🐱 Star Wars: Where Are the LGBTQ+ Characters?

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Just as queer people have been around since the beginning of time, queer characters in media have been present, even if their identity isn’t always outwardly stated. This, of course, has been part of the bigger issue. Over the past 30 years, there has been a rising prominence of queer representation in mainstream media that has helped to shed light on the experience of LGBTQIA+ people. Queer media first emerged as an underground medium, providing a way of communicating the issues that LGBTQIA+ people were faced with. There was an effort, in early queer films, to recalibrate any wrongful perception of queer individuals and strip away the belittling inaccuracies made about them. Since then, particularly with LGBTQ+ movies of the 2000s and 2010s, tremendous progress been made in the visibility and representation of queer characters and narratives in mainstream media.

Queer representation has become more mainstream in fiction in recent years, across film, television, literature, comic books, and video games. Major franchises are introducing LGBQIA+ narratives into their core storylines, or at least featuring queer-identifying characters as main characters. Last year, Eternals made history as the first MCU movie to feature the first gay on-screen kiss in the franchise's history. There’s certainly still progress to be made, but leading studios have assured skeptics that they will create the most authentic queer experiences for their LGBTQIA+ characters as they are introduced. While this news is to be celebrated, the Harry Potter and Star Wars universes have been actively avoiding real LGBTQIA+ representations. The blatant erasure of queer culture in their universes has been viewed as upsetting and distressing acts of ignorance towards fans who identify on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Star Wars has been known for its queer-baiting tactics across its massive scope of sweeping universes and timelines. Amid the infinity of a galaxy far, far, away, where are the LGBTQIA+ characters?

Are There Any LGBTQ+ Characters in Star Wars?​


Meaningful LGBTQIA+ representation in Star Wars movies has yet to fully break through and become more than an implication or an act of queer-baiting that may mislead hopeful fans — but there is a start. While Disney has been unnecessarily vigilant over eliminating queer imagery from their work, there are instances in different Star Wars media where LGBTQIA+ characters exist. Delian Mors, for example, established herself as the first LGBTQIA+ Star Wars character who was written as an openly gay woman in 2015 in Paul S. Kemp's Lords of the Sith, where it was mentioned that her wife, Murra, was killed. Star Wars: Aftermath is also generous with its queer depictions and introduces Sinjir Rath Velus, who abandoned the Galactic Empire to join the New Republic. He later engages in a romantic relationship with New Republic slicer Conder Kyl. What's more, Star Wars: Aftermath features hero Norra Wexley who returns to her home where her sister Esmelle awaits her arrival on their planet. It is then disclosed that Esmelle and her wife assumed the responsibility of caring for her nephew while Wexley joined in the Rebels' fight. Other notable queer characters in Star Warsliterature include: Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, Magna Tolvan, and non-binary twins Terec and Ceret. The twins were featured on the cover of Star Wars: The High Republic on Trans Day of Visibility 2021 and were accompanied by an official statement from the Star Wars Instagram page: "We support trans lives and we are passionate and committed to broadening our representation in a galaxy far far away."

In terms of movies and TV, however, progress has yet to be made. That said, Mark Hamill previously opened up about Luke Skywalker's sexuality, a topic that was never fully confirmed throughout the Original Trilogy nor the Sequel Trilogy. In response to a fan's question over Skywalker's romantic attraction, Hamill said, via Vanity Fair: "...fans are writing and ask all these questions, 'I'm bullied in school... I'm afraid to come out.' They say to me, 'Could Luke be gay?' I'd say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer... If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.” Though well-intentioned, Hamill's remarks do little to move the needle when it comes to outward, visible, and unambiguous queer representation.

