The cast of Heartstopper were all our favorite people, but watching them dance in front of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters at London Pride will make you love them even more.
Thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies took to the streets of the capital today to celebrate London’s 50th Pride, in their brightest colors and boldest of ways.
Unfortunately, a group of protesters also decided to show up, waving signs with anti-gay messages on them, in an attempt to prevent the community from celebrating.
But the people of London were unprepared for the protesters to dim their brilliance when a younger approached the older men at the railings and tried to grab his plate.
As he did so, Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody blared through the speakers as the cast of Netflix’s Heartstopper enjoyed a joyful boogie, turning the protesters away.
It was truly a sight to behold, as Joe Locke (who plays Charlie Spring) and Sebastian ‘Bash’ Croft (Ben Hope) jumped around with rainbow flags, waving middle fingers and blowing sarcastic kisses at the group.
Watching was Kit Connor (who plays Nick Nelson), who was seen clapping and filming what can only be described as iconic behaviour.
Those weren’t the only three cast members on Pride today, as it looked set to be a Heartstopper feast with Tobie Donovan (Isaac Henderson), Kizzy Edgell (Darcy Olsson), Corinna Brown (Tara Jones), Rhea Norwood (Imogen Heaney), and Jenny Walser (Tori Spring) also marches through the streets wearing colorful face paint and vibrant outfits.
After trolling the protesters, the cast rejoined the march, where they were greeted with rousing applause and cheers.
Elsewhere in the parade, Kit Joe happily carried on his back and the pair held hands as they smiled and waved at supporters, much to the delight of fans, as the scene was very reminiscent of a Heartstopper illustration creator Alice Oseman drew for Pride in 2019, with Charlie in a piggyback.
Joe recently told the BBC that this will be his first Pride ever and thinks it’s “very, very surreal” to be “queer when the world may not accept it that way”.
He added that it was “such an honor” to be involved in the special day.
Heartstopper has been extended for two more seasons and filming for S2 is expected to begin later this year.
As for Pride, this year marks five decades since the first Pride took place in the UK, with the first major event in the south since the pandemic struck.
Pride in London is an opportunity for queer folk and allies to protest change and progress, while also promoting visibility and celebrating individuality.
The first Pride in London was led in 1972 by the Gay Liberation Front.
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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride
This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk continues in our continued LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also shares stories, the takes time to reflect and raise awareness for the community this Pride Month.
And we also have some great names on board to help us out. From a list of celebrity guest editors taking over the site for a week, including: rob rinder† Nicholas Adams† Peter Tatchelli† Kimberly Hart Simpson† John White† Anna Richardson and dr. Ranjas well as the will of Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars the Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Aunt Kofi offer their insights.
During Pride Month, which runs from June 1 – 30, metro.co.uk will also support Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in times of conflict, and the youth homelessness charity AKT. Click here to learn more about their work and what you can do to support them.
In front of metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.
