Heartstopper season 2 is now streaming on Netflix, but the character of Nick Nelson has been the subject of bi-phobia. One writer reflects on the disappointing reception of Nick’s sexuality and her own experiences as a bisexual woman.
Inundated with pure, cathartic LGBTQIA representation, Netflix’s Heartstopper has returned for a second season. With joyous representation of all LGBTQIA people, including multiple trans characters and now one exploring his own asexuality, the show has been credited for its tenderly addressed, accurate plot trajectories.
In season one, I – and so many other bisexual people – found solace in Nick Nelson, a character who slowly comes to terms with his own bisexuality.
Season two largely deals with the aftermath for Nick. His friends still don’t know he’s in a relationship with Charlie, but throughout the season we see him come out to his peers and, eventually, the whole school through an Instagram post. As a result, he’s constantly forced to correct people who think he’s gay, with the words “I’m bisexual, actually” often leaving his mouth, a poignant reminder of the constant corrections bisexual people often have to make.
But not everyone, sadly, is on board with this. Some so-called “fans” have been caught slamming the show on TikTok, labelling Nick’s apparently incessant reminders of his sexuality this season “annoying.” To those who aren’t bisexual, perhaps this line might’ve seemed tired, but it was so realistic that each time I heard it, I felt both touched and represented.
These “hot takes” aren’t hot, either: though many of them come from LGBTQIA-identifying fans, these opinions are just more proof that society is still riddled with biphobia. And sadly, the Heartstopper community doesn’t seem to be immune from that.
The fact that one of the main reasons people don’t like Heartstopper is because Nick keeps correcting people about his sexuality pisses me off so much. Because I’m sure the majority of the people saying it’s annoying, have never had to constantly correct people when they say
— Sof//HEARTSTOPPER & RWRB SPOILERS (@nick1charlie_) August 7, 2023
This isn’t the first time that a section of the show’s fandom has reared its ugly head. In November 2022, Kit Connor – who plays Nick Nelson in the series – was forced to come out following incessant accusations of “queerbaiting.”
Rumours about Connor’s sexuality – and demands for him to clarify it – intensified after he was pictured alongside a woman he was supposedly dating, but he had previously declined to discuss his sexuality publicly. Eventually, the pressure became too great.
Credit: Netflix
“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 statement, posted to Twitter, read. Having taken a break from the site because of the intensity of fan speculation, he was forced to return to it to address the one thing he didn’t want to: his sexuality. My heart broke for him; it still does.
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After I came out as bisexual at 18, I realised that it wasn’t plain sailing. Whoever I was dating, I’d have to correct people about the intricacies of my sexuality. The first girl I was seen publicly with prompted a myriad of comments from people who “didn’t realise” I was “gay.”
Then, when I started dating my boyfriend – who has now been my boyfriend for four years – there was an assumption that I was straight, to which I took great offence. As such, “oh, I’m bisexual, actually” – Nick’s new catchphrase – has become a regular, universal part of my vernacular as an out bisexual woman. I’ve spent what likely amounts to years of my life correcting people: not out of wanting to cause a nuisance or embarrass my peers, but because it’s never sat right with me that people should be free to assume who I fall in love with. If I held my tongue and didn’t issue that correction, I’d feel erased in my identity, just as Nick does.
The representation that Heartstopper brings hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bisexual characters aren’t common occurrences on our TV screens, let alone positive bisexual representation.
Credit: NBC
When The L Word premiered in 2004, narrating the lives of queer women living in Los Angeles, that levelled up the depiction of queer stories. Alice Pieszecki is first introduced to us as a bisexual character, but this is quickly abandoned: she later refers to herself as a lesbian, but it doesn’t feel as though she’s consciously changed her label, rather that her story has been sidelined for being too complicated.
Elsewhere, Rosa Diaz’s character trajectory in Brooklyn Nine-Nine is thoughtfully constructed; she’s given partners of all genders, and her co-workers view her coming out with nothing but joy. The actor that plays her, Stephanie Beatriz, is also bisexual, and brought a wealth of knowledge; to this day, it remains, alongside Heartstopper, one of the most poignant, well-executed examples of bisexuality on TV.
I’m not alone in my thoughts: Heartstopper really has been a game-changer for the bisexual community. “Nick saying he’s bisexual a lot is a really quintessential part of the bisexual experience”, 32-year-old Rachel, who is also bisexual, tells me. “He made it a little catchphrase but that is part of our lives. It really struck a chord with so many bisexual people because this is something we have to deal with all the time.”
“I found the whole ‘I’m bi actually’ so relatable”, 25-year-old Stephen adds. “I often feel like people are uncomfortable with the existence of bi people and they’d rather put me in a box. It’s easier for straight people, and sometimes gay people, to just see me as gay and put me in that box.”
Credit: Netflix
Nick Nelson’s reality and mine don’t look very different. In fact, every time I hear him affirm his identity, I feel a unique combination of euphoria and melancholy. I feel overjoyed that, at the age of 16, he’s living his life as an out bisexual man and showing his boyfriend off to the world; a reality that so many weren’t – and still aren’t – able to live.
However, I can’t help but feel saddened that he still needs to do this; that his seemingly oblivious peers can’t help but stick a label on him even when he’s chosen his own. And it sticks the knife in further – twists it, even – to hear that a section of the show’s supposed “fans” disagree with this trajectory, as though Nick’s expression of his identity is somehow inconvenient.
Heartstopper season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
