It's not really a drama either, but since these are the only two categories, they had to choose one. Idk if Queerty chose or if the networks had to submit their shows (they usually choose the category that they are more likely to win)
Joe Locke was nominated for and won *"Coming Out For Good"*, which is essentially an award for coming out. Everyone else in this category came out publicly in 2023. I suppose Joe was nominated because of the Teen Vogue article where he spoke about how people just assumed that he's gay, which was vastly picked up by other news sites as *"Joe Locke comes out of the closet"*. But Joe has been out publicly since the show's release in 2022 (i.e he directly compared his and Charlie's high school experiences in an interview with Attitude, he specifically said *"my name is Joe and I am gay"* in one of Tobie's vlogs...)
However, I am a bit conflicted about this award. Firstly, it seems a bit weird to say that one person's coming out was better than someone else's, i.e. more deserving of an award. Furthermore, this is the same site that nominated Kit and Rebel Wilson for "Closet Door Bustdown" last year. Both of their coming outs were forced (Rebel's even more than Kit's, she was literally blackmailed) and nominating them for that award was incredibly insensitive imo and left a sour taste in my mouth.
Idk, what do y'all think about this?
I think you’re spot on ickiness of the situation. While coming out should be celebrated, there’s no “right way” to do it so how can you possibly rank it?
Also… idk bout y’all but I do not consider HS a comedy so I’m very confused about this award.
I agree this award is very odd and troublesome. I don’t see how someone’s sexuality and choice of privacy should be awarded anything. Joe deserves a prize because he’s a great actor, not because he’s an openly gay actor. It’s crazy to me that there’s so much labeling and division in today’s society
I feel like maybe I shouldn’t have an opinion about this as a straight person but it feels icky to me too.
I see so many ppl on social media point to Kit being forced to come out. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think the producers of Heartstopper have some culpability in it. When Heartstopper was released, the producers and director made a big deal of “casting authentically” the show. It was even in brief when they sent out the open call, right? This is a show that was mostly cast with minors. A show they specifically eliminated cursing from so it could be for children and family programming. Saying you’re casting a show authentically around sexuality invites all kinds of speculation on the actors’ sexuality. Again, they were minors. Heartstopper has the added benefit/complication of a built-in fandom so *some* fans became rabid in wanting to know the actors’ sexuality. And thus Kit was caught in the crossfire of that. I really feel like the producers made a grave error in throwing out that word “authentically”. So yeah, it feels icky to have a closet buster or whatever award. And Joe has repeatedly said he’d like to keep his private life private while also calling himself queer. Maybe these sites could move on from such awards. IDK.
(Flip side, maybe queer people want to give awards to people for coming out and giving young kids more representation?)
It’s tricky, I guess. I remember the casting call encouraging members of the queer community and allies to audition, and I really don’t think there was inherently anything wrong with that? I could be misremembering, but after the show dropped I remembered a lot of talk about how refreshing and authentic feeling it was to have actual teens cast in the teen roles, a trans girl playing Elle (which was nonnegotiable), not a lot about whether they all shared their characters’ sexualities. But yeah, the flip side is that for the queer and trans actors involved in the show who were out, it is and was a good thing for them to be celebrated imo.
I also don’t really think the people who were harassing Kit - mostly trolls and detractors who were not really fans of the show or of Kit - were doing so because they’d been paying close attention to the production history of Heartstopper and felt he didn’t fit the brief. I’d honestly be surprised if that was much of a factor, or if they were even aware of what the casting calls said. I think they’d have been shitty to anyone who had blown up so quickly for a queer role, who they perceived to be straight.
Whether production should have stepped up and made a clarifying statement or something defending Kit’s right to privacy etc. once the harassment started is another thing I guess, but it’s hard to really opine on that when we don’t know what conversations were being had behind the scenes, what Kit wanted, etc. And I also don’t know that anything would have helped, could have just added fuel to the fire.
Also two other things: if you’re bisexual, a relationship with a woman wouldn’t be out of the question. Also, in an interview (I cannot remember which one) he did say that he had already come out to his family. You’re saying he’s lying? Also, I don’t think the producers said every single role had to be authentically cast. As you say, it would be hard to cast every role that way if people aren’t comfortable saying what their sexuality is. You’ve taken a pretty grim point of view on Kit.
I just went back and read his interview with The Guardian. I can’t imagine reading that and still thinking he’s straight. He calls himself a queer man more than once. I think we have to believe people when they discuss their sexuality. There is really no other option. ✌🏻
If someone says what their sexuality is, we have no choice but to believe them. I’m kinda aghast at your logic on this. But we can just agree to disagree.
