In 2022, the YA romantic drama Heartstopper dropped on Netflix and became an instant smash hit. Based on Alice Oseman‘s graphic novel series, the show follows a gay teen named Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), as he falls for a classmate named Nick Nelson (Kit Conor), who himself discovers his bisexuality. The show displayed- and with three seasons thus far, has continued to depict- a nuanced and vibrant portrait of life as an LGBTQ+ youth. I’m going to cover how each season portrays the experience of being LGBTQ+, how it impacted me personally, and why such a show is ultimately so important, especially at a time when the community is at the top of the presidency’s hit list.
Coming Out and Overcoming Bullying
When we first meet Charlie, he’s stuck in a secret relationship with closeted fellow gay student Ben (Sebastian Croft), who’s often quite psychologically manipulative and abusive. While this is going on, Charlie meets and falls for Nick, who reciprocates his feelings. Despite Nick’s initially fearful attitude towards the discovery that he likes boys, it’s the healthy relationship Charlie’s always wanted. Combined with the support of Charlie’s friend group, who I’ll touch on in a moment, and his compassionate teacher Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade), he eventually gathers the confidence to assert himself to Ben.
One of Charlie’s close friends is Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), who happens to be transgender. A new student at Higgs Grammar School for Girls, she’s familiar with the perils of being an out trans youth. However, through her friendship with Charlie’s BFF Tao Xu (William Gao), as well as new connections Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), she discovers that life as a trans person can be happy and fulfilled. There’s also some subtle seed-planting of more romantic feelings blossoming between her and Tao, so that’s just peachy-keen.
Dipping the Toe Into More Troubled Waters
In season two, the show moves beyond its initial setup of boy-meets-boy, and into more serious territory. Not content to simply tie up Charlie’s overcoming of his bullying in a neat little bow, it introduces hints at an eating disorder. Charlie won’t consume much of whatever’s on his plate. This is most likely as a result of the bullying he received after coming out as gay at fourteen. In a particularly dramatic scene, he even admits to Nick that, as a result of the bullying, he used to sometimes cut himself. Finally, though, in season three, Charlie finds the strength to pursue professional help, and even realizes he had OCD and anorexia. Not only is this storyline written and performed with raw sensitivity, it beautifully displays how having people to count on can make a massive difference through such struggles.
This culminates in the series’ best episode, titled “Journey,” where we follow Nick as he deals with Charlie being away from home, and Charlie as he unpacks and processes his mental health issues. Perhaps the show’s most emotional scene happens here, when Nick shows Charlie a montage that Tao made to signal the group’s support for him. Talk about tear-jerking!
In another bit of clever seed-planting, season two hints at Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) realizing they might identify as non-binary. they don’t care about having gendered teams during a volleyball game at the beach. They don’t like being called a “lady.” This arc was inspired by Edgell‘s real-life coming out journey. It comes more to fruition in the aforementioned montage from ‘Journey, where Darcy shares with Charlie about trying out they/them pronouns.
When Darcy officially asserts their gender identity to Tara, what makes this so revelatory is how casually the show handles it. Instead of making for some painful ordeal, Darcy- as well as their friends- are just relaxed about it, which I imagine would be quite refreshing for any youth or adults who also identify in this way.
Asexuality/Aromanticism: A Subject Far Too Overlooked
One topic the show covers with unexpected depth is the burgeoning asexuality and aromanticism of Isaac, another friend of Charlie’s. Now, not feeling either of those kinds of attraction is a foreign concept to me personally, but I love how nuanced this portrayal is. Like with Darcy, this is hinted at in season two, where Isaac reveals he had no celebrity crushes, much to the disbelief of everyone else.
Another boy named James (Bradley Riches) shows interest in him, which Isaac is embarrassed to realize he can’t reciprocate. In fact, he can’t feel that way about anyone. Later, in S2E8, “Perfect,” Isaac finds himself a book on asexuality in the school library, and hugs it against his chest, finally content with who he is.
What makes this feel so genuine is undoubtedly the fact that Alice Oseman herself identifies the same way, which lends the subplot much authenticity.
In Conclusion:
Why is this all so important? Because at a time where we face a presidency that’s actively hostile towards the LGBTQ+ community- including executive orders targeting trans rights and DEI programs, for a start- this isn’t just great representation entertainment (though it is both of those things). Its mere existence is downright revolutionary. I go into detail about the topics it covers because what creator/author Alice Oseman has done, is give queer youth of today a nuanced, relatable, and realistically hopeful vision of what their lives can be like.
Everyone deserves a great love story and a strong support system, regardless of whether they’re straight or gay or bi. To any LGBTQ+ person reading this, if you’re a young person struggling with your identity like I once did, know this: you are valid. You have much to live for. And I promise it’s possible for all of you to live a happy and fulfilled life. If you’ve never seen this show, definitely give it a watch ASAP.
Heartstopper is available on Netflix.
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