'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' Gay Moment Don't Faze Cha - Variety

Contents:

• 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' FEATUR FIRST GAY KISS A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER HAS ANCHISE'S FIRST GAY KISS
• 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' FANS ARE UNRWHELMED BY FRANCHISE'S FIRST-EVER GAY KISS
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER HAS ANCHISE'S FIRST GAY KISS
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’S GAY CHARACTERS EXPLAED
• STAR WARS: 'THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' GO LGBTQWTF WH FIRST GAY KISS (PLEASE CLAP)
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER MAK HISTORY WH GAY KISS
• STAR WARS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER FEATUR SURPRISE GAY KISS - BUT 'S NOT WHO YOU THK
• ARE WE REALLY GOG TO PRETEND THAT GAY KISS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER MATTERS?STAR WARS DIRECTOR J.J. ABRAMS TALKED A GOOD GAME ABOUT REPRENTATN—AND THEN GAVE TWO SENDS OF LIP SERVICE BETWEEN MOR CHARACTERS. THAT'S PANRG, NOT PROGRS.BY K. AT COLLSDECEMBER 20, 2019BY JONATHAN OLLEY/LUSFILM LTD./DISNEY.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEANOTHER H MOVIE, ANOTHER CMB OF GAY PANRG, ANOTHER ROUND OF THE UAL PLATS.THE FIRST THG I DID AFTER SEEG J.J. ABRAMS’S STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER—THE NTH FILM THE STORIED STAR WARS SAGA, AND A SURE-FIRE BOX OFFICE H, PER MICKEY MOE’S GRAND SIGN—WAS GOOGLE “STAR WARS GAY KISS.” NOT BEE I NEED TO VERIFY THAT THE MOMENT QUTN REALLY HAPPENED—I’D SEEN FOR MYSELF: A BRIEF FLASH OF TWO WOMEN KISSG LATE THE MOVIE, AMONG A CROWD OF CHARACTERS, HUMANOID AND NOT, ALL OF THEM HUGGG, KISSG, AND CHEERG AWAY. SO: NFIRMED.I WAS LOOKG, STEAD, FOR THE PROMISE. AS SOON AS THOSE WOMEN APPEARED ONSCREEN I KNEW, STCTIVELY, THAT AT SOME POT, SOMEONE ASSOCIATED WH SKYWALKER MT ALREADY HAVE HTED AT THE FILM’S “LGBT REPRENTATN” EARLY S PRS CYCLE. I KNEW THAT THE TWO-SEND PECK BETWEEN TWO WOMEN THAT I SAW—JT BARELY, I ALMOST BLKED AND MISSED —WAS A MOMENT THAT SOME PEOPLE MT HAVE GONE TO THE FILM EXPECTG TO SEE, BEE THE STUD AND/OR FILMMAKERS HAD ALREADY PATTED THEMSELV ON THE BACK FOR .WELL, THAT WAS EASY. EARLIER THIS MONTH VARIETY, ABRAMS DASHED STAR WARS FANS’ LONG-NNG HOP FOR A ROMANCE BETWEEN POE DAMERON (OSR ISAAC) AND FN (JOHN BOYEGA) BY NFIRMG THAT NO SUCH ROMANCE BLOSSOMS SKYWALKER—SORRY. “THAT RELATNSHIP TO ME IS A FAR EPER ONE THAN A ROMANTIC ONE,” SAID ABRAMS. “IT IS A EP BOND THAT THE TWO HAVE, NOT JT BEE OF THE TRIAL BY FIRE WHICH THEY MET, BUT ALSO BEE OF THEIR WILLGNS TO BE AS TIMATE AS THEY ARE, AS AAID AS THEY, AS UNSURE AS THEY ARE, AND STILL BE BOLD, AND STILL BE DARG AND BRAVE.” A LOT OF WORDS. BUT DON’T ET—HERE’S THE IMPORTANT B: “IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT PEOPLE WHO GO TO SEE THIS MOVIE FEEL THAT THEY’RE BEG REPRENTED THE FILM.”REPRENTED. IT’S A FAIAR WORD. