The best LGBTQ show so far
With the increasing representation in television, there has been a lot of new media based on the LGBTQ community. Some shows overpack their shows with stereotypes and centralize their stories on anything but the fact that their characters are LGBTQ. However, the new TV adaption of the comic Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is a perfect representation of anyone in the community, no matter how you identify.
Heartstopper is a show centered around a gay teen named Charlie Spring who is continuously bullied for being the only openly gay kid in school. After a random seating assignment, he finds himself next to Nick Nelson, the star of the school’s rugby team. They end up blossoming a relationship together, leading to Nick coming out as bisexual. They are accompanied by their friends Elle, Tao, Darcy and Tar as they navigate their identities and school together. While there are many more characters in the rest of the comic series (we’ll see them in season two), this group of six already has a lot of representation for young teens to look toward.
1. The two main characters aren’t the only people who are LGBTQ.
Within the core six characters, there are five who are a part of the LGBTQ community. And we hit every letter, ladies and gents — gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, it goes on and on. In so many modern LGBTQ films, only the two main characters are a part of the community, which alienates them from their peers. However, this is not the case in Heartstopper. In fact, we see all of the characters bond over their coming out experiences, realizations, struggles and successes in regards to their identities as well.
2. Nick’s coming out story isn’t dramatic.
One of the most important reasons I think Heartstopper is good representation is due to Nick Nelson’s coming out story and arc. From the beginning of the series, we can see Nick’s inner conflict as he realizes his feelings for Charlie. We see him try to ignore the words of his friends making fun of others, stand up for his newfound friends and come to terms with his sexuality. However, the most important thing to note here is that Nick never loses his other sense of identity, nor acts as if he needs to change to come to terms with his new identity. When he comes out to his mom, he tells his mom he hasn’t changed. I believe this is one of the key moments that really make this show shine. When he tells Charlie he thinks he might be bisexual, Charlie smiles and gives him a hug. There isn’t a sob story; it’s an internal conflict that Nick is dealing with himself. It is nobody’s business but his own and those he cares about. This shows young LGBTQ people that it’s okay to come out, it’s not a story that evokes fear onto the community who watches it.
3. There’s not a sense of any of the relationships being “abnormal.”
There are multiple relationships across the show, and while some are more prominent than others, Tao being with Elle, who is transgender, isn’t some big controversial thing that everyone has to “get over.” It normalizes something that many movies and people in our society dramatize and claim to be unnatural. Heartstopper portrays this relationship perfectly.So many LGBTQ shows focus on how being gay changes your life and how you act towards others. We need more stories about LGBTQ people who are a part of this community, yet stereotypes don’t define them and they do not let them. In the real world, so many LGBTQ people just exist and we need the media to reflect it, just like in Heartstopper.