Homosexuals in Star Wars

I don't want Star Wars (or any movie/tv show) to exclude certain types of characters just because it may make some people feel uncomfortable.
It's 2015. Maybe some folks just need to grow the hell up a little bit.

 

It is about growing up. Scenes of non-hetero sexual situations going against one's religious beliefs I can totally understand. But certain types of people existing going against one's religious beliefs? Ludicrous. Do these same folks have jobs, go to grocery stores, or engage in any other form of participating in society where gay people exist and still manage to function? Then they can see a gay character and not be taken out of a movie. Like an adult.

 

I agree, it seems a lot of tv is laying it on a little thick these days (misrepresenting gay people, I might add) but you and I are talking about two different things. I was merely stating that anyone who can't handle seeing a gay character on screen without being taken out of their movie experience needs to grow up. The sight of a homosexual person shouldn't cause one to recoil. Is that really that inflammatory?

I get it, it's a hot subject. I like you Voxx, let's walk away from this one and talk fun stuff in other threads.

 

Lol I 100% agree on that one. I don't even like watching straight people make out. Get back to the explosions and ninja stuff.

 

Considering that in the 21st Century the majority of mainstream religions (with the exception of some ultra-orthodox sects) have acknowledged and accepted that there are people with different beliefs than they have and that it is not productive to try to forcibly convert them to their beliefs, there is simply no religious argument here. If a person really can't accept the fact that other people exist in the world with different beliefs than he has, he is going to just have to stay home. Everyone is welcome to his religious beliefs and his own set of ethics and morals, but in a democratic, ecumenical society that does not entitle him to stop other people from enjoying what they want to.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 4, 2015, Original Post Date: Oct 4, 2015 ---

No, I don't. If you could please explain to me how on Earth a gay softball team or parade impacts on your personal life in any way maybe I'll know what you mean. The Masons have existed for centuries and they do their Mason thing. I am not a Mason. Driving past one of their halls or events doesn't impose on me in any way.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 4, 2015 ---

This. I neither grew up Christian nor am I one now, and yet somehow I can enjoy scenes in the Simpsons featuring Rev. Lovejoy without recoiling in horror. I can even see straight wedding scenes, in churches, without having run to the shrink next day about how it makes me feel. The whole thing is ridiculous and the whole argument is the very definition of "privilege." I will say that I would rather there be no gay people in anything than have the sort of gay characters being advocated for here, who are gay in as much as they say they are but are not actually allowed to be attracted to anyone, kiss anyone, interact with other gay people or form actual relationships.

 

I just came over after browsing a thread at theforce.net about Star Wars: Aftermath (it didn't occur to me that there was a literature subforum here, lol). I was curious to see what people think about this novel, as I am close to finishing it myself. To my surprise, I found a lot of negativity surrounding this release. Surprise, because I think it's the best Star Wars novel I've read, and even more surprise because people are up in arms because there are a few casual references to homosexuality, and because the novel is written in the present tense.

I just for the life of me can't understand why it is a problem that there are homosexual characters in Star Wars. What's the big fooking deal?
Same with present tense, lol.

Chuck Wendig is a clever writer who takes Star Wars in a new, fresh direction, which is exactly what Star Wars novels need, instead of the plodding, drawn-out, sleep-inducing boredom of novels like The Truce at Bakura or (blasphemy!) Heir to the Empire. Finally a Star Wars novel that packs some punch, where every page feels like you're on a ride.

I'm glad I bought this book despite all the negativity (yes, I bought it out of morbid curiosity) and look forward to the next two installments. Also: Fantastic to have a Star Wars story not centering on the movie main characters.

 

I read through most of the discussion and I'm just going to address the opening part of this thread.

I think it's great. I'm not for hyper-sexualizing Star Wars, gay or straight, but I think an LGBT character is great. The LGBT community deserves to have characters that are relatable on every level. This is just starting to happen and, in my opinion, should happen more. The LGBT community and their identities have been treated as something on the fringe in our culture, and unfortunately, stereotypes portrayed in the media. They should be accepted and hopefully we get to a day when that part of a character doesn't even make someone bat an eyelash.

I'm sorry when people invoke religious beliefs, because frankly, if it bothers you to read a SW character is LGBT, then skip the sentence. People are entitled to their religious beliefs, but people who identify as LGBT should not have to think "Oh, so-and-so is a great guy/gal. They are just doing what their religion tells them, so the bigotry is okay".

This is the 21st century and the only way we are going to achieve true equality someday is with small steps like these. It's not progressive to put an LGBT character in a Star Wars story; it's how it should be and should have been for a very long time. I'm not sorry if this post rubs some people the wrong way.

If your religion tells you otherwise, maybe take a look in the mirror and ask yourself how you would feel if a group of people decided something as powerful and defining as your sexuality and capacity for intimate love was deemed immoral.

 

This. Kind of.
Just want to point out that while religion is often (very often) used to justify bigotry, I'm sure these people would have been bigots even without their so-called "beliefs" - because, if you ever read a book like the Bible, you will find precious little anti-gay messages in it. Not enough to justify their bigotry, at any rate.
And if these people were actually serious about their beliefs (or "superstitions" which I find a much more adequate wording), they should probably start worrying about a lot of other commandments found in that same book. In Leviticus, which famously has a whole host of do's and don'ts for good Christians, where the detail level is so high it even reminds you not to have sex with your grand-daughter, there's not much about homosexuality (here's a nice collection of bans).
I bet many of those crying about gay characters have at some point worn clothing with mixed fabrics. God will be righteously wroth with them, I'm sure.

