LGBTIQ

Why Heartstopper is Gen Z’s defining publishing phenomenon

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

To every generation a publishing phenomenon is born – and for Generation Z, it’s Heartstopper, which Oseman started writing aged 22 (she’s still just 29).

Key Points: 
  • To every generation a publishing phenomenon is born – and for Generation Z, it’s Heartstopper, which Oseman started writing aged 22 (she’s still just 29).
  • The rise of Heartstopper reads like a history of the last ten years in publishing tools and platforms.
  • Hachette Children’s Group picked up world rights for the series, publishing Volume One in 2019.
  • Heartstopper follows the sweet friends-to-lovers arc of Charlie and Nick, whom we first meet in Year 10 and Year 11.
  • It depicts the giddying highs and dizzying lows of being young, queer and in love.

Queer joy


Queer joy is defined by Oxfam as a positive feeling we get from encountering signs of progress in gender equality and gender diversity. In the Heartstopper series, the narrative engine runs on themes of love, identity, first times, self-discovery, friendship and allyship.

  • He mentions past bullying and there are moments of homophobia, but largely Charlie is accepted at school.
  • Charlie’s friend Elle has transitioned their gender and has been enrolled into the girls’ school across the road.
  • The shadow side of the themes of love, connection and community includes mental ill-health, body dysmorphia, trauma, family conflict and bullying.
  • Read more:
    Heartstopper depicts queer joy - here's why that can bring about complicated feelings for those in the LGBTIQ community

‘Felt gaps’: the magic of comics

  • In 1953, in his book Seduction of the Innocent, Frederic Wertham argued comics inhibit literacy, and called them “death on reading”.
  • Comics and graphic novels are, for some kids at least, the gateway to a passion for books.
  • Some of the magic of comics occurs in the gutter: the space between panels.
  • Because comics can show and tell two things at once, they are particularly good at representing the way identities are formed in relation to society and culture.
  • An examination of Google trends from 2004 to 2023 highlights a steep rise in queries about sexuality, with such searches surging over 1,300%.

Heartstopper Volume 5


By Heartstopper Volume 5, Nick is out to family and friends and Charlie is home and in therapy, but generally well. Charlie and Nick are in an established relationship, thinking about taking things to the next level.

  • (We’ll have to read Volume 6 to find out if he’s successful!)
  • Heartstopper Volume 5 focuses a lot on Nick who, as a final-year student, needs to make a decision about university.
  • The conversations demonstrate nuances of active consent and communication, and stand in stark contrast to Ben’s entitlement and aggression in Volume 1.

Normalising queer love

  • In Heartstopper, the representations of mental illness, trans identities and queer love are destigmatising and normalising.
  • Charlie’s queer and quirky friendship group reminds me of the young people who trail in and out of my house on a regular basis.
  • (My oldest daughter ran the queer club at her school, my middle child is non-binary.)
  • Oseman uses the comic form to alleviate the intensity, avoiding details about self-harm and restrictive eating, and never showing anything graphic.
  • For me, though, this is the queer joy of reading Heartstopper.
  • In its focus on the love and community that surrounds Charlie and Nick, the Heartstopper graphic novels create a space for the reader, who becomes an intimate confidante – another member of Charlie and Nick’s tight-knit friendship group.


Penni Russon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Press release - Fundamental rights report finds threats to key freedoms, equality and dignity

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 19, 2024

The report on the state of fundamental rights in the EU was approved with 391 votes in favour, 130 against, and 20 abstentions.

Key Points: 
  • The report on the state of fundamental rights in the EU was approved with 391 votes in favour, 130 against, and 20 abstentions.
  • MEPs call for justice for the killing of journalists and welcome the agreement on the media freedom act.
  • poverty and social exclusion, digital poverty); and
    - improving institutional safeguards (including establishing the Fundamental Rights Agency as an independent human rights authority).
  • Quote
    Rapporteur Katarina Barley (S&D, Germany) commented: “Fundamental rights violations are widespread in EU member states.

Queer film in Africa is rising – even in countries with the harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

A recent book, Queer Bodies in African Films, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from film-makers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its author, Gibson Ncube, is a lecturer and scholar who focuses his research on queerness in African cultural production – from literature to films. We asked him four questions.Is there a growing queer representation in films from African countries?Nigeria’s Nollywood has produced a considerable body of films portraying queer lived experiences.

