Is Elle from Heartstopper a boy? Gender explained

The highly-anticipated season 2 of Heartstopper, Netflix's British coming-of-age romantic comedy, premiered on August 3, 2023. Based on creator-writer Alice Oseman's graphic novel of the same name, the series first premiered last April and showcases the life of Joe Locke's Charlie, a gay teenager, and his first queer relationship.

Heartstopper plays a consequential role in highlighting queer, lesbian, and trans characters via a touching storyline. One such character is Elle (played by Yasmin Finney), a trans girl who transfers to an all-girls school, leaving behind her friends at the boys' school where they've spent most of their growing years.

The show doesn't explicitly state that Elle is transgender and viewers "only know it because she’s moved from a boys' school to a girls' school," Yasmin Finney told Elle Magazine. The actress describes the trans experience in the show as a unique one because it's more normalized and is more than just a narrative on "gender dysphoria, bullying, or the dark parts."

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Elle is a trans girl in Heartstopper

Played by English actress Yasmin Finney, Elle in Netflix's Heartstopper is a trans girl who transfers from an all-boys school to an all-girls one. This move places emphasis on the character's distinctive representation and transformational journey throughout the romantic comedy. In season 2, Elle and Tao Xu, played by William Gao, finally end up together.

Elle is one of Charlie's best friends and has only recently transferred to Higgs, an all-girls school from Truham. Having moved to a new school, Elle is initially quite alone until she befriends the school lesbians.

She remains a caring, kind, and supportive friend, especially to Charlie, and even shows up for the latter's rugby match knowing that she might face her former transphobic bullies.

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Black trans actress Yasmin Finney discusses her character as Elle and queer representation in Heartstopper

According to Elle Magazine, Yasmin Finney, a Black trans actress, spoke about playing Elle in the series and her admiration for the character, while comparing it to her own real-life experiences:

"I admire Elle so much. I was bullied for being queer at my first high school. At the time I didn't know I was trans, but for Elle to know that she is and to move schools because of that is bravery on another level."

The outlet reported that Finney explained the refreshing and distinctive narrative because it never explicitly mentions that Elle is a trans character:

"You only know it because she's moved from a boys' school to a girls' school. It's so beautiful to see a trans story on television that's normalised, rather than see a narrative focussed on gender dysphoria, bullying, or the dark parts that comes with being a trans person."

The actress also discussed the romantic comedy's role in the representation of the LGBTQ++ community:

"It would have meant so much to a younger Yasmin to see an Elle on screen who is living authentically and unapologetically as herself. It’s about time that we have young, black queer representation on screen."

Elsewhere, Finney told Teen Vogue that Heartstopper is a "fantasy" and an "escape" for queer people. She explains how it can make one feel hopeful and think, "What if the world was like this":

"I think, sadly, even though Heartstopper's out there, high school is still hell for pretty much 90% of queer people. And Heartstopper is a fantasy. When queer people watch it, it's like we escape. It's something that we watch and feel like, what if the world was like this, and it kind of gives us hope, in a way, but it's not the reality."

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Season 2 of Heartstopper is now streaming on Netflix.