Kit Connor has spoken about his experience of coming out as bisexual following online speculation and accusations of queerbaiting.
The Heartstopper actor came out publicly back in October, sharing at the time that he felt “forced” to do so.
“Back for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself,” he wrote on Twitter. “I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”
Connor plays bisexual teen Nick Nelson in the LGBTQ+ Netflix series, which follows his romance with Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and the journey to understanding his own sexuality.
The actor left Twitter back in September after some fans accused him of queerbaiting when he was seen holding hands with US actor and singer Maia Reficco in Paris.
In a new interview with Vogue, Connor spoke about the experience of coming out and elaborated on why he thought people felt it was okay to pressure him into revealing his sexuality.
“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’,” he said.
Explaining if he felt “forced” to share the truth online, he explained: “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 went on: “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.”
Speaking about coming to terms with his sexuality before Heartstopper, Connor said: “It was just a very natural process for me.”
“I didn’t really have an ‘oh, shit’ moment. It just became more and more evident.”
He added that his family were “super accepting and inclusive and wonderful”, but that his all-boys school was a “very heteronormative atmosphere”.
“It wasn’t hugely inclusive. It wasn’t really accepted in a lot of ways,” he said.
The actor explained that he’s “much more secure in myself now”, but said he was “slightly disappointed by this reaction” online, because it felt like something he wasn’t ready to talk about.
Earlier this month, Netflix gave fans of Heartstopper another teaser of the show’s upcoming second season.
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