I also absolutely adored Elle’s storyline. Just came out as queer to my parents using nicks coming out scene in the show ? feeling emotional rn … /LKwAEyEWEV Within hours of the show airing on Netflix, one Twitter user wrote that they had used that scene to come out to their mum. It was so refreshing to see Nick’s mum so immediately accepting and apologising for ever making him feel like he couldn’t come out to her.
AM I GAY TUMBLR SERIES
Nick’s coming out scene right at the end of the series was everything I needed to see as a queer teenager. Nick finally having his bisexual awakening while watching Pirates of the Caribbean felt so familiar as well, that final “oh, I get it now” after struggling to understand yourself. When Nick watched a bisexual YouTuber talk about their coming out story, and that they didn’t have to choose any one gender to like, the relief Nick feels of finally finding a word that fits was so relatable. TikTok creator describes the scene in an incredible way: “It’s the self-realisation when we see Nick looking at these articles that focus on suicide rates and hate crimes, it’s the implications of what it means to understand that part of yourself and that how this identity will now be a permanent part of how you operate in the world.” Tw: mention of queer suicide and hate crimes #heartstopper #heartstoppernetflix ♬ original sound – MissMicae This is the information that young people should be able to find in school, not in desperate, late-night secret Google searches, hateful forums or fleeting comment threads. I also think the fact that Nick stumbles upon negative information also shows we need more positive, safer and reliable resources.
It’s very raw and very real, demonstrating that LGBTQ+ young people still need more reliable resources that can make the journey of questioning who you are a little easier. Nick’s desperate searches for information hit close to home because I also came across the same sources when looking for answers. I think almost everyone in the LGBTQ+ community can identify with how Nick feels in this scene, having a sexuality crisis and not knowing who you are. The terrible quizzes and generally depressing information Nick finds are very relatable as I felt the exact same way when I was questioning my sexuality and gender identity. The scene where Nick googles ‘am I gay?’ was heart-wrenchingly familiar.
Heartstopper has changed everything for LGBTQ+ teens.
AM I GAY TUMBLR TV
We lived off creating queer interpretations of the straight storylines we were given – a single longing glance between two characters in a TV show inspired thousands of tumblr gifs, fanfiction & compilation videos.
It’s hard to grasp exactly how much has changed in the media (and we of course still aren’t fully there yet) but I remember gluing my eyes to the very few openly queer characters I saw on TV, and almost all of them were killed off or faced horrendous homophobia and discrimination. Heartstopper is everything I wanted to see as a teenager.