Heartstopper Season 3
Drama Comedy Romance
8.6 Score 14311 ratings Jun 26, 2025
Drama, Comedy, Romance, LGBTQ Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Gao Xin
BenjaminTay An Impromptu Emotional Outpouring from the Queer Community
The third season of *Heartstopper* continues to delve into important themes such as eating disorders, mental health, childhood trauma, asexuality and aromanticism, social and political controversies surrounding transgender issues, and the adolescent exploration of gender and sexual orientation. It also tenderly addresses the honest communication between lovers, the first intimate moments between partners, the balancing act between romantic and friendship dynamics, the prioritization of self vs. the relationship, body insecurities, anxiety about the future, and the uncertainties that come with adolescence. This series feels like a gentle embrace, telling you: In the process of growing up, you will encounter all sorts of problems, and they won’t be easily solved. They may linger for a long time, and you will feel pain, confusion, and frustration. You may not know who you are, and you might even hate yourself or try to harm yourself. But don’t forget: as long as there are people who love you, and as long as you love those you care about, walking through life with these struggles won’t be as terrifying. I am someone who generally avoids debating, especially on identity politics issues—debating these topics exhausts me because I truly believe, even believe in the simple fact that "not everyone is born with an abundant sense of empathy, and not everyone is inherently kind." I never feel obligated to "save" or "change" the minds of people who are full of hatred or simply don't understand. This may be an ironic form of mutual disdain: in their eyes, the people in the communities I belong to, the ones I love, are "flawed"; in my eyes, the lack of empathy and the tendency to define "normal" based solely on one’s own life experience—labeling all who are different as "dangerous others"—is also a flaw that cannot be cured. But after finishing this series, with all these feelings stirring up inside me and all the life philosophies that have already formed wanting to burst forth, I want to organize my thoughts and speak out, not to argue, not to change the opinions of those I’ve mentioned, but simply because I have the right to, and so does our community—we have the right to raise our voices and not be silenced just because of how others treat us. Firstly, I know some people will say this show is too politically correct or criticize the show for mocking "overblown" political correctness in the West. This is because the show features a wide range of identity politics roles—gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, non-binary, and more—and none of the main characters are traditional heterosexuals. To those people, I just want to say: Go watch the heteronormative shows you love; this one is not made for you! For someone who has spent decades living in a world that is completely centered around heterosexuality, the audacity of this show to not place heterosexuality at the center, not revolve around it, and even ignore its existence, is shocking! Is the world collapsing now? Does it feel like the world is ending? Now you know what it feels like for us to watch those heteronormative films where the LGBTQ+ community is invisible, relegated to mere background, or presented as a strange curiosity. But you probably still won’t get it, because your empathy is zero. You lack the ability to imagine yourself in another person’s situation, and that is a flaw in your soul. To you, LGBTQ+ is just a few letters, a symbol, a label, a curiosity, a joke, or a topic for gossip—a "threat" to society. But to me, it represents each and every one of us who is living, breathing, struggling, and existing just like I do. We begin to question ourselves as we grow: Why are we different from the person society taught us we should be? Why do we feel differently about people of the same gender? Why do we feel trapped in a body that doesn’t belong to us? Why do we feel uncomfortable with the gender assigned to us at birth? We are often blamed for suppressing our true selves and choosing the so-called "normal" way of living, and we are also blamed for embracing our true nature. We live our entire lives in this contradictory space. The worst part is, we will never disappear from the macro level of human society because we are an eternal and objective existence. While I, as an individual, might disappear or die, there will always be people like me, struggling in the same contradictions, both in the past and in the future. Human individuals are not simply categorized as male or female, heterosexual or homosexual. Humans are complex biological and social animals, shaped by the physical, biochemical, genetic, hormonal, and neurological factors that make us who we are. We are also shaped by societal and historical experiences. Our bodies and souls, together, are a combination of countless factors that make us intricate. Each one of