The Heartstopper final movie is dropping soon, and I’m not ready to watch it.
I will, of course, as soon as possible, but this movie is wrapping up the series, and I’m not ready to say goodbye.
This series means a lot to many people, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, and to me, it will always be something special.
Heartstopper Showcased Parts of Who I Am That Most Other Shows Don’t
While the main storyline was always Nick and Charlie’s love story, Heartstopper was also special to me because I am a demisexual transgender person.
Demisexuality is part of the asexual umbrella.
Basically, it means I don’t experience sexual attraction when I meet people; I only experience it after I get to know someone and discover shared values that make me want to move from friendship to more.
It’s not well understood, and most characters who are demisexual or asexual are only that by implication, or often by accident when the writers think they’re writing something else.
Heartstopper didn’t quite go as far as demisexuality, at least not as I recall, but it did introduce asexuality in a respectful manner through the character of Isaac.
I loved that there was someone on the asexual spectrum on the show — and that Isaac was a three-dimensional character, not a token asexual character thrown in for diversity’s sake.
His journey was written authentically, and I especially liked how he felt left out when his friends talked about crushes or paired up romantically because he just didn’t have the frame of reference they took for granted.
And of course, as a transgender person who didn’t transition until adulthood, I loved Elle’s story as well.
I discovered Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble on Doctor Who and checked out Heartstopper when I learned that was the other project she was known for.
Elle was very different.
She was a shy transgender girl at the beginning of the series, hardly recognizable as even the same actress because she was so different from Rose.
And over the next three seasons, she grew immensely, embracing her interest in art and refusing to be treated as a token trans person in a debate that dehumanized her community.
When I talk about wanting more transgender representation on TV, this is what I mean: authentic transgender experiences, not just transgender people as victims of crimes or objects of pity (and certainly not of derision!)
I will miss both Elle and Isaac as the series wraps up, even if they are left in a good place, which I fully expect.
Heartstopper Also Demonstrated That Trauma Doesn’t Have to Mean Tragedy
Some people in the LGBTQ+ community criticize Heartstopper for being too positive when many gay or trans teenagers have miserable experiences, but I’ve always found that odd because Heartstopper deals with a lot of heavy topics.
During Heartstopper Season 1, Charlie was dealing with an abusive secret boyfriend and had been outed last year, and he was dealing with a lot of bullying now.
Nick was also afraid to admit he wanted to be with a guy because he didn’t want to deal with how his homophobic rugby teammates would react.
Nick and Charlie’s journey also included Charlie’s trauma responses, his eating disorder, and his stay at an inpatient facility during Heartstopper Season 3.
These heavy stories didn’t drag the show down.
They didn’t send the message that all LGBTQ+ lives end in tragedy. They were mixed with lighter moments, genuine happiness, and authentic teenage experiences.
That’s important. It respects mental health struggles and the type of stress that LGBTQ+ teens are often under without making that the entire story of their lives.
Being a teenager is hard, full stop. My own adolescence was miserable. And when you’re trans, gay, or bi, it’s even harder.
You have to deal with being bullied for your identity, constantly wondering if you should come out to this person or that, and a political landscape that often debates whether people like you should have rights.
Not to mention, sometimes feeling like your own body is betraying you on top of whatever else is going on.
But teenagers don’t need stories about how hard it is that don’t give them hope, and neither does anyone else.
Nobody should be forced to go through life believing that they ARE their trauma or that there’s no escaping it.
Heartstopper provided that hope for three seasons (four counting the movie). These kids suffered. They also had a normal adolescence and even got to laugh sometimes.
We need more of that on TV.
There will never be another Heartstopper, but I hope that the show opens doors for other hope-infused teen series that also take trauma seriously.
What will you miss about Heartstopper?
Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
If you enjoyed this article, check out our recent list of LBGTQ+ shows everyone should watch.
The Heartstopper final movie will drop on Netflix on July 17, 2026. All three seasons of the series are currently available to stream on Netflix as well.
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Heartstopper is wrapping up with a two-hour movie that drops on July 17. It will be hard to let go of this series.
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