Getting Real‘Heartstopper’ Star Kit Connor’s Honest Quotes About His Sexuality and Coming Out Publicly

The Importance of Bisexual Representation

The actor said that “male bisexual characters” are “especially” under-represented in Hollywood, during a Critics; Choice Award panel from November 2022.

“It is shocking because a huge amount of the LGBTQIA+ community is made up of bisexual people,” Kit added. “It’s a huge community but we really don’t get much representation.”

Reflecting on His Bisexual Identity

“It was just a very natural process for me; I didn’t really have an ‘oh, s–t’ moment. It just became more and more evident,” he said of his sexuality during an interview with British Vogue in July 2023, noting that his family was “super accepting and inclusive and wonderful.” However, Kit had some issues at school.

“I was in a very heteronormative atmosphere,” he recalled. “It wasn’t hugely inclusive. It wasn’t really accepted in a lot of ways.”

Becoming More ‘Secure’

“It’s the experience of maybe you’re too straight to be gay and you’re too gay to be straight. So it’s like, ‘Where do I sit?’ But I feel much more secure in myself now,” he told British Vogue. Before coming out publicly, Kit “felt like it wasn’t something I was ready to talk about.”

When it came to the public’s thoughts about his sexuality, the actor “wasn’t angry,” but “slightly disappointed by this reaction.”

Feeling ‘Forced’ to Come Out

“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 added in the same British Vogue interview. “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.”

His Queer Identity

“Telling someone you’re gay or bi or part of the queer community, there’s a thing where you feel like they might see you differently or think that it would change who you are,” Kit told The New York Times in July 2023. “For me, it’s just who I am. Coming out didn’t change me.”

He said being called queer is “more freeing in a way, less about labels.”

Using the Show to Feel ‘Safe and Comfortable’

“The show we’re doing is really setting blueprints for people to know how to treat these delicate situations, and how to make people feel safe and comfortable,” Kit told Teen Vogue in August 2023, referring to his coming out story. “It felt like certain people didn’t quite understand the show and the original message that we were trying to portray in season one. So if that’s the case, then we’ll just keep hammering it home in season two and hope that people listen.”

He added, “It’s regrettable what happened to me. I think it was a bit disappointing. The reaction that I got in just trying to be myself and trying to discover myself and putting boundaries up. But despite that, I was still happy.”

‘Disappointed’ By the Speculation

“I found it very disappointing, especially given my age — although I don’t think that it should be something that is speculated on at any age,” Kit shared while chatting with Interview Magazine in August 2023. “I really wanted to have that boundary. It was my private information and my personal life that I wanted to keep to myself. So, I was kind of frustrated with myself that I gave into it.”

However, the actor learned something about privacy during the entire experiences.

“There are certain things I want to keep private in my life. I’ve also learned that people are always going to have something to say,” he added. “Even with me coming out, people will still have something to say — whether they believe me or not, whether they suddenly think, ‘Oh, now can he play straight roles?’ But whatever they say, they’re going to say something.”