The cast and crew of Heartstopper have rallied around lead star Kit Connor after he claimed he was forced to come out as bisexual.
Fans have also rushed to support the young actor, who plays Nick Nelson in the teen Netflix drama, after he shared a tweet on Monday evening.
“Back for a minute,” he wrote. “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.”
It’s not yet clear what prompted Connor’s tweet, but Heartstopper’s showrunner Alice Oseman was among the first to voice their support for the young actor and condemn those who “gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities”.
“I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes,” they wrote.
“I hope all those people are embarrassed as F*CK. Kit you are amazing.”
Heartstopper star Kizzy Edgell, who plays Darcy Olsson, also showed their support, tweeting: “I love u Kit. I’m sorry this has been so disgustingly rough on you. Been treated so unfairly.”
Many fans also rushed to show their support on social media…
Kit shot to fame after Heartstopper became a huge hit for Netflix around the world when it was released in April.
It tells the story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), a gay schoolboy who falls in love with classmate Nick Nelson (Kit).
In May, Kit refused to label his sexuality when he appeared on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast.
“I just think that there’s a danger with things on social media,” he said.
“In the cast, we’re all young – I’m 18 – and we have a few people in their early twenties as well and to start speculating about our sexualities and maybe pressuring us to come out when maybe we’re not ready.”
He added: “I mean, for me, I just feel like I’m perfectly confident and comfortable in my sexuality, but I’m not too big on labels and things like that.
“I’m not massive about that. And I don’t feel like I need to label myself, especially not publicly.”
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