Reddit: ‘Heartstopper’ Bittersweet For Some Gays

Queerty

highlighted a thread on Reddit from a couple of months ago that asked if some gays were left a bit bittersweet after watching the acclaimed, award-winning Netflix series Heartstopper. As I’ve shared many times on The Randy Report, I think the series is pretty perfect – so heartwarming it always leaves me with the feels. But for some folks on the AskGayMen subreddit, the show leaves them thinking back to their own teen years with a sense of melancholy. The original poster writes:

“Did “Heartstopper” make anyone else very sad for their younger selves? I didn’t realize how many unresolved issues I had been carrying around until I just binged the show. … It’s a weird thing to mourn the people we could have been and the experiences we could have had and then watch other people play them out.”

Here are just a few responses:

• “I’m 29 and pretty much cried my way through the first season when it came out and felt pretty empty for the few days after finishing it. I could see things starting to change for the better the last couple years at school and it does seem like if I was born 5-10 years later my teen years could have been much better. But I’m sure those 5- 10 years older than me think similarly towards my experience.”

“I think it’s fine to acknowledge and mourn a lost youth or opportunities, but there’s no point dwelling on it too much. The past can’t be changed, so take comfort that things seem to generally be getting better for those younger than you and know that the more open-minded gen z are, the more that trickles into wider society.”

• “I can’t even watch it tbh as I know it’ll bring back all the sadness of growing up and not being able to be myself. Like when I was growing up, it was hard enough to say you were gay; being bi wasn’t even spoken about. Like you say, it’s great that a lot of things have changed, but I feel like I missed out on so much and who I could really be.”

• “I will watch any genre of horror movie without blinking, from a jumpscare slasher to demonic possession. I don’t care how gross or horrific it is.

“At the same time, I will avoid gay coming of age content like the plague, because it does exactly what you said, and that for me is truly the most horrific thing.

“Guess I’m a coward, and tbh don’t wanna keep dwelling on a past that I cannot change. I’m really happy things are better and better everyday for newer generations, but at the same time I’d rather pass the time focusing on my present self because I know I’d feel a bit bitter watching those shows/movies.”

• “As someone who came out much later in life, in some respects the show was hard to relate to, since it was so different to my life. It did not really make me sad — I don’t tend to dwell on what could have been.

“But at the same time, it reminded me that we owe all kids the opportunity to enjoy that innocence early in life before they have to take on responsibilities, etc. And so it helps me remember that we need to advocate every day for our community.”

I certainly see the viewpoint to a degree. But for me, my feelings about the coming-of-age series mainly manifest as a sense of wonder that things in high schools have gotten so much better than when I was in school. And how great I think that is. For the most part, the redditors that chime in aren’t “bitter” in their feelings as much as they seem a touch sad or melancholy about “what could have been.” I found the thread an interesting read. Click over to Reddit here to read.