Joe Locke, the breakout star of Heartstopper, has long been assumed to be and written about as being an out gay star. But in reality, Locke has never publicly acknowledged his sexuality — until now.

Speaking with Teen Vogue, Locke shared that he has indeed been out from a young age. “I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12,” he said. “People have assumed and written it, [but] I haven’t ever corrected anyone because I haven’t felt the need to – I’ve never specifically stated my sexuality [until now],” he told the publication.

“It’s a weird guilt I sometimes feel that, by association, their [his family’s] lives are affected by choices in my life,” he added. “It’s a mutual thing. I need to learn my boundaries and people need to learn theirs. Most attention comes from a really good place, and I hope I always appreciate that.”

However, that kind of scrutiny can also put enormous pressure on the young stars of the hit Netflix series. In the case of Locke’s co-star Kit Connor, it led to the actor feeling forced to come out as bisexual on social media before he was ready to due to accusations of queerbaiting.

Courtesy of Netflix

Locke was proud of his co-star for how he handled that situation. “We were all very proud of him, and we’re proud of him controlling the narrative,” he said “I’m very proud of him for doing his own thing and what was right for him.”

It’s also helped Locke have a greater appreciation and boundaries around his privacy. “There’s an idea that it’s part of the job to lose your privacy, that you lose your right to having privacy,” he shared. “That’s something I hope the next generation of people in the public eye can change – I think people are understanding that privacy is non-negotiable.”

Good for Locke for speaking out both about his boundaries and his identity!

Heartstopper season two is now streaming on Netflix.