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE RSO BROTHERS TOLD DEADLE THAT THEIR THEN UPG FILM, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, WOULD SIARLY FEATURE A GAY CHARACTER— “LGBT REPRENTATN,” OTHER WORDS. THE CHARACTER AMOUNTS TO A SGLE SCENE—REALLY, A LE—AND IS PLAYED BY DIRECTOR JOE RSO HIMSELF, WHICH ON S FACE MAK THE ENTIRE ENAVOR FEEL MORE LIKE A MATTER OF SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT THAN A REAL STAB AT BRGG A QUEER CHARACTER TO THE FOLD. THE RSOS GOT A HANDSOME B OF PRS OUT OF THE MATTER REGARDLS.“REPRENTATN IS REALLY IMPORTANT,” JOE RSO TOLD DEADLE, RECG THE LYRICS TO A SONG I’VE GROWN VERY WARY OF HEARG. “IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AS WE DID FOUR OF THE FILMS, WE WANTED A GAY CHARACTER SOMEWHERE THEM…IT IS A PERFECT TIME, BEE ONE OF THE THGS THAT IS PELLG ABOUT THE MARVEL UNIVERSE MOVG FORWARD IS S FOC ON DIVERSY.”THAT GAY CHARACTER WAS HERALD AS THE FIRST LGBT CHARACTER THE (ADMTEDLY SHORT) HISTORY OF THE MARVEL MOVI, JT AS THE BRIEF LBIAN KISS SKYWALKER WAS HERALD AS THE FIRST OF S KD FOR STAR WARS. THE BENCHMARKS FELY UNT AS “REPRENTATN.” BUT DO THEY—SHOULD THEY—UNT AS BENCHMARKS?MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRACHEL LEVISS SEEMGLY QUS VANRPUMP RUL WH HELP FROM BETHENNY FRANKELBY SAVANNAH WALSHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHAT PENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT . IT IS UNNIABLE THAT ANCHISE FARE HAS TAKEN OVER THE WORLD OF MOVI, AND HARDLY ONLY THE U.S. AND YET THERE’S A WARPED UNRTONE TO THIS ENTIRE NVERSATN—ONE WHICH TWO SENDS OF TWO WOMEN KISSG IS, SOMEHOW, SIGNIFINT. SURE, ’S SIGNIFINT FOR STAR WARS—JT AS ENDGAME’S GAY RSO IS “SIGNIFINT” FOR S MOVIE, BEE THE THGS HAD NEVER HAPPENED THOSE NTEXTS BEFORE.BUT THE MOVI WERE RELEASED 2019—AND THAT, IF NO OTHER REASON, SUGGTS THAT WE NEED A NEW, BETTER NTEXT. ONE GAY KISS STAR WARS IS ONLY AN ADVANCEMENT THE WORLD OF STAR WARS. BUT LOOK HOW FAR LAGS BEHD THE RT OF THE VAST HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN THE VISUAL ARTS, BROADLY SPEAKG, WORLDWI: OM MOVI GOG BACK AS FAR AS SILENT CEMA (CARL THEODOR DREYER’S MICHAEL, OM 1924) AND ENPASSG THE PASSNATE POLIL WORK MA AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS CRISIS, TO EVERY PHOTO YOU’VE EVER SEEN OF GAY SAILORS, TO THE RADIL QUEER FEMISM OF ARTISTS LIKE BARBARA HAMMER, TO—OF URSE—THE OVERWHELMG AMOUNT OF QUEER ART THE FANTASY GENRE, ALL OF IMPLICLY K TO STAR WARS.AND THAT’S MERELY IF WE’RE STARTG OM THE 20TH CENTURY—I ULD GO ON AND ON, FURTHER AND FURTHER BACK. FOR ALL S ABSENC AND IMPOSSIBILI, THE VISUAL HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN REMAS VAST. TLY, I AM NOT SURE WE GIVE ENOUGH CRED. ALL OF THIS—THE WARPED STUD PRODUCTS DOWN TO THE MOST MCULE EPHEMERA—UNTS TOWARD THE HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN. AND OUT OF ALL OF THIS, TWO SENDS OF TWO WOMEN KISSG A STAR WARS MOVIE IS SUPPOSED TO BE MEANGFUL? IT’S ASSUMED THAT BEE STAR WARS IS SO POPULAR, A MOMENT LIKE THIS MIGHT “CHANGE ATTUS.” BUT, FACT, THE CLNS REFLECT ATTUS: THEY REFLECT A DISNEY THAT’S FALLY WILLG TO LET TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX KISS--OR, THE ENDGAME SE, REFER TO EACH OTHER AS PARTNERS. AND THE SAME MOMENT, THEY REFLECT HOW FAR DISNEY IS, OR ISN’T, WILLG TO GO. ABOUT TWO SENDS, ONE MOVIE. A THROWAWAY LE THE OTHER.WHEN I HEAR ANCHISE FILMMAKERS CLAIM THAT THEIRS WILL BE THE FIRST FILM OF THEIR ANCHISE TO DO THIS OR THAT WH LGBT REPRENTATN, WHAT I HEAR IS HUBRIS, OR AT LEAST A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND NTEXT. I DON’T HEAR THOSE FILMMAKERS POTG OUT HOW LATE THEY ARE—HOW ULD THEY PAT THEMSELV ON THE BACK AND SELF-CRIQUE AT ONCE?