This is Beautiful: Heartstopper

 I'm very late to this party but I started "Heartstopper" on Netflix and it is so wonderful and lovely to watch. This is a tv show based off of a comic by Alice Oseman, who I've talked about before in this post on her book Loveless. Oseman is an aroace writer and creator, and she clearly brings her love of the queer community to this creation as well.

"Heartstopper" tells the story of Charlie, a young boy in high school (his 15th birthday party is part of the show, this guy is young) who has recently come out as gay. He's in an obviously unhealthy relationship with another boy at his school who wants to keep their relationship a secret and pretends that he doesn't know Charlie if he sees him in the hallway. Charlie then meets Nick, a boy a year older than him, but he quickly develops a crush on Nick. 

Mild spoilers for "Heartstopper": eventually Charlie ends his relationship with that abusive guy, and he and Nick end up kissing at a party. Nick didn't realize that he was gay and he starts going through a gay crisis. He also asks Charlie if they could keep their relationship a secret while he works through this. And that's as far as I've gotten so far haha.

What's really nice about the show is the parallels and differences between Charlie's two relationships. Because Nick so clearly cares deeply about Charlie, and hates what he's doing to him by keeping their relationship secret. I bet that they'll stop keeping it a secret by the end of the show, but it's getting at a really nice message that I wish more media got at which is that it is ok to be in the closet. You don't have to come out if you don't want to. Sure it'll have repercussions on those you're in a relationship with, but no one should force you to come out if you aren't ready.

And Nick in general is just such a good guy. He panics and agrees to go on a date with one of his female friends, and Charlie's friend overhears and tells Charlie to stop hanging out with Nick. Nick overhears the warning and instead of trying to say anything to Charlie to turn him away from his friend, or denying it, Nick just gives him a hug and tries to comfort him. Charlie's friend confronts Nick a while later and Nick doesn't deny it then either. He's just such a good guy and wants to be a good friend/partner. 

This is a super cute show to watch and it's so refreshing that a queer relationship is portrayed so positively. I want to go back and read the comics now as well! I'm also looking forward to season 2, which Oseman has said will contain ace representation. I bet it'll be great to watch as an ace myself.