Loving all the boys and their 'attributes' ...

Portrait of Martin Conte by Michael Elmquist

Like, if that is/was your experience as a teenager, that’s fine! There are HUNDREDS of teen shows that display (usually overly so) sex and sexuality in that way. But, that is not everyone’s experience, nor is it the experience everyone wants, nor wanted.

As a queer person who was unable to live joyous teenage years for the most part, it is incredibly healing to see healthy and loving queer relationships on screen.

This show isn’t that realistic, and that’s TERRIFYING.

These teens are more mature than most people will ever be. This is because they are a community that values boundaries, communication, and consent. The relationships, romantic and platonic, in Heartstopper focus on the importance of community within queerness. How just being queer/queer allied can unify a group in a way that can’t be outwardly understood.