—OR HOW LTLE THE FX-RADIL ACTS OF REPRENTATN MEAN THE SCHEME OF THGS, HOW LTLE THEY ACTUALLY DO TO ENLIVEN, REFLECT, OR EXPLORE THE LIV OF QUEER PEOPLE OR, JT AS URGENTLY, CHALLENGE THE NORMS THAT HAVE MA THIS REPRENTATN NECSARY.NO, THE FILMMAKERS ARE STEAD NTENT TO GET JT BEFORE THE FISH LE, WAG UNTIL THE VERY LAST MOVI THEIR RPECTIVE ANCHIS TO THROW THE DOGS A BONE. THE ONLY WAY TO TALK ABOUT THE BENCHMARKS IS DISMISSIVELY: TOO LTLE, TOO LATE. BUT WE’RE OF URSE SUPPOSED TO CELEBRATE. NEVER MD THE CREDIBLE TROVE OF LGBT REPRENTATN YOU DO SEE , SAY, FAN FICTN; NEVER MD ALL THE WAYS FANS HAVE TAKEN THE MERE IA OF FN AND POE AS LOVERS AND DONE MORE WH , WH MORE CREATIVY AND SYMPATHY, THAN ANY DISNEY PROPERTY WILL LIKELY EVER DO. NEVER MD THE FACT THAT, ACRDGLY, LGBT REPRENTATN DISNEY’S ART DO EXIST—AMONG S FANS, NOT S CREATORS.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRACHEL LEVISS SEEMGLY QUS VANRPUMP RUL WH HELP FROM BETHENNY FRANKELBY SAVANNAH WALSHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE IA THAT THE LGHABLY MOR WS ARE SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE GO HAND HAND WH DISNEY’S BROAR ATTU TOWARD FILM HISTORY, WHICH THE PANY HAS LONG SEEMED TO THK IS SOMETHG BETTER OFF LOCKED UP A VLT SOMEWHERE—THE BETTER TO EXPLO THE ART’S VALUE, AFTER ALL. LET’S JT SAY STRAIGHT: THE PANY THAT WON’T EVEN LET BABY YODA MEM FLOURISH WHOUT LOSG S SH OVER PYRIGHT WILL NEVER BE A BEAN OF REPRENTATN OF ANY SORT, LET ALONE QUEER REPRENTATN, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THGS, HAS OFTEN MA SPORT OF APPROPRIATG AND MSY-G THE FIRM SEXUAL BOUNDARI OSTENSIBLY STRAIGHT, PYRIGHTED ART. DISNEY IS TOO NCERNED WH REPRENTATN AS PRODUCT TO BE A BEAN OF ANYTHG. AND THE FANS WHO RE WILL STILL, EVEN AS OF THE TWO MOVI, LARGELY BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN CREATIVE, IMAGATIVE VIC—AND THEY ARE PROBABLY BETTER OFF.I’D FEEL A B DIFFERENTLY IF NO ONE VOLVED HAD NGRATULATED THEMSELV OR TREATED THIS LANDMARK B OF CLN LIKE ANYTHG BUT THE SHAME IS. BEE, OBVLY, THE MOMENTS MATTER MOST TO THE QUEER PEOPLE WORLDWI WHO LOVE THE MOVI. THEY UNRSTANDABLY FEEL ACKNOWLEDGED—BY A SCENE THAT, SHOULD ANY OF THE FILM’S TERNATNAL MARKETS BALK, N EASILY BE REMOVED, IF NECSARY. THAT HAS A WAY OF MAKG LOOK LIKE A POTENTIAL LIABILY, RATHER THAN LIKE A PART OF THE FAY. IS THAT WHAT WE’RE CELEBRATG?WHEN DISNEY DO THE BARE MIMUM, ISN’T ACKNOWLEDGG YOU: ’S BUYG YOU. IT’S BUYG EVERYONE, EVERYTHG. AND AMONG THE MANY REASONS ’S WORTH STOMPG OUR FEET OVER DISNEY’S PH TO LE THE WORLD OF MOVI IS THIS: THIS IS THE REPRENTATN YOU GET WHEN DISNEY L THE WORLD. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET: TWO WOMEN, TWO SENDS. TLY, I’M OVERWHELMED. BUT NOT THE WAY DISNEY HOP, OR THKS, I SHOULD BE.K. AT COLLS
• STAR WARS' GAY KISS SLIPS THROUGH CHA'S CENSORS
• ‘STAR WARS: RISE OF SKYWALKER’ GAY MOMENT DON’T FAZE CHE AUDIENC, CENSORS