us has unique feelings and desires. These cannot be simplified into binary categories like male or female, heterosexual or homosexual. Some may find it absurd that there are so many labels, but these labels didn’t come first—they were created after there were people who couldn’t find themselves in the existing labels. We first discover our own feelings and desires, and only then do we use these labels to describe them. We don’t create labels and then try to force ourselves into them. Let me give you some simple examples. Some of us realized we didn’t feel attracted to the opposite sex, but instead felt something special for the same sex. Only later did we realize we belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Others may have realized they were asexual or aromantic after finding people with similar feelings. I could give countless examples, but those who understand will get it, and those who can’t or won’t understand will never grasp it. No one likes being labeled; we simply want the freedom to be ourselves. If these labels are just a joke to you, then please just go away and don’t interfere with our ability to live our lives happily and fully. Now, let’s get back to the show. I’m really glad to see a show centered on the growth of LGBTQ+ teenagers, and I resonate with it deeply. For straight people, the lives and struggles portrayed in the show may seem like a distant reality, as if a group of LGBTQ+ teens gathering together is something out of a fantasy. But for me, the struggles and confusions depicted are experiences I’ve lived through. We, queer people, do tend to gravitate towards each other, and that’s okay. I’ve experienced the same struggles as Charlie and his friends: confusion about sexual orientation, gender expression attacks, and the fear of coming out to friends and family. Charlie’s journey helped me understand my own growth and realize I’m not alone—there are many others like me. Isn’t that more meaningful than yet another clichéd straight romance story? Furthermore, even if the show’s characters and plot don’t align with reality or are a bit of artistic fabrication, so what? Art isn’t meant to perfectly replicate reality. You enjoy *Harry Potter*, *Spirited Away*, *A Chinese Odyssey*—works filled with magic, spirits, dragons, and souls—but the minute one or two characters from a marginalized group appear, you call it "political correctness," "forced diversity," or "out of touch with reality." But is it possible that there are many marginalized groups in our society? Is it possible that the world you envision, where almost everyone is cisgender and heterosexual, with only a tiny 0.01% being "abnormal," is simply unrealistic? I want to address another issue: gender and sexual orientation exploration. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the argument that "promoting LGBTQ+ issues will influence teenagers" or that "many teenagers identify as LGBTQ+ just because it’s cool." First, is heterosexuality that fragile? If they watch or hear about LGBTQ+ issues, will they suddenly become LGBTQ+? Why haven’t heterosexuals surrounded by LGBTQ+ people "turned gay"? Second, being LGBTQ+ is not "cool." It means facing countless obstacles and harm from the outside world. It means constant self-doubt and potentially losing the love and support of your family and friends. It means never fully opening up, never letting down your guard, and often hiding parts of yourself. Being LGBTQ+ means not fitting into society’s "default" category. It means constantly explaining your identity. How can this be "cool" to teenagers? Sexual orientation is not a choice; it’s an inherent attribute of a person. If sexual orientation were a choice, no one would "choose" a life of exclusion and judgment. Because we can’t change our sexual orientation, we have no choice but to embrace our true selves. We don’t "pick" our sexual orientation like choosing from a menu. Sexual orientation is a deep, inherent part of who we are. We can only discover it as we go through life. Lastly, I’m tired of people trying to pit LGBTQ+ rights against women’s rights. First, rights aren’t a pie. Supporting one group doesn’t mean taking away from another. We fight for the rights of marginalized groups because they are oppressed and ignored. No one should be "non-default." Every person should be able to live as their authentic self. Second, simply denying the existence of transgender people doesn’t solve anything. The real issue is how to create a society where everyone feels respected and seen. In closing, I’ve shared many of my thoughts on identity politics that have been building up for years. While much of this seems unrelated to *Heartstopper*, these feelings were stirred up as I watched the third season. As I said earlier, I don’t enjoy debating these issues because I don’t seek to change anyone’s mind. I respect others for being who they are, even if that means they have flaws. But I also believe I have the right to speak out and be heard. These are my thoughts at this moment in time, and they’re worth recording and reflecting on in the future.