Pastor who called Heartstopper a ‘health risk’ to kids charged with child sexual abuse
Heartstopper is coming to an end in 2026 – both on screen and on the page. (Netflix/Heartstopper)
Heartstopper is coming to an end in 2026 - both on screen and on the page. (Netflix/Heartstopper)
An Ohio pastor who called the Heartstopper books a “health risk” to kids, has been charged with offences against children.
Silas Shelton, 48, the pastor of Blanchester Community Church, in Clinton County, was arrested last week on four felony charges: rape, sexual battery, unlawful sexual contact with a minor and gross sexual imposition, a spokesperson for Wilmington police said.
No other information would be released out of “respect for the privacy and the safety of the victim and family”, they added. However, The Advocate reported that the alleged offences are said to have occurred in 2019 and involved a girl who was 14 or 15, and a member of his congregation, at the time.
In August 2023, Shelton spoke to the Little Miami Local School District board of education about Alice Oseman’s graphic novel Heartstopper, which he described as a health risk. “I got sick from reading that stuff,” he said.
“I don’t think kids should ever question their sexuality, I don’t think kids should ever explore their sexuality. I don’t think any of that stuff ever ought to be in our school. But [my 12-year-old daughter] came home asking me why certain books were in a book fair. One of them was Heartstopper, which is where a gay boy pressures a straight kid into kissing him.”
Oseman began writing the hit queer web-comic in 2016, telling the love story of Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson. It has since been adapted for TV by Netflix. Last month, the author announced the release date for the sixth and final volume.
Shelton has denied all the charges, online court records show, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. He is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday (22 October).