'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' FEATUR FIRST GAY KISS A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may not have Baby Yoda, but do feature the first-ever gay kiss the 40-pl year history of the anchise. "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" will feature the anchise's first gay kiss. Abrams went on a whirlwd prs tour to tout the first gay kiss all of Star Wars.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER HAS ANCHISE'S FIRST GAY KISS

Flix and Orka are a fully nonil gay uple.

The game’s 2009 release mak Juhani one of the first openly gay characters (that didn’t get retnned) the Star Wars universe. A regular human, Rath is the first openly gay character the seri. 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Fans Are Unrwhelmed by Franchise's First-Ever Gay Kiss'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' featur the anchise's first-ever gay kiss.

'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' FANS ARE UNRWHELMED BY FRANCHISE'S FIRST-EVER GAY KISS

ETSource: DisneyFor the first time the history of the anchise, which has spanned more than 40 years, the latt Star Wars film will feature a gay kiss on-screen! Article ntu below advertisementSource: DisneyStar Wars fans react to anchise's first-ever gay news broke that the new film will feature a same-sex uple embracg on-screen, Star Wars fans took to social media to voice their reactns.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER HAS ANCHISE'S FIRST GAY KISS

"Disney is puttg s first ever gay kiss to a movie and what movie is this you may ask?

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’S GAY CHARACTERS EXPLAED

My ty gay heart is so happy, this is so big, " tweeted one exced fan. Article ntu below advertisementAnother add: "I read there’s a cute ltle lbian kiss the new star wars movie A WIN FOR THE GAYS. Article ntu below advertisement"In the new #StarWarsTheRiseofSkywalker we see two female characters kiss for 5 sends, so THAT is what @JJAbrams has given after many years of askg for gay reprentatn.

