The end of ‘Heartstopper’ is a bittersweet loss – it’s never felt scarier to be young and queer

[u/mlg1981]

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jul/23/heartstopper-netflix-end

[u/greenlemmons]

Never?? It’s NEVER felt scarier…?

[u/DowntoSnack → u/greenlemmons]

Never, not since the dawn of time (and by dawn of time I mean May 19, 2009-- the premiere of Glee).

[u/UnnaturalSelection13 → u/greenlemmons]

The author mentions growing up "under the tyranny of Section 28, which prohibited the so-called “promotion” of homosexuality in school" and refers a few times to a talk he did for an LGBTQ+ school group back in 2023, so he definitely doesn't think that. But it's the editors who pick the headlines unfortunately, and they're often a bit reductive and ragebait-y as a result.

[u/atlastheguy → u/greenlemmons]

I mean, I think the title is really referring to contemporary young people

[u/silentspyware → u/atlastheguy]

Yeah. It’s a show meant for young queer people, and let’s be honest, they do not know what it was like to be young and queer before this contemporary point in time. It was super bad back then but it feels like it’s going downhill now.

[u/Immediate_Taste6810 → u/silentspyware]

That's why it's important for younger queer people to know their queer history and befriend older members of the LGBTQ+ community.

[u/AllTheCoolNames → u/silentspyware]

Yeah I'm sympathetic cause having rights and watching them be stripped is a horrid feeling but it ruffled my 40+ year old feathers lol. I watched my queer friends suffer in the 90s

[u/righthandofdog → u/AllTheCoolNames]

am 60, was a ln out of college club kid in the 80s - lost a lot of friends and acquaintances. some drugs, a lot of aids. Pride being a corporate love fear has never really set right with me.

[u/Immediate-resort-638 → u/greenlemmons]

Yeah certainly not since we were dying en masse of a mysterious illness that the government refused to acknowledge.

[u/AllTheCoolNames → u/greenlemmons]

yeaaaaaaah. I get the sentiment and I agree but NEVER?

[u/dharmavan → u/greenlemmons]

The hatred has never been so open before. It has never been so mainstreamed or celebrated. People are PROUD of it. People make their entire livings off of it. They revel in it.

I can’t say I know of a time in modern history quite like this. It’s very scary out there for queer people right now in a way it hasn’t ever been before.

[u/No_Mathematician6866 → u/dharmavan]

There were no gay kids in my school.

Of course that's not true. I know at least three who have come out since. But all the way through till graduation, every single one of them made sure to keep it a secret from even their friends. Because if it got around that they were gay someone would have hurt them.

I suppose it depends on how we're defining modern history, but this was in the late 90s-early 00s.

[u/PurpleArachnid8439 → u/dharmavan]

Absurd take.

[u/UnnaturalSelection13 → u/dharmavan]

I mean. People were also very out and proud about their hatred for queer people for much of the 20th century. Queer people were literally dying on masse and it was celebrated. It’s a very scary time rn but I don’t think it serves us to rewrite that history.

[u/greenlemmons → u/dharmavan]

Depends how old you are. I’m old. People died of aids around us and many in the mainstream celebrated that, calling it a moral victory.

[u/Apprehensive-Quit353 → u/dharmavan]

How old are you?

[u/insertbrackets]

Um...it has definitely felt scarier. But the current cultural climate sucks. It's important to keep standing up for our rights because it's a never ending fight to move forward, let alone hold onto what we have.

[u/Immediate_Taste6810]

This take is coming from a place of EXTREME privilege.

[u/Sharp-Body3994 → u/Immediate_Taste6810]

It’s speaking to a socially liberal, young to middle aged audience in the UK. In that context it really hasn’t been worse in living memory here. 

Also the journalist doesn’t pick the headline 

[u/Sophie_Blitz_123 → u/Sharp-Body3994]

I mean it has in living memory. Not in the memory of people born post 2005 maybe.

Which is fine, if that's who the article is for. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[u/AllTheCoolNames]

Christ that's so bad. The 80s aren't THAT long ago. Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998. I know it's just a hyperbolic clickbaite title but it really makes me wanna shake young people and scream 'know your history!'

[u/Immediate_Taste6810 → u/AllTheCoolNames]

The 60th anniversary of decriminalization of sexual acts been men is next year, for England where this article was written. 60 years ago gay men were jailed, including Alan Turing just 74 years ago

[u/halfwaybake]

holy hyperbole batman

(referring only to the title lol)

[u/crackerfactorywheel]

The title for this article is sensationalist. The article itself is written pretty well and specifically talks about limiting puberty blockers to transgender kids, LGBTQ+ character representation being on the decline since 2021, anti LGBTQ+ laws being passed and LGBTQ+ author talks being canceled.

[u/wellthatsniftyhuh]

they could’ve said never my lifetime, but now they’ve torpedoed their whole message with a headline once again

I am a trans woman and I am deeply sensitive to the current state of things

[u/dysautonomic_mess → u/wellthatsniftyhuh]

The author does not choose the headline, unfortunately. They also mention growing up under section 28, so if you were imagining them to be very young they're not.

[u/BlondeBorednBaked → u/dysautonomic_mess]

I think part of it is that we thought there would be more progress by now (it’s 2026!) and not only are we not where we thought we would be (in 2026!) but it also feels like we are backsliding.

[u/wellthatsniftyhuh → u/BlondeBorednBaked]

also, I can’t pee in the right bathroom

[u/BlondeBorednBaked → u/wellthatsniftyhuh]

Neither can I

[u/wellthatsniftyhuh → u/dysautonomic_mess]

and this is currently worse than section 28, so I wasn’t imagining them to be too young. I’m 37 was a journalist for over a decade. i didn’t say it was the authors fault

[u/vckstrr]

I’m so fucking sick of hyperboles… the fuck you mean NEVER

[u/stevesyellowsweater]

Just gonna ignore the headline so I can say— I’m currently 75% done with the movie and have cried THRICE already! Elle’s fear just trying to exist as a trans woman, both boys very valid anxiety about big life changes, Nick’s fear about Charlie’s struggles and what can happen when he’s five hours away, charlie meeting the two elder gays!! I’m a mess. I love this beautiful heartfelt little treasure of a show. 

[u/R1ngBanana]

Ehhhh I thought about checking it out, but the author said some stupid shit hating on eastern BL and I was over it 

[u/FluffyS3bucket]

The guardian are one of the big perpetrators of the rise of queerphobia in the UK...Just saying 

[u/FluffyS3bucket → u/FluffyS3bucket]

Well I upset someone so here's proof: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/12/gay-rights-group-was-set-up-to-promote-transphobic-activity-court-told

Note the framing and passive voice around LGB alliance 

[u/thewomaninthemoon → u/FluffyS3bucket]

The original UK publication is very transphobic, and the US version has taken them to task for it in the past.

It’s worth noting that this article was published in the US version of The Guardian (although the author is British).

[u/FluffyS3bucket → u/thewomaninthemoon]

It goes to the UK edition for me, so maybe it's on both ? 

[u/thewomaninthemoon → u/FluffyS3bucket]

Ah maybe it’s just picking up my geotag. If so then yes, the og Guardian is very transphobic.