In recent years, there have been several popular LGBTQ+ TV shows. But it is not necessarily a good thing. Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry have caused issues for the actors due to parasocial fans.
Despite these programmes depicting the struggles of being closeted and coming out, fans have become obsessed with the actors’ sexualities. Two examples of this are the forced outing of Kit Connor and accusations of “queerbaiting” aimed toward Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. It comes from people who think queer characters should be played exclusively by queer actors.
Additionally, it reflects how fans obsess over celebrity dating culture. Kit Connor played the character of Nick in Heartstopper, who is canonically bisexual. Some fans were strongly speculating about his sexuality to the point that he was forced to come out as bisexual.
Many believed a character who is part of the LGBTQ+ community should be played by a queer actor, to improve representation on screen. While this is a good point, it completely ignores that a lot of people in Hollywood may not feel comfortable to be out. This mindset can lead to widespread negative scrutiny which can in turn make actors feel unsafe in these spaces.
Similarly, Elliot Page was criticised by fans for not including pronouns on his social media profile, shortly before he came out as transgender. A similar issue has arisen in the Heated Rivalry fandom. There has been mass speculation from a portion of fans on the main actors’ sexualities.
Some have stated it is ‘wrong’ for them to play queer characters onscreen if they are straight. Seemingly, the same fans believe if an actor has not publically come out, they must be straight. This has led to statements from Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams about wanting to protect their respective privacy.
Many people have compared this to the harassment Dan Howell and Phil Lester faced in the early 2000s, which made them reluctant to come out. Another problem with Heated Rivalry is the sport aspect, as many sports are hyper-masculine and anti-LGBTQ+. The show has done some good, as ex-hockey player Jesse Kortuem came out following the success of the show.
He acknowledged he struggled with being a gay hockey player, a major theme of the TV show. However, it has also attracted new hockey fans who are more interested in shipping culture than the sport itself. It is likely that sport stars are going to be scrutinised more than before.
No matter what their sexuality is, fans will interpret their actions as they wish. This could lead to athletes being publically outed. There is already a huge subculture of creating fanworks surrounding athletes.
Formula 1 Real Person Fiction has over 47000 works on Archive of Our Own, aka fanfiction about real people. A majority of these works depict F1 drivers as LGBTQ+ and usually in relationships with each other. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are currently the 34th most popular relationship of all time on the entire website.
Overall, it seems that these pieces of media have been beneficial to the community that they represent. However, there is a concerning side to fan interactions, which stems from the rise of parasocial relationships. Fans have formed connections with famous people which could continue to cause problems in the future due to over-sexualisation.