This is om the same pany [Disney] that plugged relentlsly, 'LeFou is gay! Earlier this year, Avengers: Endgame featured Marvel’s first openly gay character. “We’ve done four of the films and was credibly important to to have a gay character reprented somewhere one of the four movi.

STAR WARS: 'THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' GO LGBTQWTF WH FIRST GAY KISS (PLEASE CLAP)

Aga, the moment was highly touted by director Bill Condon, who lled an “exclively gay moment a Disney movie. It seemed the Star Wars universe might troduce s first gay characters 2016’s Rogue One wh Chirt (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Jiang Wen); however, their relatnship was kept platonic. Marvel’s The Eternals is said to have a gay character and Thor: Ragnarok‘s Tsa Thompson has said she pched and played her character as bisexual, as she is the ics; however, none of her appearanc Marvel films th far have portrayed her this way.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker se two gay characters share a kiss, markg a tone anchise history. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ma anchise history by featurg two gay characters kiss on screen.

Disney actually removed the kiss om The Rise of Skywalker natns wh strict laws surroundg homosexual relatnships.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER MAK HISTORY WH GAY KISS

In Sgapore, male homosexual acts are technilly illegal. Female homosexual acts are legal, but the The Rise of Skywalker's gay kiss was removed anyway, so that the film uld mata s PG-13 ratg. Dubai cut the kiss too, as all homosexual relatnships are agast the law  Uned Arab Emirat.

On the other end of the spectm, The Rise of Skywalker's gay kiss also me unr cricism for not gog far enough. But sce dienc had no attachment to the characters, there was no emotnal payoff to this quick reprentatn for gay characters. Marvel touted their first-ever gay character leadg up to Avengers: Endgame.

That reprentatn only end up beg -director Joe Rso meog as a gay man who discs an upg date. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's gay kiss was a baby step the right directn, but not enough to be nsired legimate LGBTQ reprentatn. More: Onward’s Gay Character Prov Disney’s Reprentatn Problem.

STAR WARS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER FEATUR SURPRISE GAY KISS - BUT 'S NOT WHO YOU THK

” What a wonrful moment will be for you, stg there the dark noshg on poprn and Mike and Ik, absorbed a galactic space tale only to be roughly jerked out of a fantasy land far far away to be doed wh the ld realy of gay mafia polickg. Luckily, not all gay people thk this is progrs.

The issue of gay reprentatn Star Wars is also disgenuo.

Everyone knows C3PO is very, very gay.

