The cast of Heartstopper was “stopping” homophobes at London Pride over the weekend.
Anti-gay protestors trying to rain on everyone’s Pride parade is nothing new, but while it would be better if they would just get with the times and leave people alone, seeing folks combat them with joy and celebration is always cathartic.
In a series of viral videos captured in London on Saturday, Heartstopper’s Sebastian Croft and Joe Locke were spotted at the forefront of a mini-dance party set to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” taunting a small group of elderly protestors screaming into a megaphone about God.
\u201cLove always wins\ud83d\udc96\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83e\udd73\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f #Pride\u201d— Sebastian Croft (@Sebastian Croft) 1656775645
\u201cElderly homophobes in London try to ruin the Pride parade and fail miserably\nhttps://t.co/5aYWnsg3QH\u201d— Fifty Shades of Whey (@Fifty Shades of Whey) 1656798286
Both actors were sporting inclusive Pride flags as capes, bouncing around dancing with Croft blowing kisses and Locke opting for a more pointed middle finger salute aimed at the party poopers.
Kit Connor, Corinna Brown, and Tobie Donovan were also spotted partaking in the dance party, while Jenny Walser and Kizzy Edgell were reportedly walking with the group for Pride as well.
\u201cHappy pride #KitConnor #Heartstopper\u201d— Kit Connor Updates (@Kit Connor Updates) 1656782893
\u201cHEARTSTOPPER cast at Pride but \u2728HIGH QUALITY\u2728 pictures: a thread \n.\n.\n.\nPlease share this so other people can have them as well! \ud83d\ude0a we don\u2019t gatekeep in this acc\u201d— Ela (@Ela) 1656810812
Seeing the cast of a popular LGBTQ+ show not only participate in Pride itself, but take the time to stand up to homophobes meant a lot to fans, who shared their appreciation on social media after the videos went viral.
\u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of this scene from different angles; this one finally broke me \ud83e\udd72 My mom heart is so full.\n\nIf seeing young ppl be this happy just to get to celebrate being themselves made you angry and miserable, there\u2019s something terribly wrong with you and I\u2019m deeply sorry.\u201d— pam (@pam) 1656838665
\u201c@SkyScottBeasley @ScotCuthbertson Imagine turning up here, seeing these people having a great time. All smiles, just a great occasion and you feel the need to spread your poison and bile. And then think that you\u2019re the good guy \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Scott Beasley (@Scott Beasley) 1656764269
\u201c@dpdy2k @SkyScottBeasley @shawncbrown This is the tweet David \ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\u201d— Scott Beasley (@Scott Beasley) 1656764269
\u201c@SebastianCroft SO PROUD OF YOU ALL <3 the homophobes ate just jealous that we have a brighter colour palates than their futures x\u201d— Sebastian Croft (@Sebastian Croft) 1656775645
\u201c@SebastianCroft everybody say thank you sebastian croft and joe locke for ending homophobes\u201d— Sebastian Croft (@Sebastian Croft) 1656775645
Of course, the fact that these sorts of protests are still happening remains disheartening, but if we had to have a reminder of why we still need Pride, we're glad to see the cast of Heartstopper right in the thick of it, setting the best example for all their young fans!
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