Love for Heartstopper
By Sarah Solomon, 20, Contributor
October 13, 2022
first season of netflix stopshearts, which was released in April 2022, gained a lot of love for the fictional couple Charlie and Nick. Based on the graphic novels of the same name by Alice Oseman, the show features Charlie and Nick, as well as teenage characters like Tara, Darcy, Elle, and Tao. Most of the main characters are gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual.
It has been amazing to see this positive representation! Having a show where the majority of the cast is LGBTQ+ is very important. In honor of October being LGBTQ+ History Month, a time meant to focus on the history of LGBTQ+ people and increase awareness and visibility, I wanted to give stopshearts A shout!
A holistic vision
While many shows now have LGBTQ+ characters, they are usually not the focus. We see some homophobia in stopshearts, but we also see how positivity outweighs negativity. The show gives us a holistic view of what it’s like to be LGBTQ+, as the characters, unfortunately, deal with homophobia and/or transphobia, but are also involved in happy relationships and friendships, just like any straight and/or cisgender person.
it’s ok to question
something more than stopshearts does a good job of portraying is when someone is confused about their sexual orientation. For example, we see Nick, who thinks he’s straight, develop feelings for Charlie. He begins to research bisexuality and eventually identifies as bi. But Charlie never insists that Nick come out until he’s ready to do it on his own terms.
Seeing a character question their sexual orientation makes the show more relatable to people who haven’t figured out how they identify. Nick shows us that it’s okay not to know and explore your sexual identity.
Heartstopper’s Beauty
This show will always have a special place in my heart as there is a character that identifies the same way as I do. But more importantly, it shines because it’s a positive love story between two teenage boys. The first time I watched, I cried through almost every episode, not because it was sad, but because I was and am. so happy that the show highlights all the positivity in LGBTQ+ relationships.
Season 2 is already in production and I’m excited for it to come out! if you haven’t seen stopshearts however, I apologize for any spoilers and highly encourage you to watch it, during LGBTQ+ History Month and in any month!
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