Key Points: 


A recent book, Queer Bodies in African Films, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from film-makers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its author, Gibson Ncube, is a lecturer and scholar who focuses his research on queerness in African cultural production – from literature to films. We asked him four questions.

Is there a growing queer representation in films from African countries?

    • Nigeria’s Nollywood has produced a considerable body of films portraying queer lived experiences.
    • With its long history of queer representation in film, South Africa continues to produce work that highlights the diversity of LGBTIQ+ experiences.
    • African queer films often navigate unique social, cultural and political challenges – such as deep rooted homophobia and colonial legacies.
    • These films contribute to a broader global discourse on queer issues while offering distinct perspectives and narratives.

What is the book’s main argument?

    • I first watched some of the films in their original languages and without subtitles.
    • Although I did not understand languages like Afrikaans, Arabic or Kiswahili, I found that the visuality of queer bodies told stories.
    • One of the main differences between films north and south of the Sahara is the openness of depicting queerness.

Please tell us about a few of the films you studied

    • I also looked at the gay 2017 Xhosa initiation school drama Inxeba/The Wound by John Trengove and the 2018 Kenyan lesbian romance Rafiki by Wanuri Kahiu.
    • Through their varied depictions, these films play a significant role in making visible marginalised gender and sexual identities.
    • They provide a crucial visual archive that contributes to our understanding of queer lives in north Africa.

What did you learn from studying these films?

    • Studying these films has yielded a profound understanding of queer experiences within diverse African cultural contexts.
    • They undoubtedly shape our understanding of queer lives and experiences in a continent where queerphobia remains rampant.
    • Moreover, studying these films chronicles the journey of queer rights in Africa.

Young people with sexual or gender diversity are at higher risk of stopping their HIV treatment because of stigma and harsh laws

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 25, 2023

These groups are also at higher risk from HIV due to increased levels of stigma, discrimination, violence and criminalisation.

Key Points: 
  • These groups are also at higher risk from HIV due to increased levels of stigma, discrimination, violence and criminalisation.
  • Our research is part of a three-year project on HIV-related stigma linked to young people with sexual or gender diversity.


Our research provided novel evidence on the deeply rooted fears and anxieties around multiple forms of stigma among young MSM and transgender women in southern Africa.

Criminalising sex

    • Recently, Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, which punishes same-sex conduct with life imprisonment.
    • Our study also noted that young people had developed various strategies to manage their lives.
    • The constant worry and stress of living with HIV, and the fear of being stigmatised, could have a significant impact on health and wellbeing.
    • The burden of concealing their identities resulted in a range of mental, emotional and physical vulnerabilities.

Fear of being found out

    • Being seen taking antiretroviral therapy or having it found in one’s possession signalled that one was living with HIV.
    • A 19-year-old said:
      It affects me sometimes because, if people reject you, you feel like stopping to take the medication.
    • It affects me sometimes because, if people reject you, you feel like stopping to take the medication.

The way forward

    • There were few services available to assist in coping with these multiple stigmas.
    • Those that came closest were provided by “sexual minority friendly” organisations or led by sexual minority peers themselves.

Royal romances have always been fantasies of transformation. How does new-generation teen fiction reflect queer and diverse desires?

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 11, 2023

The queer injection into the young adult royal romance reflects a broader shift in what’s being published and read.

Key Points: 
  • The queer injection into the young adult royal romance reflects a broader shift in what’s being published and read.
  • Last year, research showed LGBTQ fiction sales in the US jumped 39% from the same period in the previous year.
  • And young adult fiction grew in particular, with 1.3 million more books sold than the previous year.
  • Read more:
    Heartstopper depicts queer joy - here's why that can bring about complicated feelings for those in the LGBTIQ community

Royal romance tropes

    • It’s been more than 20 years since Anne Hathaway graced our screens in the film adaptation of Meg Cabot’s young adult royal romance The Princess Diaries (2001).
    • Other familiar tropes of the royal romance include the “surprise reveal”, where one half of a couple’s royal identity is uncovered, like in Netflix’s The Princess Switch.

