Star Wars: Fans petition to make LGBT character in tribute to Orlando victim

'This is a universe with Wookies, Jawas, and Hutts, so why can’t there be a visible LGBT character on screen?'

Clarisse Loughrey
Tuesday 28 June 2016 11:54 BST
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A fan petition has been set up to ask Star Wars creators to include an LGBT character in the franchise's next film, in tribute to one of the victims of the Orlando shooting.

Drew Leinonen was an impassioned fan of the franchise, and one of the 49 individuals who lost their lives in Pulse nightclub in June, alongside his boyfriend Juan Ramon Guerrero. Organised by Leinonen's best friend Joshua Yehl, the petition asks for his memory to be honoured in the creation of Star Wars' first ever LGBT character, inspired by Leinonen as well as to pay tribute to the other victims and to any LGBT individual whose life is lost to hate.

"He and I bonded over many things, but nothing brought us together like Star Wars", Yehl's passionate entreaty reads. "Drew was a beacon of positivity in Orlando, a force that brought people together. He loved Star Wars, yes, but he also loved his friends and his family, and he was warm and welcoming to everyone he ever met. Nothing would make him happier than for all the little gay nerds out there to have their own Star Wars character to look up to."

It's notable that, for all of Disney's efforts to diversify its Star Wars cast, there is yet to be any featured LGBT characters in its cinematic universe; with GLAAD highlighting that Disney was one of two studios that entirely failed to feature a single LGBT character in any of its movies last year.

The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams has already indicated that LGBT characters will be making an appearance in future Star Wars movies; stating, "to me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility. So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world."


It's hard to think of a more profound introduction the first LGBT Star Wars character could have then to pay tribute to those killed by hate and ignorance, while simultaneously allowing LGBT individuals to feel appreciated, loved, and represented within their own culture.

"While Star Wars is a sci-fi fantasy world with bizarre aliens and hulking monsters, it still features characters just like us," Yehl writes. "After A New Hope, steps were taken to expand and diversify the cast, giving us the smooth-talking Lando Calrissian and Rebel pilots played by people of colour. The tradition of making Star Wars more inclusive continued with the casting of Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn, the main protagonists of The Force Awakens. It’s my hope that Star Wars will take another step forward by introducing their first-ever LGBT character in a movie."


"This is a universe with Wookies, Jawas, and Hutts, so why can’t there be a visible LGBT character on screen? This tragedy happened because of hate, but Star Wars is something that unites people, so fulfilling this request would only serve to bring more love into the world, and that's what Drew was all about. It’s vitally important that LGBT people are included in mainstream media because it will show that we don’t need to be feared or hated or hidden. We can be part of the rebellion and we can fight evil, and we can do it while being who we are with pride."

You can sign the petition here.

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