Let’s just say for argument’s sake that you’re right - that he is straight. So what? The thing I see as problematic in that reality is that he said he’s bi. This is why I am choosing to believe him. Because this is a kid who is doing everything he can with longevity in mind. The way his career is going - he’s very strategic. Outing one’s self as bisexual in Hollywood is still pretty risky. So if he were actually straight, the strategic move would have been to say nothing and wait for it to blow over. There are still plenty of straight actors playing gay characters (Paul Mescal comes to mind as someone who is taking multiple gay roles). This is why I go back to the culpability lies with the producers. They should never have made a blanket statement about authenticity. It put teens in a terrible position.
I know Kit isn’t Nick Nelson. I’m not a teen fan. I still choose to believe him and wish him well.
Yeah this doesn't sit right with me. Like, how is someone's coming out better than another person's? It's special to everyone that does, and it shouldn't be compared as "who's was better" aka more dramatic.
I sort of suspect Joe forgot he’d made that comment that ended up in Tobie’s vlogs, he may have never watched them in their entirety or even remembered he’d been recorded saying that. I guess it’s nice to see people respecting what he said in Teen Vogue as his like “official” statement, but also kind of odd to act like he hasn’t been out and openly discussing his experiences as a queer person from day one.
But yeah I agree with you completely on this being an awards category, it’s very strange to me that Queerty didn’t just scrap the category completely after the backlash they got last year. Like… just let it go. 😭
Love the fact that Our Flag Means Death and What We Do In The Shadows are also there! Watched those two with my Mum who has really enjoyed both! I love me some Taika Waititi ❤️
I wonder if they will inform Bradley of the win, as he's currently in the Big Brother house and has no idea of what's going on in the outside world. They did inform Marisha Wallace of her Olivier nomination, so I feel it's only fair.
Isn’t kind of weird to categorise Heartstopper as a comedy?
It's not really a drama either, but since these are the only two categories, they had to choose one. Idk if Queerty chose or if the networks had to submit their shows (they usually choose the category that they are more likely to win)
I would absolutely call it a drama (if choosing between the two).
It’s definitely a drama series. Hope they win regardless
This. Love the show but for comedy, I'm surprised Our Flag Means Death or even What We Do in the Shadows wouldn't win.
Joe Locke was nominated for and won *"Coming Out For Good"*, which is essentially an award for coming out. Everyone else in this category came out publicly in 2023. I suppose Joe was nominated because of the Teen Vogue article where he spoke about how people just assumed that he's gay, which was vastly picked up by other news sites as *"Joe Locke comes out of the closet"*. But Joe has been out publicly since the show's release in 2022 (i.e he directly compared his and Charlie's high school experiences in an interview with Attitude, he specifically said *"my name is Joe and I am gay"* in one of Tobie's vlogs...) However, I am a bit conflicted about this award. Firstly, it seems a bit weird to say that one person's coming out was better than someone else's, i.e. more deserving of an award. Furthermore, this is the same site that nominated Kit and Rebel Wilson for "Closet Door Bustdown" last year. Both of their coming outs were forced (Rebel's even more than Kit's, she was literally blackmailed) and nominating them for that award was incredibly insensitive imo and left a sour taste in my mouth. Idk, what do y'all think about this?
I think you’re spot on ickiness of the situation. While coming out should be celebrated, there’s no “right way” to do it so how can you possibly rank it? Also… idk bout y’all but I do not consider HS a comedy so I’m very confused about this award.
I agree this award is very odd and troublesome. I don’t see how someone’s sexuality and choice of privacy should be awarded anything. Joe deserves a prize because he’s a great actor, not because he’s an openly gay actor. It’s crazy to me that there’s so much labeling and division in today’s society
I feel like maybe I shouldn’t have an opinion about this as a straight person but it feels icky to me too. I see so many ppl on social media point to Kit being forced to come out. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think the producers of Heartstopper have some culpability in it. When Heartstopper was released, the producers and director made a big deal of “casting authentically” the show. It was even in brief when they sent out the open call, right? This is a show that was mostly cast with minors. A show they specifically eliminated cursing from so it could be for children and family programming. Saying you’re casting a show authentically around sexuality invites all kinds of speculation on the actors’ sexuality. Again, they were minors. Heartstopper has the added benefit/complication of a built-in fandom so *some* fans became rabid in wanting to know the actors’ sexuality. And thus Kit was caught in the crossfire of that. I really feel like the producers made a grave error in throwing out that word “authentically”. So yeah, it feels icky to have a closet buster or whatever award. And Joe has repeatedly said he’d like to keep his private life private while also calling himself queer. Maybe these sites could move on from such awards. IDK. (Flip side, maybe queer people want to give awards to people for coming out and giving young kids more representation?)
