Haden Cross: "I'm a Jedi, like my mother before me"Цитата
Enter Poe Dameron.
Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the Resistance, an earnest idealist of a character I fell in love with upon my first viewing of The Force Awakens because of his charm and arguable gayness. As a queer fan, the arguable gayness would have been enough for me to claim him as favorite, but it went deeper the more I investigated into his character.
Poe Dameron’s mother, Shara Bey, was also a rebel pilot, flying an A-wing in the Battle of Endor and beyond–and Shara Bey died when Poe was eight.
Poe knew my pain. Poe as a child watched his mother die and then followed in her footsteps to work alongside veterans of the war with the Empire, veterans who had fought by her side. Did he struggle with the feeling of being in her shadow around them? Did he long for her advice and presence after a particularly hard dogfight? Canon doesn’t say, but the idea that he did, the potential for it, gave me a fictional hand to hold when I was alone and the grief came roaring back.
Antonio: Star Wars and SurvivalЦитата
At every step I was essentially asked a series of questions. Do you deserve to be alive? Do you deserve to be happy? Do you think you’re worth something? And at every step I found myself unable to answer. Every so often I would feel as if I did deserve to live, but more often than not I was on autopilot. I had programmed myself all those years ago to survive, no matter what it took, as some “fuck you” to my mother. I never factored in taking care of myself, or actually liking myself. Self-love? Out of the question.
[...]
I was alone and isolated, still working through my issues and my stuntedness, and Star Wars gave me both a way to connect, and a small glimmer of hope that I’d see a gay latino and a bisexual black man possibly fall in love, or even just exist, on the big screen. Seeing men like me exist and love other men. Both are long shots, sure, but it feels good to hope. And the people I met influenced me in the best of ways. We’ve grown close in the past year, and the small group chat we made has been a constant source of humor, support, and solidarity. I graduated high school, started testosterone, and all around became a more stable, happy person. I’m starting college next fall and changing my name. I have a boyfriend, and a dog, and I find myself able to answer those 3 questions finally, on The Good Days, and on The Okay Days too. Do I deserve to be alive? Do I deserve to be happy? Do I think I’m worth something? Yes, I think I do.
Giorgia: The Importance of Inclusivity in the Star Wars UniverseЦитата
For me, like many other people, coming to terms with my sexuality took quite some time and I faced an internal struggle for quite a few years, which is still something I don’t feel entirely comfortable opening up about. It wasn’t until around 2015 that I finally accepted myself and my sexuality, as an asexual lesbian, and since then I’ve gradually become more confident and capable of self-love. One of the things that made the journey difficult was the lack of representation on the media; I didn’t have a fictional character I could relate to, whose problems were similar to my own, whom would’ve helped me to realise, what I was going through was totally normal and that it was okay to be confused, and to not feel the same way as my friends and family. It wasn’t until I found the LGBT+ Star Wars community on Twitter, in which I could finally hear stories that I could relate to and could find comfort in knowing it wasn’t just me going through these struggles, and that there were so many people going through different experiences, and within this community, no matter how different, our mutual fondness for this saga of whiny teens with a tendency to lose limbs could bring us together.
[...]
For me personally, alongside Poe being revealed as a gay character for obvious reasons, I would love for Rey to be openly asexual. I know this is very unlikely, but for me, it would feel extremely empowering because like a lot of other Star Wars fans, I see apart of myself in Rey, which makes me feel extremely protective over her. She doesn’t quite know where she belongs in the galaxy, she’s searching for this belonging whilst also trying to survive daily life. She’s overwhelmed by the change but takes on each challenge as it passes and isn’t afraid to love the people around her and will do anything to protect them, and eventually embraces this new family within the Resistance. Seeing Rey as an asexual character would show people who aren’t fully aware of what it means to be asexual, and those who often call us “emotionless” or “incapable of love” that whether or not you’re sexually attracted to someone, has nothing to do with the amount of love and affection you have for the people around you.
F: Episode X - The Missing JediЦитата
I came to terms with my sexuality around the same time I discovered Star Wars for myself. The characters were, to me, a breath of fresh air. Different. Uncommon. There’s Luke Skywalker, who defies toxic masculinity. Leia Organa, who, instead of being the damsel in distress, is the knight in shining armor. Finn and Bodhi Rook, two men of color who — although different characters — both make a choice that ultimately saves the galaxy, all due to the highest form of human compassion and empathy. Poe Dameron, your classic hotshot hero except friendly, trusting and compassionate.
Star Wars is different. And that’s what makes it so great. And while the franchise does a great job at redefining what it means to be a hero, it has yet to break away from patterns that exclude LGBT people. Star Wars has a worldwide reach, a cultural impact like no other franchise, and the ability (responsibility, even) to help lead conversations that need to be had.
Many adults argue that introducing long-overdue LGBT characters to the galaxy far, far away would “ruin their childhood.” Blatant homophobia aside, that statement is deeply flawed and, quite frankly, selfish. Your childhood is over. Nothing can take away the cherished moments you had with your heroes. Let LGBT children have theirs. Don’t stand in the way of their desperately needed representation.
Trans Trichster: "It (Could Have) Started With a Kiss"Цитата
To confirm Baze and Chirrut as a pre-existing couple in Rogue One would have easily slotted into the story. There would have been no unnecessary romantic storyline, as they would already be together. It could have even added to the tragedy of the final act, by giving us a happy couple to root for, who in the end are tossed aside by war like anyone else (although I admit, that could feed into the Bury Your Gays trope. I feel like it’s different when everyone else dies too, though).
To confirm them as a couple would also have been incredibly easy, which makes it all the more frustrating that it didn’t happen. A single kiss between Baze and Chirrut would have been enough, would have added no run-time. Either of them calling the other “husband” would have been enough (although I have no doubt that some, incredibly, would pass this off as platonic affection). For a pairing who can so easily be interpreted as an old married couple, referring to a wedding would be enough.
And by enough, I mean everything. A confirmed, happy gay couple consisting of Chinese men in Star Wars would mean everything to me, a bisexual, non-binary (transgender), white/Chinese fan, and would mean everything to thousands of other LGBT Star Wars fans. With the sequel trilogy and Rogue One, Black and Latinx and Asian fans can see themselves on screen, can see characters who look like them be brave and kind and badass. The female leads of Star Wars — Rey and Rose, Padme and Jyn and Leia — have inspired women and girls worldwide. To see LGBT characters in Star Wars would show us that we can be strong, and compassionate, and courageous, and happy, and angry, and important. In short, it would let us see that we can live the lives we want to.
Dr. Health'nsteinbaby time, про встречу с Марком Хэмиллом:
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