Kit Connor Controversy: Queerbaiting Accusations Claiming Agency Over Sexualities

Eighteen-year-old Kit Connor, currently starring in Heartstopper was forced to come out to his viewers on Twitter as bisexual. This means he had to share the information with the world while he was not ready for it. So what does it mean to own your sexual identity? Can we belittle the emotional turmoil people from the queer community go through for just catching eyeballs?

For the uninitiated, Heartstopper streaming on Netflix is a coming-of-age teenage drama and a romantic comedy. The series is an adaptation of the graphic novel Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. It follows the story of Charlie Spring, Nick Nelson, Elle, Darcy, Tara, and Tao. It essentially centers on Charlie Spring played by Joe Locke and Nick Nelson played by Kit Connor exploring where their bond takes them in the series. 

What is Queerbaiting? 

Queerbaiting is deemed to be a marketing tactic by showing just enough LGBTQIA+ representation to reel in the queer crowd. Queer fans are drawn in and are invested in a particular narrative with the hopes of being able to witness real queer representation or relationships. It is when a narrative goes back on that unsaid promise that queer folks feel like they have been ‘baited’.

This process is seemingly frustrating a disrespectful for the queer audience to experience as queer appropriation seems to take place without confirming someone’s queer identity. 

Queer viewers seem dissatisfied with a narrative when a character shows both heteronormative and queer traits. However, not all persons are privileged enough to immediately find their queer identity. People take time to explore their queer identity and during that journey, the persons in the narrative seem to embody both heteronormative and queer traits. As everybody’s queer journey is personal, everybody deserves the right to do it at their own pace even if it means fluctuating between heterosexual or homosexual norms. 

Is Kit Connor guilty of Queerbaiting?   

Kit Connor plays the role of a bisexual character in Heartstopper. Even though the 18-year-old has loving fans, he also earned a few entitled critics along the way owing to the public nature of his work. Some viewers felt entitled to believe that Kit had no place in the queer-themed drama, Heartstopper if Kit did not identify as queer. 

These viewers were upset by Kit not wanting to reveal his sexuality openly for the world to know. Events took a worse turn for the 18-year-old when he was seen holding hands with actress Reficco who is openly gay. Kit felt the pressure to restrict himself to the character he plays in Hearstopper who was dating a boy. 

Some folks in the LGBTQIA+ category view bisexuality closer to a heteronormative lifestyle than other queer categories. To that extent, bisexual folk in the LGBTQIA+ category seem to be on the receiving end of shame and discrimination for openly expressing their sexualities. 

Kit Connor too fell prey to this discriminatory school of thought when enraged viewers started harassing him on Twitter for queerbaiting. Despite disliking labels and being unable to cope with such harsh criticism the 18-year-old took to his Twitter to respond to the Queerbaitng accusations flooding in. Here’s what he said, “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”

Can Accusations of Queerbaiting be Harmful? 

In his recent interview with Josh Smith, Kit explained that he finds it a strange and problematic practice for people in the 21st century to categorise others based on their mannerisms or appearances. 

It is when people do the aforementioned and when the said person refuses to be boxed accordingly is where the accusations of Queerbaiting start flowing in. Queer folk not getting real representation is a serious issue. However, leveraging that issue to coerce someone to come out of their closet to consolidate one’s demand is an extremely selfish and detrimental practice. 

There have been other popular celebrities, characters, and shows which have been accused of Queerbaiting in the past. 

Katy Perry has been accused of queer appropriation and queerbaiting in the past for her song ‘I Kissed a Girl.’ It remains unclear why someone needs to inherit a queer label to kiss a girl and enjoy the process. 

Will from Stranger Things has been accused of Queerbaiting for not embodying rigidly queer characteristics in terms of expressing his sexuality. Will is an adolescent in the show and it is unfair to put so much pressure on him to have his sexuality figured out to please others. Noah playing the role of Will is also an adolescent and it is unfair towards Noah and intrusive to desire to know Will’s sexuality. 

Coming out is an extremely personal journey and needs to be engaged only when one feels safe and in a privileged space to do so. One should not feel pressured to do so. 

Sherlock was another show that was accused of queerbaiting based on the intimacy that Watson and Holmes share. However, this narrative narrows the term intimacy as something that can only be physical. 

Someone’s unwillingness to come out should not be accused of Queerbaiting. Neither should straight people playing the role of queer characters be accused of the same. Queer appropriation should not be leveraged to force people to explain their sexuality. Someone’s sexuality is a deeply private manner that one has the right to disclose only if one wishes to.

The views expressed are the author's own. 

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Heartstopper’ Star Kit Connor Says ‘He Was Forced To Come Out As Bisexual’