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Identity

‘Heartstopper’ star’s response to fans accusing him of ‘queerbaiting’ is heartbreaking

The show’s creator, co-stars and fans are also coming to his defense.

Kit Connor; queerbaiting; LGBTQ; Heartstopper
en.m.wikipedia.org

"Heartstopper" star's response to fans accusing him of "queerbaiting."

Sometimes it's fun to speculate about your favorite celebrities, guessing things like who they might be dating or if their recent hair change has something to do with a new role. But sometimes speculation goes too far and can become vicious for the celebrity target.

Kit Connor, the star of the Netflix show "Heartstopper," became the focus of intense speculation about his sexuality because he was seen holding hands with Maia Reficco, his co-star from “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.” The accusation of the star "queerbaiting" is curious because bisexual people exist and shouldn't have to confirm or deny their queerness based on who they date in order to be valid.

But the intense scrutiny made the young star feel forced to out himself, which is ironic as the series he stars in is all about teens discovering their sexuality and keeping relationships secret until they're comfortable coming out. Connor, who is just 18 years old, popped onto Twitter to address the hurtful speculations.

The teen wrote a short but heartbreaking tweet that encompassed the pressure he felt, his hurt and his disappointment. He tweeted, "back for a minute. i'm bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. bye." There wasn't much else that he needed to say to get the point across.

This situation sparks a larger conversation around speculating on someone's sexuality, even if people think it's harmless. Anyone part of the Taylor Swift fandom will have noticed increased speculation around Swift's sexuality and fans saying they had the right to speculate because it's not the same as outing the pop star. Others argued that it could make the singer feel pressured to confirm or deny something that she may not be ready to do publicly.

Swift addressed these theories on her being bisexual or a lesbian in a 2019 Vogue interview, but the #Gaylors, as they call themselves, continue to push the narrative. The difference between Connor and Swift is that the country singer turned pop star is 32 years old and has been in the spotlight since she was 14. It's safe to say she has learned a thing or two about dealing with this sort of pressure, even if it may still be hurtful to her.

Connor, on the other hand, is still a teen and this feels like a different level of harmful. Thankfully he's not facing it without support. Several of his co-stars and the creator of the show "Heartstopper" spoke out in support of the actor and so did several fans. One fan wrote, "im sorry kit i love you with all my heart, you are a wonderful person, you don’t deserve this, love you."

It's easy to forget that celebrities can read your tweets, watch your videos and even read the comments on things you post publicly. But speculating on anyone's sexuality, celebrity or not, should be off the table as it puts your curiosity above the person's feelings and privacy.

No one has the right to force someone out of the closet before they're ready. The bisexual identity is valid and just because someone is seen dating someone of the opposite sex doesn't mean they're any less queer or that they're "queerbaiting."

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kit conner
Nature

Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave that’s been closed for 70 years

You can only access the cave from the basement of the home and it’s open for business.

Brian Marble/Facebook

This Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave.

Have you ever seen something in a movie or online and thought, "That's totally fake," only to find out it's absolutely a real thing? That's sort of how this house in Pennsylvania comes across. It just seems too fantastical to be real, and yet somehow it actually exists.

The home sits between Greencastle and Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and houses a pretty unique public secret. There's a cave in the basement. Not a man cave or a basement that makes you feel like you're in a cave, but an actual cave that you can't get to unless you go through the house.

Turns out the cave was discovered in the 1830s on the land of John Coffey, according to Uncovering PA, but the story of how it was found is unclear. People would climb down into the cave to explore occasionally until the land was leased about 100 years later and a small structure was built over the cave opening.

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Joy

A growing number of married Americans are together but live in separate homes. Here's why.

Nearly four million Americans don't live with their spouses.

via Pexels

A couple celebrates while packing their home.

One of the topics that we like to highlight on Upworthy is people who are redefining what it means to be in a relationship. Recently, we’ve shared the stories of platonic life partners, moms who work together as part of a “mommune” and a polyamorous family with four equally-committed parents.

A growing number of people are reevaluating traditional relationships and entering lifestyles that work for them instead of trying to fit into preexisting roles. It makes sense because the more lifestyle options that are available, the greater chance we have to be happy.

