What is "outing"?

Outing is when someone reveals the gender or sexuality of another person without their consent. Recently, this issue has come to light after popular Heartstopper star, Kit Connor, was forced to out himself.

Kit was forced to out himself on Twitter after his fans demanded, and he felt he didn't have an option to not respond after the response of his community.

Why is outing bad? Someone's sexuality and gender is personal, and it's up to them whether they want to share it, and with who. Especially for people in situations where they may not feel safe expressing who they are, it's a huge break of trust to out someone.

Even if you think someone is out with their gender or sexuality, it's important to be respectful and not bring it up without their consent. Even if you think you're helping them by giving them more freedom with how they present themselves, it may be dangerous. Only after someone gives you permission or they bring it up themselves you can mention it, but even then, continue to be respectful and don't bring up anything they don't mention themselves. Some people are out about their sexuality but not their gender, for example, and it's best to veer on the side of caution. When in doubt, don't say anything.

And never pressure someone into revealing their sexuality or gender. You may think it's a joke, or it's not serious, but there are huge impacts that come with outing yourself before you're ready.