Smash-hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton returned for its third season yesterday (16 May), and it’s got tongues wagging all over the internet, not least because people think that Eloise might be a lesbian.

Eloise Bridgerton is the fifth Bridgerton child, and the family’s second daughter. Apart from a brief fling with printer’s assistant Theo, she’s never shown much interest in men or marriage, leaving some people to suspect she might actually be a lesbian. Or at the very least, they hope she is.

Bridgerton has been criticised for its lack of LGBTQ+ representation to date, although the drama’s new showrunner Jess Brownell recently revealed that a queer love story is coming our way.

“This is a show about love in its many forms and it’s only right for us to foreground queer love and to tell queer stories,” she said. “I want to see more queer joy on my screens and that was definitely a priority for me when I stepped into the showrunner role.”

Could this queer love story actually involve Eloise Bridgerton? Let’s take a look at the “evidence”.

She’s not a fan of traditional gender roles

As early as episode two of season one, Eloise shares her disdain about the way women are treated in society, saying: “Having a nice face and hair is not an accomplishment! You know what is an accomplishment? Attending university! If I were a man, I could do that, you know! Instead, I will have to stand by and watch dear Mama peer proud because some man would like to admire my sister’s face, and fill her up with babies!”