret it. In many ways it was really empowering."

In the aftermath of his October tweet, Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman tweeted her support for Connor and vented her own frustration that its fans had missed the plot.

"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. "I hope all those people are embarrassed as F---. Kit you are amazing."

Heartstopper season 2 lands on Netflix Aug. 3.

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