Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten has paid a heartfelt tribute to Heartstopper star Joe Locke and the impact his work has had on LGBTQ+ people around the world.
The two met during WorldPride celebrations in Amsterdam, where Jetten shared photographs of himself smiling and talking with the 22-year-old actor.
His accompanying message was not simply a celebrity photo caption.
It was a public acknowledgement from one openly gay man in a position of political power to a young openly gay actor whose work has helped transform queer representation on television.
“Heartstopper Forever is more than a film,” Jetten wrote.
He said the story demonstrates that kindness matters, love deserves celebration and hope can still be found during challenging times.
Jetten also praised the wider role played by art, literature and cinema in helping people feel seen, understood and less alone.
He then addressed Locke directly.
The prime minister thanked him for using both his talent and his public voice to inspire so many people.
He concluded by calling for a world in which everyone is free to be exactly who they are, guided by hope, courage and joy.
Locke responded beneath the Instagram post with three red heart emojis.
The exchange quickly attracted an enormous response from fans who understood the significance of seeing an openly gay head of government celebrating the work of an openly gay young actor.
The moment becomes even more moving when considered alongside Locke’s own coming-out experience.
He has previously explained that he first came out to his mother when he was only 12 years old.
Feeling elated, he then shared the news through Instagram.
Locke quickly realized that although he was ready for his family to know, he was not yet prepared to be publicly out.
He deleted the post and told people that his account had been hacked.
Locke later said he effectively returned to the closet for another three years before coming out again.
His eventual casting as Charlie Spring in Heartstopper turned him from an unknown teenager from the Isle of Man into one of the most recognizable young LGBTQ+ actors in the world.
The series gave millions of viewers something queer television had too often denied them.
It allowed young gay and bisexual characters to experience friendship, romance, vulnerability and joy without presenting their identities as problems to be solved.
Locke’s performance as Charlie has also explored more difficult experiences, including bullying, mental illness and an eating disorder.
Yet the character has never been reduced to his suffering.
At the centre of the story remains the idea that Charlie deserves love and a hopeful future.
Locke has carried that message beyond the screen.
He has spoken publicly about LGBTQ+ rights and previously challenged restrictions preventing gay men from donating blood on the Isle of Man.
The island’s government subsequently announced that the discriminatory blanket ban would be changed.
Jetten’s tribute therefore recognized more than a television performance.
It acknowledged the cultural and political value of allowing queer young people to see themselves represented with dignity.
Jetten became the Netherlands’ first openly LGBTQ+ prime minister in February 2026.
His meeting with Locke brought together two generations of visibility that would once have seemed almost unimaginable.
One was a boy who came out at 12, became frightened and tried to take the announcement back.
The other now leads a country while living openly as a gay man.
A decade after Locke returned to the closet, that prime minister was publicly thanking him for helping other people find the courage and hope he once needed himself.
Joe Locke answered with three hearts.
For a moment like this, nothing more needed to be said.
📷 @jettenrob
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