ARE WE REALLY GOG TO PRETEND THAT GAY KISS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER MATTERS?STAR WARS DIRECTOR J.J. ABRAMS TALKED A GOOD GAME ABOUT REPRENTATN—AND THEN GAVE TWO SENDS OF LIP SERVICE BETWEEN MOR CHARACTERS. THAT'S PANRG, NOT PROGRS.BY K. AT COLLSDECEMBER 20, 2019BY JONATHAN OLLEY/LUSFILM LTD./DISNEY.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEANOTHER H MOVIE, ANOTHER CMB OF GAY PANRG, ANOTHER ROUND OF THE UAL PLATS.THE FIRST THG I DID AFTER SEEG J.J. ABRAMS’S STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER—THE NTH FILM THE STORIED STAR WARS SAGA, AND A SURE-FIRE BOX OFFICE H, PER MICKEY MOE’S GRAND SIGN—WAS GOOGLE “STAR WARS GAY KISS.” NOT BEE I NEED TO VERIFY THAT THE MOMENT QUTN REALLY HAPPENED—I’D SEEN FOR MYSELF: A BRIEF FLASH OF TWO WOMEN KISSG LATE THE MOVIE, AMONG A CROWD OF CHARACTERS, HUMANOID AND NOT, ALL OF THEM HUGGG, KISSG, AND CHEERG AWAY. SO: NFIRMED.I WAS LOOKG, STEAD, FOR THE PROMISE. AS SOON AS THOSE WOMEN APPEARED ONSCREEN I KNEW, STCTIVELY, THAT AT SOME POT, SOMEONE ASSOCIATED WH SKYWALKER MT ALREADY HAVE HTED AT THE FILM’S “LGBT REPRENTATN” EARLY S PRS CYCLE. I KNEW THAT THE TWO-SEND PECK BETWEEN TWO WOMEN THAT I SAW—JT BARELY, I ALMOST BLKED AND MISSED —WAS A MOMENT THAT SOME PEOPLE MT HAVE GONE TO THE FILM EXPECTG TO SEE, BEE THE STUD AND/OR FILMMAKERS HAD ALREADY PATTED THEMSELV ON THE BACK FOR .WELL, THAT WAS EASY. EARLIER THIS MONTH VARIETY, ABRAMS DASHED STAR WARS FANS’ LONG-NNG HOP FOR A ROMANCE BETWEEN POE DAMERON (OSR ISAAC) AND FN (JOHN BOYEGA) BY NFIRMG THAT NO SUCH ROMANCE BLOSSOMS SKYWALKER—SORRY. “THAT RELATNSHIP TO ME IS A FAR EPER ONE THAN A ROMANTIC ONE,” SAID ABRAMS. “IT IS A EP BOND THAT THE TWO HAVE, NOT JT BEE OF THE TRIAL BY FIRE WHICH THEY MET, BUT ALSO BEE OF THEIR WILLGNS TO BE AS TIMATE AS THEY ARE, AS AAID AS THEY, AS UNSURE AS THEY ARE, AND STILL BE BOLD, AND STILL BE DARG AND BRAVE.” A LOT OF WORDS. BUT DON’T ET—HERE’S THE IMPORTANT B: “IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT PEOPLE WHO GO TO SEE THIS MOVIE FEEL THAT THEY’RE BEG REPRENTED THE FILM.”REPRENTED. IT’S A FAIAR WORD. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE RSO BROTHERS TOLD DEADLE THAT THEIR THEN UPG FILM, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, WOULD SIARLY FEATURE A GAY CHARACTER— “LGBT REPRENTATN,” OTHER WORDS. THE CHARACTER AMOUNTS TO A SGLE SCENE—REALLY, A LE—AND IS PLAYED BY DIRECTOR JOE RSO HIMSELF, WHICH ON S FACE MAK THE ENTIRE ENAVOR FEEL MORE LIKE A MATTER OF SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT THAN A REAL STAB AT BRGG A QUEER CHARACTER TO THE FOLD. THE RSOS GOT A HANDSOME B OF PRS OUT OF THE MATTER REGARDLS.