A viral success

    • Released in 2019, Casey McQuiston’s book quickly went viral, becoming an instant New York Times bestseller, winning awards and making best books lists.
    • The classic “enemies-to-lovers” romance trope takes on international significance with the offspring of two world leaders involved.
    • Alex and Henry’s initial dislike for each other boils over and catches media attention after they ruin the cake at a royal wedding.
    • Read more:
      Spring Fire, the first lesbian pulp fiction hit, satisfied censors with its unhappy ending – but its 'forbidden love' reflected real desires

More royal romances that explore difference

    • Other popular young adult royal romances explore queer relationships, too.
    • Her Royal Highness, by Rachel Hawkins, is set in a university in Scotland, where American Millie discovers her roommate Flora is a Scottish princess.
    • Her Royal Highness is a companion story to Hawkins’ first (heteronormative) royal romance novel, Prince Charming (originally titled “Royals”).
    • Other young adult royal romances have maintained the focus on boy-girl couples, but engaged with contemporary audiences in other ways, by exploring concerns around class, wealth and gendered expectations.

Press release - Opening: 10-13 July plenary session

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 10, 2023

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Key Points: 
  • Russian invasion of Ukraine
    This weekend marked 500 days since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, said President Metsola.
  • The Parliament procured generators to provide heating and light to Ukrainians when it was needed.
  • Daphne Caruana Galizia
    Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered 300 weeks ago, and the Parliament continues to call for justice to be served, noted the President.
  • Request by several committees to start negotiations with Council and Commission
    Decisions by committees to enter into inter-institutional negotiations (Rule 71) are published on the plenary website.

What is ‘heteroactivism’? How sports became a battleground for opposing LGBTIQ+ progress

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 26, 2023

There has been a sharp increase in public resistance and backlash to the advancement of LGBTIQ+ inclusion and equality recently.

Key Points: 
  • There has been a sharp increase in public resistance and backlash to the advancement of LGBTIQ+ inclusion and equality recently.
  • Globally, international sports federations have introduced bans to exclude trans and gender diverse athletes from sporting competitions.

A history of LGBTIQ+ people in sport

    • In Australia, around 75% of LGBTIQ+ people have experienced or witnessed homophobia in sport.
    • Professional athletes such as Megan Schutt and Moana Hope have spoken out against discrimination of LGBTIQ+ athletes.
    • Read more:
      Israel Folau's comments remind us homophobia and transphobia are ever present in Australian sport

What is ‘heteroactivism’?

    • It is defined as “a term to conceptualise oppositions to LGBTIQ+ equalities, in ways that seek to assert a particular form of heteronormative sexual and gender order”.
    • It is a framework which positions heterosexuality and gender normativity (being cisgender) as superior, and the foundation of functioning western civilisation.

Sports seen as a key arena for heteroactivism

    • Sports have become a key platform to mobilise and advance resistance to LGBTIQ+ equality.
    • More recently, players from a variety of sporting codes have refused to participate in pride rounds and wear pride jerseys.
    • The impact of ongoing heteroactivism in sport is profound, and has been very successful in halting progress for LGBTIQ+ people in that world.
    • For example, one group, Binary Australia, sent over 2,700 emails to Football Australia, protesting the inclusion of transgender football players in NSW.
    • The targeted and coordinated activism directed at sports organisations stops administrators from enacting LGBTIQ+ inclusive policies and practices.
    • Research shows
      that ongoing discrimination can lead to poor mental health, increased anxiety and depression and dropping out of sports.

Sports for good or bad?

    • This can happen through policy development, anti-vilification efforts and, more importantly, demonstrating support for LGBTIQ+ achievements and contributions in sport.
    • By allowing heteroactivism to be mobilised through the medium of sports, administrators continue to alienate LGBTIQ+ players, fans and employees.

From being mildly late to sucking on people's tears – what is a 'beige flag' on TikTok?

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 5, 2023

The newest trend to hit TikTok from a relationship trend perspective: beige flags.

Key Points: 
  • The newest trend to hit TikTok from a relationship trend perspective: beige flags.
  • For those unfamiliar with the platform, TikTok, is a video-sharing social media platform originally released by ByteDance as “Douyin” in China.
  • As of February 2021, TikTok was downloaded over 2.6 billion times worldwide, and boasts approximately one billion monthly average users.
  • A trend which allows for both discussion and change in the relationship space but may also reinforce pre-existing boundaries and norms.

What is a “beige flag”?

    • In essence, the person wasn’t a “red flag” but a “beige flag” – for boredom.
    • The TikTok beige flag definition refers to the odd quirks your partner may have – which bother you, but you are willing to accept.
    • Those developing the content around beige flags are usually in a long-term relationship and the post is framed as satirical or humorous.

