I have been waiting for Quinni – an Autistic girl played by an Autistic actress – my whole life.

What I love about Quinni is that not only is she Autistic, she is openly a lesbian.

Most media with lesbian characters are full of trauma around understanding their identity and coming out. And although that is true for a lot of us queer people it isn’t the only experiences we have – sometimes we actually enjoy ourselves!

It’s refreshing to see queer experience outside of stereotypical drama. And the fact that Quinni is also neurodivergent is lush!

It says alot that Quinni experiences ableism more so than homophobia in the series. And most of this comes from her girlfriend who rolls her eyes at her special interests, visible excitement and sensory needs. The awful ‘don’t play the autism card’ is also uttered by her which made me gasp. It’s been said to me before by people I love(d) so it stung to hear that again.

What’s so great is that Quinni’s experiences are real, authentic, heartbreaking and empowering. Her character reflects so many of us and our unique experiences as queer Autistic people.

There are lots of other themes throughout the series owing to the diversity of characters. Including a gorgeous non-binary person having their pronouns taken seriously by their parents. A police assault on a person of colour. Sexual assault, consent, polyamory and lots more.

The first series of the rebooted Heartbreak High is brilliant, funny, sad, intersectional and true to my experiences as a queer Autistic person.

Here’s hoping there are many more series to come!