“REPRENTATN IS REALLY IMPORTANT,” JOE RSO TOLD DEADLE, RECG THE LYRICS TO A SONG I’VE GROWN VERY WARY OF HEARG. “IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AS WE DID FOUR OF THE FILMS, WE WANTED A GAY CHARACTER SOMEWHERE THEM…IT IS A PERFECT TIME, BEE ONE OF THE THGS THAT IS PELLG ABOUT THE MARVEL UNIVERSE MOVG FORWARD IS S FOC ON DIVERSY.”THAT GAY CHARACTER WAS HERALD AS THE FIRST LGBT CHARACTER THE (ADMTEDLY SHORT) HISTORY OF THE MARVEL MOVI, JT AS THE BRIEF LBIAN KISS SKYWALKER WAS HERALD AS THE FIRST OF S KD FOR STAR WARS. THE BENCHMARKS FELY UNT AS “REPRENTATN.” BUT DO THEY—SHOULD THEY—UNT AS BENCHMARKS?MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRACHEL LEVISS SEEMGLY QUS VANRPUMP RUL WH HELP FROM BETHENNY FRANKELBY SAVANNAH WALSHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHAT PENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT . IT IS UNNIABLE THAT ANCHISE FARE HAS TAKEN OVER THE WORLD OF MOVI, AND HARDLY ONLY THE U.S. AND YET THERE’S A WARPED UNRTONE TO THIS ENTIRE NVERSATN—ONE WHICH TWO SENDS OF TWO WOMEN KISSG IS, SOMEHOW, SIGNIFINT. SURE, ’S SIGNIFINT FOR STAR WARS—JT AS ENDGAME’S GAY RSO IS “SIGNIFINT” FOR S MOVIE, BEE THE THGS HAD NEVER HAPPENED THOSE NTEXTS BEFORE.BUT THE MOVI WERE RELEASED 2019—AND THAT, IF NO OTHER REASON, SUGGTS THAT WE NEED A NEW, BETTER NTEXT. ONE GAY KISS STAR WARS IS ONLY AN ADVANCEMENT THE WORLD OF STAR WARS. BUT LOOK HOW FAR LAGS BEHD THE RT OF THE VAST HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN THE VISUAL ARTS, BROADLY SPEAKG, WORLDWI: OM MOVI GOG BACK AS FAR AS SILENT CEMA (CARL THEODOR DREYER’S MICHAEL, OM 1924) AND ENPASSG THE PASSNATE POLIL WORK MA AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS CRISIS, TO EVERY PHOTO YOU’VE EVER SEEN OF GAY SAILORS, TO THE RADIL QUEER FEMISM OF ARTISTS LIKE BARBARA HAMMER, TO—OF URSE—THE OVERWHELMG AMOUNT OF QUEER ART THE FANTASY GENRE, ALL OF IMPLICLY K TO STAR WARS.AND THAT’S MERELY IF WE’RE STARTG OM THE 20TH CENTURY—I ULD GO ON AND ON, FURTHER AND FURTHER BACK. FOR ALL S ABSENC AND IMPOSSIBILI, THE VISUAL HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN REMAS VAST. TLY, I AM NOT SURE WE GIVE ENOUGH CRED. ALL OF THIS—THE WARPED STUD PRODUCTS DOWN TO THE MOST MCULE EPHEMERA—UNTS TOWARD THE HISTORY OF QUEER REPRENTATN. AND OUT OF ALL OF THIS, TWO SENDS OF TWO WOMEN KISSG A STAR WARS MOVIE IS SUPPOSED TO BE MEANGFUL? IT’S ASSUMED THAT BEE STAR WARS IS SO POPULAR, A MOMENT LIKE THIS MIGHT “CHANGE ATTUS.” BUT, FACT, THE CLNS REFLECT ATTUS: THEY REFLECT A DISNEY THAT’S FALLY WILLG TO LET TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX KISS--OR, THE ENDGAME SE, REFER TO EACH OTHER AS PARTNERS. AND THE SAME MOMENT, THEY REFLECT HOW FAR DISNEY IS, OR ISN’T, WILLG TO GO. ABOUT TWO SENDS, ONE MOVIE. A THROWAWAY LE THE OTHER.WHEN I HEAR ANCHISE FILMMAKERS CLAIM THAT THEIRS WILL BE THE FIRST FILM OF THEIR ANCHISE TO DO THIS OR THAT WH LGBT REPRENTATN, WHAT I HEAR IS HUBRIS, OR AT LEAST A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND NTEXT. I DON’T HEAR THOSE FILMMAKERS POTG OUT HOW LATE THEY ARE—HOW ULD THEY PAT THEMSELV ON THE BACK AND SELF-CRIQUE AT ONCE?