Heartstopper star Joe Locke has confirmed his sexuality publicly for the first time, explaining that in the past people have simply ‘assumed’.
Season 2 of Alice Oseman’s Netflix series focuses on Nick Nelson’s (Kit Connor) desire to come out as bisexual after becoming boyfriends with Charlie Spring (Joe).
Charlie was previously outed as gay and faced abuse as a result, so he is determined to prevent Nick from going through a similar experience.
The co-stars participated in a joint interview, where they discussed their tight connection and working on the beloved programme, which has already been renewed for a third season.
Speaking to Teen Vogue, Joe, 19, explained that while in the past it has been assumed that he’s gay, he’s never ‘specifically stated’ his sexuality.
‘People have assumed and written it, and I haven’t ever corrected anyone because I haven’t felt the need to. But I’ve never specifically stated my sexuality,’ he shared, before adding: ‘I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12.’
The star added that as an actor in the public eye, there’s an ‘idea that it’s part of the job to lose your privacy, that you lose your right to have privacy’.
‘That’s something I hope the next generation of people in the public eye can change…. I think people are understanding that privacy is a nonnegotiable,’ he said.
Last year, Kit, 19, came out publicly as bisexual, saying that he felt ‘forced’ to do so as he wrote on Twitter: ‘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.’
Speaking in the interview, Joe said that the Heartstopper gang were ‘all very proud of him’ and were ‘proud of him for controlling the narrative’, having shared a hug with him on set after seeing his tweet that morning.
‘I’m very proud of him for doing his own thing and what was right for him,’ Joe shared, describing his co-star as ‘a very, very brave man’.
Opening up on the bond that they share as friends, Kit said: ‘I know that he cares for me and that I can rely on him, and I know that he can rely on me.
‘It’s really just bonded us together. And I love him.’
Heartstopper is available to watch on Netflix.
Source My Celebrity Life.