A recent trend in unconventional relationships is married couples "living apart together," or LATs as they are known among mental health professionals.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter and director Tim Burton, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and producer Brad Falchuk, and photographer Annie Leibovitz and activist Susan Sontag are all high-profile couples who’ve embraced the LAT lifestyle.

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Family

Professional tidier Marie Kondo says she's 'kind of given up' after having three kids

Hearing Kondo say, 'My home is messy,' is sparking joy for moms everywhere.

Marie Kondo/YouTube

Marie Kondo playing with her daughters.

Marie Kondo's book, "The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up," has repeatedly made huge waves around the world since it came out in 2010. From eliminating anything that didn't "spark joy" from your house to folding clothes into tiny rectangles and storing them vertically, the KonMari method of maintaining an organized home hit the mark for millions of people. The success of her book even led to two Netflix series.

It also sparked backlash from parents who insisted that keeping a tidy home with children was not so simple. It's one thing to get rid of an old sweater that no longer brings you joy. It's entirely another to toss an old, empty cereal box that sparks zero joy for you, but that your 2-year-old is inexplicably attached to.

To be fair, Kondo never forced her way into anyone's home and made them organize it her way. But also to be fair, she didn't have kids when she wrote her best-selling book on keeping a tidy home. The reality is that keeping a home organized and tidy with children living in it is a whole other ballgame, as Kondo has discovered now that she has three kids of her own.

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Pop Culture

YouTube star MrBeast sponsors 1,000 people's cataract surgery to help them see again

"I had never heard of MrBeast so I almost hung up. But gratefully did not hang up."

MrBeast YouTube Screenshot

YouTube star sponsors 1,000 people's cataract surgery

Blindness touches people's lives around the world and YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, more popularly known as MrBeast, is trying to do something about it. Donaldson made it his mission to help 1,000 people regain their eyesight with the help of Dr. Jeff Levenson, an ophthalmologist and surgeon in Jacksonville, Florida.

Levenson has been operating a program called "Gift of Sight" for over 20 years. The program provides free cataract surgery to uninsured people who are legally blind for free, so long as they meet certain criteria. Levenson had never heard of Donaldson, and he almost hung up on him when the YouTube star called to ask about a partnership.

"I had never heard of MrBeast so I almost hung up. But gratefully did not hang up," Levenson told CNN.

After figuring out that Donaldson was indeed a real person who wanted to help others, the duo called around the Jacksonville area to determine the people who needed help the most. They got their list of clients from free clinics and homeless shelters, which covered the United States portion of the surgeries.

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Family

Parenting hack: Mom makes edible sensory play sand by putting Cheerios in a blender

No sandbox? No problem.

via ElleTheVirgo/TikTok

A mom makes sensory sand by putting Cheerios in a blender.

A parenting influencer who goes by the name @ellethevirgo on TikTok has shared a brilliant hack that can turn a simple box of Cheerios into a fun sensory sand experience. The great part is that the sand is edible, so you don’t have to worry if your child puts some in their mouth, which they will inevitably do.

The recipe for Cheerios sensory sand is pretty simple:

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parenting hacks
Internet

Gaël Monfils makes tennis a must-see with his entertaining antics

His nickname, "The Entertainer," is fitting.

Tennis Legend TikTok screenshots

Gaël Monfils makes tennis a must-see.

Tennis isn't always the most entertaining sport to watch, especially if you're not particularly interested in seeing a ball get slapped across a net at 1,000,000 mph approximately 17,000 times. You could probably get whiplash or eye strain if you focused too hard on it. While some people love the sport, others need a little more than grunts and sneaker sounds to capture their attention.

If you're in the group of people who need to be entertained, look no further than Gaël Monfils, a professional French tennis player that has earned the nickname, "The Entertainer." Monfils turned pro in 2004 and has multiple championship matches under his belt, and yet he still takes the time to be...extra while playing.

In a compilation video uploaded to TikTok, we see the 36-year-old tennis player dancing after hitting the ball across the net just out of his opponent's reach. But of course, he also doesn't hit the ball like your average player, either. In one part of the video, Monfils jumps up extremely high and bicycle kicks as he hits the ball with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

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