THE MIRROR | Graphic by OLAMIDE OLUMIDE
Internet drama forces Kit Connor to come out as bisexual
To be famous is to be separated from the general public.
Celebrities sacrifice their image and personal lives for heaps of money and recognition, and with that sacrifice comes an unfortunate truth: they will constantly be surrounded with constant discourse.
Discourse about their beliefs, discourse about possible plastic surgeries they’ve had, discourse about who they’re dating and whether or not that person is too good or too dysfunctional for them.
The sad reality is that it’s much easier to talk about someone when they’re not listening. Knowing this, many people assume they’re entitled to saying whatever they want.
Unfortunately the internet has opened a Pandora’s Box of unsolicited opinions about celebrities.
One of the most harmful and invasive topics circulating on social media is speculation about a celebrity’s sexuality.
The anonymity of a person’s internet presence, combined with the growing acceptance of conversations about something as private as one’s sexuality, has led to an increase in unwarranted and harmful drama.
An example of this is the drama surrounding “Heartstopper” star Kit Connor.
In the teen drama “Heartstopper,” Kit Connor plays Nick Nelson, a character who reveals in season one that he is bisexual. The character’s sexuality in the show prompted accusations against the actor, who had not spoken about his sexuality at that point.
People on X (formerly Twitter) accused Connor of pretending to be queer, also known as queerbaiting.
Their reasoning was baseless, relying solely on the fact that he hadn’t come out and he happened to play a queer character.
Pressured by the accusations, he responded on X writing,“Back for a minute. 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.”
Connor’s privacy was completely invaded because of an internet conflict that some didn’t think would even reach him.
Thanks to internet users with this shortsighted mindset, we have effectively stripped a person of his comfort interacting with people online.
Singer Billie Eilish has undergone a similar experience.
Ever since Eilish rose to fame, there has been controversy about her sexuality.
Variety magazine reports that Billie Eilish never intended to come out, but felt pressured to do so because of constant labeling she has faced.
“The whole world suddenly decided who I was, and I didn’t get to say anything or control any of it,” Eilish told the Rolling Stone in April 2024.
The main takeaway from all of this is that people need to learn restraint.
Sure, you face little to no evident consequences when you post an opinion online, but that doesn’t mean that opinion can’t be harmful or invasive.
The sex lives of celebrities, or anyone else for that matter, is none of your concern. Assuming that someone must be queer because of the way they dress makes as much sense as assuming a person must like Italian food because they’ve eaten ramen before.
Going so far as to accuse someone of queerbaiting is even worse. Queerbaiting is about taking advantage of the queer community for one’s own personal gain, and the incorrect assumption that one is doing so harms their work, their personal life and their own comfort.
You are not absolved of any responsibility for being a decent person the moment you log onto Instagram.
If you think that person from the movie you watched might be asexual, keep it to yourself. They may never see the tweet you sent, but you have just let an extremely invasive opinion run wild in the open fields.
So for the love of integrity, please let your thoughts just be thoughts.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 print edition.