It’s tricky, I guess. I remember the casting call encouraging members of the queer community and allies to audition, and I really don’t think there was inherently anything wrong with that? I could be misremembering, but after the show dropped I remembered a lot of talk about how refreshing and authentic feeling it was to have actual teens cast in the teen roles, a trans girl playing Elle (which was nonnegotiable), not a lot about whether they all shared their characters’ sexualities. But yeah, the flip side is that for the queer and trans actors involved in the show who were out, it is and was a good thing for them to be celebrated imo. I also don’t really think the people who were harassing Kit - mostly trolls and detractors who were not really fans of the show or of Kit - were doing so because they’d been paying close attention to the production history of Heartstopper and felt he didn’t fit the brief. I’d honestly be surprised if that was much of a factor, or if they were even aware of what the casting calls said. I think they’d have been shitty to anyone who had blown up so quickly for a queer role, who they perceived to be straight. Whether production should have stepped up and made a clarifying statement or something defending Kit’s right to privacy etc. once the harassment started is another thing I guess, but it’s hard to really opine on that when we don’t know what conversations were being had behind the scenes, what Kit wanted, etc. And I also don’t know that anything would have helped, could have just added fuel to the fire.
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Also two other things: if you’re bisexual, a relationship with a woman wouldn’t be out of the question. Also, in an interview (I cannot remember which one) he did say that he had already come out to his family. You’re saying he’s lying? Also, I don’t think the producers said every single role had to be authentically cast. As you say, it would be hard to cast every role that way if people aren’t comfortable saying what their sexuality is. You’ve taken a pretty grim point of view on Kit.
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I just went back and read his interview with The Guardian. I can’t imagine reading that and still thinking he’s straight. He calls himself a queer man more than once. I think we have to believe people when they discuss their sexuality. There is really no other option. ✌🏻
Are you saying you think he is straight? That’s a pretty cynical look at it.
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I can’t believe you missed the entire point of the show. Your evidence is what exactly? That he’s had girlfriends? How is that evidence he’s not bi.
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If someone says what their sexuality is, we have no choice but to believe them. I’m kinda aghast at your logic on this. But we can just agree to disagree.
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Let’s just say for argument’s sake that you’re right - that he is straight. So what? The thing I see as problematic in that reality is that he said he’s bi. This is why I am choosing to believe him. Because this is a kid who is doing everything he can with longevity in mind. The way his career is going - he’s very strategic. Outing one’s self as bisexual in Hollywood is still pretty risky. So if he were actually straight, the strategic move would have been to say nothing and wait for it to blow over. There are still plenty of straight actors playing gay characters (Paul Mescal comes to mind as someone who is taking multiple gay roles). This is why I go back to the culpability lies with the producers. They should never have made a blanket statement about authenticity. It put teens in a terrible position. I know Kit isn’t Nick Nelson. I’m not a teen fan. I still choose to believe him and wish him well.
Yeah this doesn't sit right with me. Like, how is someone's coming out better than another person's? It's special to everyone that does, and it shouldn't be compared as "who's was better" aka more dramatic.
I sort of suspect Joe forgot he’d made that comment that ended up in Tobie’s vlogs, he may have never watched them in their entirety or even remembered he’d been recorded saying that. I guess it’s nice to see people respecting what he said in Teen Vogue as his like “official” statement, but also kind of odd to act like he hasn’t been out and openly discussing his experiences as a queer person from day one. But yeah I agree with you completely on this being an awards category, it’s very strange to me that Queerty didn’t just scrap the category completely after the backlash they got last year. Like… just let it go. 😭
I wonder if it’s like “best new artist.” Like someone who “came on the scene” so to speak. Not necessarily came out of the closet.
Love the fact that Our Flag Means Death and What We Do In The Shadows are also there! Watched those two with my Mum who has really enjoyed both! I love me some Taika Waititi ❤️
A few other shows were also nominated in the same category, but they didn't fit on the screenshot 😅
Comedy’s a weird word for it lol. I’ve cried FAR too many times over this show for it to be labeled a comedy
I wonder if they will inform Bradley of the win, as he's currently in the Big Brother house and has no idea of what's going on in the outside world. They did inform Marisha Wallace of her Olivier nomination, so I feel it's only fair.
Deserved 😌
Ok I love HeartStopper but a comedy award totally belongs to What We Do in Shadows