Why It’s Important for Star Wars to Have LGBTQ+ Representation​


The Star Wars sequel trilogy explored the lives of fresh, new characters at the head of its most recent cinematic chapter. Former Stormtrooper-turned-Resistance soldier Finn (John Boyega) and Resistance Starfighter Commander Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) were a display of the queer-baiting tactics used in Star Wars media as Lucasfilm and Disney were in full denial of a romantic relationship between the two (despite the chemistry between them). A singular kiss between two women fighting for the Resistance featured during the conclusive celebration in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker was the closest that Star Wars live-action content had gotten to fully depicting a queer relationship on-screen. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment and a disappointment for fans, needless to say.

Just as queerness is part of human nature, it has the right to be present in alternative worlds, especially one as diverse as Star Wars. The power of Lucasfilm's amassed world-building has become such a personal, intimate piece of popular culture for its dedicated fanbase. As a result, Star Wars accurately representing the LGBTQIA+ community is necessary for the brand to uphold its unspoken promise of inclusivity. Even the slightest mention of queer visibility can be considered priceless to young queer people who are seeking something to resonate when exploring and embracing their most authentic selves. If given that self-reflective component, it offers a sense of relief and kinship to those who may be questioning themselves or might be in search of acceptance. Fiction reflects reality. Let it reflect all aspects of reality, just not a reality that is tailored to outdated bigotry.

How Star Wars Can Fix Their LGBTQ+ Erasure​


Disney has scrubbed their content free of LGBTQIA+ messaging and has since only extended a small amount of energy to undo its prejudice. Once in a handful of projects, a headline will scream out that Disney will feature its first LGBTQIA+ character, only for said character to either be omitted from the project or abide by an unappealing stereotype. A "Don't Say Gay" bill proposed in Florida reads that "classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards" per NPR's reporting. In response, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has vowed to become a better ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and issued an apology to Disney employees who have personally been affected by the legislation.

For Star Wars to fix its LGBTQIA+ erasure, it must, simply put, incorporate queer characters in its mainstream content. The inclusive means that are taken to place queer narratives into the spin-off comic book series and other literary extensions of the franchise should be viewed as a blueprint for screen adaptations. Open and uncensored queer screen-time is a start to mending the tactical means that Disney has taken to eliminate the already-limited glimpses of (alleged) LGBTQIA+ characters. While Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker did include a moment of sapphic affection, it was intentionally cut from international releases or was overshadowed by others.

Star Wars can repent for its obliviousness towards the LGBTQIA+ community by fully addressing the queerness of its characters without buckling to backlash. The elimination of any censorship is a steadfast measure of ensuring the sincerity of the inclusion of queer themes. Queer characters should be written into the saga, not only for the sake of being queer, but for the beauty of expounding on the various perspectives throughout the galaxy. The moment that the franchise embraces queer storylines without feeling the desire to suppress them will be the moment that Star Wars is able to fix its LGBTQIA+ erasure. There must be visibility in order to fully achieve the diversity, inclusivity, and creativity that the franchise was founded upon.
 
They're in that weird book or comic series with the dumpy lesbian Jedi... High Republic I think it was called.

Remember the good old days when there were only 3 Star Wars movies?

...

Remember the good old days when there were only 6 Star Wars movies?

They won't be happy until they get some space buttsex full nude in the camera. And even then they would find something to complain about.

The obsession is so strong that same sex characters can't even be close friends without being flagged as gay by desperate fujos.
 
Can't these whiny attention whores find a better franchise to shit up? Star Wars is dead and complaining about how it needs queer characters is a moot point.

Also aren't the comics full of lesbians that pander to horny nerds queer characters? Theres that stupid Asian millennial stereotype who used to work for Darth Vader and I think Boba Fett shot one as a bounty before it was revealed she survived and her and her wife confront Fett over his homophobia.

putting aside the fact that articles like these are intentionally written to be provocative to drive clicks, both trannies and libs need literally everything to reflect their worldviews - even if it's just shallow appeasement - because they need a constant stream of affirmation and validation. additionally, these ideologies are constantly becoming more extreme, so there's no terminal state where they "finish" spreading through culture because they're constantly in flux themselves, this is why these articles never stop cropping up, last year's Queer Victory is this year's Problematic Representation
 
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