Sigh. If they would only read the Bible, and if they could just stop bothering other people. It's not like a small percentage of humanity being gay will spell the end of the world (which, ironically, the most hardcore religious zealots are actually waiting and hoping for). Why care about what other people do with their sex lives, as long as it is consentual?
One of the worst things that religion has introduced is all this anti-sex stuff. By calling everything a sin, they just breed more sin. By forcing "true believers" to abstain from natural sexual impulses, they cultivate the kind of twisted, disgusting and abusive/aggressive behavior that results in, among other things, the ruination of countless childrens' lives across the world (just as an example).

I could go on and on about how wrong religion is, and even here, in the discussion of something as trivial as a Star Wars novel, it rears its ugly, perverted, reality-distorting, brain-fade-inducing, abusive, bigoted, divisive, hateful head.

Do note that I am talking about religion, not personal faith or spirituality.

 

TL;DR - The issue about gays in Star Wars isn't an issue. The books only reference the ideas and character's sexuality a total of two pages in the entirety of the new canon. The media and Caitlyn Jenner sex-change have made people more sensitive and aware, and has caused media to use bait-click and sensationalism to report on the Star Wars interpretation of sexuality.

I'm not going to even try to reply to what the others posted here, but I did read through all of it. I personally have read all major Star Wars novels of the new canon, and I can honestly say, even for my friends who are Catholics and all, they found the concept of "presenting, but not heavily detailing" to be very good and fair. In Lords of the Sith, the Moff Delian Mors is a lesbian, and the death of her wife turns her to spice and prostitutes. Now, it;s only lightly mentioned about the prostitutes, and more about the spice, but other than that, no other characters find issues with it, and it's not brought up. In Aftermath, Sinjir Rath Velus is an Ex- Imperial Loyalty Officer who was MIA after the Battle on the Forest Moon of Endor, and he seemed to be a very general character, focused on his fears, his future, and what he was doing on Akiva. His sexuality became a big thing because the media read about it and informed the public, but his sexuality is actually cleverly hinted explained within a few sentences of dialogue between him and Jas Emari, a female Zabrak bounty, who says she would not mind being with Sinjir after the conflict was over, and that he had earned her admiration and interest, but he very quickly says he's not interested, angering her for a second, until he explains he doesn't like females in general, which she quickly understands and drops the subject on. And that's it, no further analysis or discussion, though Wending promises to show a galaxy that is slightly intolerant to gays, much like our world. Nora Wexley, another character in the novel, has a sister named Ismelle, who is married to another woman named Shirene, who look after her son Temmin when she fights for the Rebel Alliance. Again, there's even less of it in this case than the very little amount in Sinjir's few sentences. In Lost Stars, sexuality is a HUGE part of the story, but only for the straight couple torn apart between their loyalty to each other and the Empire and Rebellion. The book even talks about several sex scenes, not in much detail, but enough to even make my Catholic friends say that stuck out more in the new canon than the gay characters. Nobody bothered to notice that the male in the story was a ginger, pale-skinned man, while the female was dark haired and dark skinned. Decades ago, that would have been the issue raised in the story, but Star Wars came just after the initial successes of the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. If TESB came out in the 60's with Lando being a dark-skinned male as he is, that would have been raised by the media. All in all, gays in Star Wars are needed because it reflects the changing world we live in. Decades from now, these books might be considered the start of positive interpretation of gays in mass-produced literature. Who honestly knows. What we do know is that the media made a bigger deal of the gay topic than the books ever did in less than a total of two pages so far.

 

All truly great sci-fi and fantasy reflects elements of our own present, re-positioned to tell us or show us something we may not see (in our present) even when it's staring us in the face. Usually this is layered through a rich new universe with heaps of other facets.

I'm all for this, Star Wars should reflect reality a little more. Less white men, more everything else, because reality is rad.

As long as the characters are well-written and aren't just bantha poodoo cliches! Furiosa worked in Mad Max because it really didn't matter WHAT gender she was, she was an awesomely crafted character.

 

Being gay myself, I should be offended. But I honestly can't stop laughing that it's 2015 and there is a thread on here titled "Homosexuals in Star Wars".

 

Alec Guinness (old Ben) was bisexual, and it was something he wasn't always comfortable with. I think it's okay to show acceptance in Star Wars. It's a big enough media and you don't have to read every tale, just pick the ones you like!

 

I understand this religious argument, but why aren't you against the killing of entire populations by the Death Star? Surely the ideals the Empire and Sith lay out are not aligned with your specific religion? How about the concept of the Force itself? Magic, wizardry, the Jedi, those are traditionally a slap in the face to mainstream religions. It's considered blasphemy. To be a Star Wars fan and use religion as a reason to omit a certain "sin" but not the other "sins" exhibited is folly.

There are other, more well thought out arguments against gay culture being injected into Star Wars, none of which I will be making. Star Wars is a pop cultural phenomenon, whose audience spans generations and cultures, and brings unlikely souls (like us) together to celebrate a story that brings awe, wonder, hope, excitement and imagination to us all.

You don't have to (and probably won't) like every story in Star Wars, and if you outright object to a particular story, you don't have to read/see it. That's the beauty of Star Wars! It has something for everybody in it!