Romance on TikTok

    • In this case, and via TikTok, users are playing into a well-known, white, western storyline: the romantic masterplot, and in particular the rom-com format.
    • Indeed, many of these relationship reels on TikTok rely on humour to entertain audiences, through beige flags or other intimacy trends, which are usually exaggerated for comedic effect.
    • By presenting these scenarios in a humorous way, TikTok can both entertain audiences and also help to normalise the idea that dating and relationships are processes fraught with potential missteps and pitfalls.

Sites of struggle and negotiation

    • Academic Martin Nakata argues online spaces – such as TikTok – can be understood as digitally mediated “sites of struggle over the meaning of [our] experience”.
    • Meaning that they are spaces where users can discuss, share opinions, contest and form new ways of thinking.

Uganda's anti-homosexuality law is a patriarchal backlash against progress

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 1, 2023

Previously there has been been historical surveillance and targetting of queer people in Uganda, but no penalties nearly as harsh as this.

Key Points: 
  • Previously there has been been historical surveillance and targetting of queer people in Uganda, but no penalties nearly as harsh as this.
  • Their proponents argue that they protect the heterosexual African family and “African values” in a rejection of “western norms”.
  • As an African political sociologist who researches and teaches gender and sexuality, I argue that these laws are a backlash.
  • They are a response by patriarchal societies to increased freedoms for previously marginalised groups, including women and girls.

International connection

    • Read more:
      LGBTIQ learners at risk in South Africa as conservative Christian groups fight plans for safer schools

      Some of these financial resources unfortunately also come from development funders.

    • A 2022 investigative report points to international donor funding flowing towards churches and associated groups that propelled anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation in Ghana.
    • And, more recently, the role of groups such as Family Watch International in the anti-homosexuality law that Museveni has assented to.
    • These freedoms include the reclamation of formal political spaces – parliaments, political parties and legislation.

What needs to be done about it

    • Firstly, the wave of new laws demands transnational organising.
    • The latest law is not just about LGBTIQ+ people in Uganda.
    • Thirdly, there is need to track money, and associated advocacy, to stop the development funding that goes to anti-LGBTIQ+ groups.

Queerphobia in Kenya: a supreme court ruling on gay rights triggers a new wave of anger against the LGBTIQ+ community

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 2, 2023

The Kenyan supreme court recently struck down a government decision to ban the registration of an LGBTIQ+ community rights organisation, sparking new homophobic rhetoric in the country.

Key Points: 
  • The Kenyan supreme court recently struck down a government decision to ban the registration of an LGBTIQ+ community rights organisation, sparking new homophobic rhetoric in the country.
  • Lise Woensdregt and Naomi van Stapele, who have researched queer experiences in Kenya for nine years, explain the impact of this ruling.

What is the significance of the recent Kenyan supreme court ruling on a gay rights organisation?

    • The Kenyan supreme court ruled on 24 February 2023 that the government was wrong to ban the LGBTIQ+ community from registering the National Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
    • The commission celebrated this court ruling as a small but significant affirmation of its place in Kenyan society.
    • The ruling, however, didn’t alter the Kenyan penal code, which criminalises sexual acts “against the order of nature”.

What have the political responses been?

    • The Kenyan government has joined churches and mosques in their vitriol condemning not only the supreme court judges, but also LGBTIQ+ activists, organisations and citizens.
    • Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua added that the government wouldn’t “condone” same-sex relations, a sentiment shared by president William Ruto.
    • Kenya’s first lady, Rachel Ruto, has also claimed that LGBTIQ+ people are a threat to the institution of the family.

Based on your research, what have you learnt about what it’s like for LGBTIQ+ people in Kenya?

    • They have told us that the recent supreme court decision was a step towards decriminalising same-sex sexual acts and was cause for celebration.
    • Unfortunately, the ruling unleashed vicious anti-LGBTIQ+ attacks targeting organisations, activists and citizens.
    • In WhatsApp groups with family or work, people write anti-queer things, and you need to stay silent not to out yourself.
    • In WhatsApp groups with family or work, people write anti-queer things, and you need to stay silent not to out yourself.

What can be done to empower queer individuals and groups in Kenya?

    • As one queer activist told us:
      They eat with us, but when things get tough, we stand alone.
    • This silence sends a dangerous message to the government and religious organisations: they can freely target queer individuals and groups without facing resistance or solidarity from the broader community.
    • Promoting safe spaces and access to stable incomes on a collective level can create a foundation that empowers queer individuals and groups to fight for dignity and respect.
    • Naomi van Stapele is affiliated with Minority Womxn in Action — MWA, a queer activist organisation in Kenya.