Netflix’s “Heartstopper” Strives For Representation
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The on-screen adaptation of Alice Osemans best selling series Heartstopper hit Netflix on April 22nd and took the world by storm. Although the show is a coming-of-age story, it highlights young queer love and brings awareness to everyday issues queer teens face. Throughout the show, viewers see characters deal with a variety of problems that have a great impact on LGBTQ+ teens. At the beginning of the show, we learn that Charlie Spring, the main character, is used as an experiment. Charlie gets into a relationship with a boy in the year above him, Ben Hope. Charlie was the only openly gay person at his school after being outed the year before. Ben took advantage of this and “dated'' Charlie purely for the means of using him to experiment, not caring for Charlie’s feelings. Many queer teens can relate to Charlie’s devastation that is shown on-screen. We’ve been outed before we were ready and had to suffer through bullying and harassment at the hands of our classmates. We’ve been used as an experiment only to be left behind because they never did care about you. It is a pain like no other that many gay people have experienced, and the show highlighted this beautifully.
The show also details the stereotypes placed on the LGBTQ+ community. Charlie joins the rugby team, and many of the players speculate that he is not able to play sports well since he is gay. This is the first of many times where Charlie is picked on for being gay. Later in the show, one of the main antagonists, Harry, asks him if he’s sure he’s gay, claiming that Charlie doesn’t even look gay. Another character in the show, Tara, comes out as a lesbian and is met with many homophobic comments. People start commenting on her posts, calling her a waste, and also claiming that she doesn't even look like a lesbian. Some of her classmates even go as far as to say, “don’t look at her; you’ll catch the lesbian disease,” when she isn’t looking. These instances highlight the stereotypes and prejudices held against gay people in the show and in everyday life. Many believe that queer people have to fit a certain stereotype, but in reality, no matter what they look like, anyone can be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Just like Tara’s classmates in the show, many also believe that being gay depletes someone of their humanity, considering it an illness that needs to be cured.
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Along with showcasing the issues gay teens face, the show also includes problems that transgender teenagers deal with. Elle, a character in Heartstopper, transfers to an all-girls school halfway through the year as she has come out and transitioned. Along with Charlie, she was bullied and harassed by her classmates and even some of her teachers, one of which refused to call her by her chosen name. Elle’s character is a perfect representation of how transgender teens are often mistreated. The show also shines light on bi-erasure. Often times bisexual people are forgotten depending on the relationships they are in. They’re categorized as just straight or just gay, often times leaving the bisexual identity invalidated. The show’s character Nick identifies as bisexual, but before he and Charlie start dating, everyone assumes he’s straight since he had dated girls in the past.
On top of the show's discussion of homophobia and transphobia, Heartstopper represents LGBTQ+ people in a light-hearted and happy way. Many shows that feature queer characters have plot lines that leave these characters with sad endings, making a lot of queer teens feel as though they’ll never get a happy ending. However, Heartstopper shows queer teens in happy relationships with healthy communication. This is monumental for the LGBTQ+ community because, for many younger members, it may be the first example of happy and successful queer relationships. The show highlights how it's okay to not be ready to come out and not know how you identify right away. Tons of people think that they have to know right away how they identify, but in reality, many of us don’t know how we identify for a while and go through a few labels until we find one that feels fitting. In order to have a realistic representation, Nextflix cast LGBTQ+ actors to fit the roles. LGBTQ+ is important for the community to see because often times straight actors are cast to play gay characters, leaving gay actors with fewer opportunities to play characters they can relate to. “Heartstopper'' went the extra mile and featured a soundtrack made up of almost entirely LGBTQ+ artists. By broadening their representation and inclusion, Netflix is able to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth.
Seeing young LGBTQ+ characters in happy and healthy relationships is inspiring for many young adults.
Strike out,
Writer: Ainsley McCullen
Editors: Marissa DeMaio & Madison Sloan
Saint Augustine
