Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney praised by MP for life-saving trans representation
Since the release of the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, our community hasn’t stopped talking about the importance of the show and the impact it has had on their lives. We’ve seen people of all ages share their impressions after watching the show and even reminisce about their own experiences as teenagers.
It’s been a roller coaster of emotions that has only made one thing clear: representation matters, and it matters A LOT!
In the first season of the show, we not only meet Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) – the leading couple –, but we also meet their group of friends. Of all the characters, however, among them, one, in particular, stands out: Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney). She is a young transgender girl who has just transferred to an all-girls school and is navigating the changes that this implies.
Her journey isn’t exactly easy and she faces some obstacles, like having no friends for the first few weeks there, but her arc never falls into the tired and harmful stereotypes that the trans community is pigeonholed into. No, her story is one of joy, growth, and pride – something we don’t see very often on TV.
And it’s exactly this new fresh take on trans representation that is now making even politicians praise what this group of young actors, especially Yasmin, are doing for our community.
At the recent House of Commons debate on the government’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban, Labour MP Luke Pollard – who is Plymouth’s first openly gay MP – praised Yasmin as he addressed the room.
“I am so pleased with all my heart that young people in school now not only have LGBT young people in the public eye, but they can see them on screen as well.” He said. “Some of you will know that I’m an unapologetic fan of Netflix’s Heartstopper and I remember being both Nick and Charlie at school.
“But for me, it’s Yasmin Finney who plays Elle in the show who is not only epic in her acting, but the class and visibility of her as a trans actor, and her transfer over to the Doctor Who universe, has not only inspired me, it’s inspired young trans people across the world and it has saved lives. That visibility, that legitimacy, has saved lives.”
Pollard continued to commend Alice Oseman for creating a universe where, “our diversity is celebrated, not excluded,” and “where people are drawn together by a broad hug, not a broad stick.”
He then asserted that we should aim for this diversity and inclusion in politics, saying, “it is precisely because of that that I think I would live every single member in this place to know that the message that go out to young LGBT people that, regardless of who you are, and who you love, you have the right to be loved, you have the right to be safe, and you have the right to be valued, not just by society, but in the law. And that is at the heart of what we’re debating today.”
“Let’s make sure that we say to young LGBT people, to trans and non-binary people, that they are enough, that we will listen to them and that we value them.”
You can check out Labour MP Luke Pollard’s speech in the tweet below.
Yasmin Finney’s cast mates Joe Locke and Kit Connor have shared their support on twitter as well, praising her for changing the world and expressing how happy this recognition of her work makes them.
Considering the current political climate, it is more important than ever that shows like Heartstopper continue to save lives and change the world. While society has seen progress, it is not enough – at least not yet.
Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
