After Kit Connor was accused of queerbaiting for his role in Heartstopper, he felt forced to come out. In an interview with British Vogue, the 19 year old actor reflected on his experience now that time has passed.

Connor first shared his sexuality in November 2022 after fans claimed he was “queerbaiting” by playing a bisexual teen on his show and frequently attending Pride events. Connor wrote on Twitter: “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 had been struggling with his sexuality before the show, though. “It was just a very natural process for me; I didn’t really have an ‘oh, s**t’ moment. It just became more and more evident,” he explained.

His family was “super accepting and inclusive and wonderful,” but the same can't be said for the all-boys school he attended. “I was in a very heteronormative atmosphere,” he said. “It wasn’t hugely inclusive. It wasn’t really accepted in a lot of ways.”

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Connor also spoke about the bisexual narrative. “It’s the experience of maybe you’re too straight to be gay and you’re too gay to be straight,” he said. “So it’s like, ‘Where do I sit?’ But I feel much more secure in myself now.”

As for coming out, he felt pressured then, but he's ultimately glad he did.

“I think there’s almost a feeling that because I’d been in the industry for a little while, there was almost this understanding that it’s like, ‘Oh, well, he can take it,” he said. “I think ‘forced’ isn’t the right word I would use, but I would say that I would have preferred to do it another way. I also don’t know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it. In many ways, it was really empowering.”

See Kit Connor in Heartstopper season 2, coming to Netflix August 3.