—OR HOW LTLE THE FX-RADIL ACTS OF REPRENTATN MEAN THE SCHEME OF THGS, HOW LTLE THEY ACTUALLY DO TO ENLIVEN, REFLECT, OR EXPLORE THE LIV OF QUEER PEOPLE OR, JT AS URGENTLY, CHALLENGE THE NORMS THAT HAVE MA THIS REPRENTATN NECSARY.NO, THE FILMMAKERS ARE STEAD NTENT TO GET JT BEFORE THE FISH LE, WAG UNTIL THE VERY LAST MOVI THEIR RPECTIVE ANCHIS TO THROW THE DOGS A BONE. THE ONLY WAY TO TALK ABOUT THE BENCHMARKS IS DISMISSIVELY: TOO LTLE, TOO LATE. BUT WE’RE OF URSE SUPPOSED TO CELEBRATE. NEVER MD THE CREDIBLE TROVE OF LGBT REPRENTATN YOU DO SEE , SAY, FAN FICTN; NEVER MD ALL THE WAYS FANS HAVE TAKEN THE MERE IA OF FN AND POE AS LOVERS AND DONE MORE WH , WH MORE CREATIVY AND SYMPATHY, THAN ANY DISNEY PROPERTY WILL LIKELY EVER DO. NEVER MD THE FACT THAT, ACRDGLY, LGBT REPRENTATN DISNEY’S ART DO EXIST—AMONG S FANS, NOT S CREATORS.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRACHEL LEVISS SEEMGLY QUS VANRPUMP RUL WH HELP FROM BETHENNY FRANKELBY SAVANNAH WALSHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE IA THAT THE LGHABLY MOR WS ARE SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE GO HAND HAND WH DISNEY’S BROAR ATTU TOWARD FILM HISTORY, WHICH THE PANY HAS LONG SEEMED TO THK IS SOMETHG BETTER OFF LOCKED UP A VLT SOMEWHERE—THE BETTER TO EXPLO THE ART’S VALUE, AFTER ALL. LET’S JT SAY STRAIGHT: THE PANY THAT WON’T EVEN LET BABY YODA MEM FLOURISH WHOUT LOSG S SH OVER PYRIGHT WILL NEVER BE A BEAN OF REPRENTATN OF ANY SORT, LET ALONE QUEER REPRENTATN, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THGS, HAS OFTEN MA SPORT OF APPROPRIATG AND MSY-G THE FIRM SEXUAL BOUNDARI OSTENSIBLY STRAIGHT, PYRIGHTED ART. DISNEY IS TOO NCERNED WH REPRENTATN AS PRODUCT TO BE A BEAN OF ANYTHG. AND THE FANS WHO RE WILL STILL, EVEN AS OF THE TWO MOVI, LARGELY BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN CREATIVE, IMAGATIVE VIC—AND THEY ARE PROBABLY BETTER OFF.I’D FEEL A B DIFFERENTLY IF NO ONE VOLVED HAD NGRATULATED THEMSELV OR TREATED THIS LANDMARK B OF CLN LIKE ANYTHG BUT THE SHAME IS. BEE, OBVLY, THE MOMENTS MATTER MOST TO THE QUEER PEOPLE WORLDWI WHO LOVE THE MOVI. THEY UNRSTANDABLY FEEL ACKNOWLEDGED—BY A SCENE THAT, SHOULD ANY OF THE FILM’S TERNATNAL MARKETS BALK, N EASILY BE REMOVED, IF NECSARY. THAT HAS A WAY OF MAKG LOOK LIKE A POTENTIAL LIABILY, RATHER THAN LIKE A PART OF THE FAY. IS THAT WHAT WE’RE CELEBRATG?WHEN DISNEY DO THE BARE MIMUM, ISN’T ACKNOWLEDGG YOU: ’S BUYG YOU. IT’S BUYG EVERYONE, EVERYTHG. AND AMONG THE MANY REASONS ’S WORTH STOMPG OUR FEET OVER DISNEY’S PH TO LE THE WORLD OF MOVI IS THIS: THIS IS THE REPRENTATN YOU GET WHEN DISNEY L THE WORLD. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET: TWO WOMEN, TWO SENDS. TLY, I’M OVERWHELMED. BUT NOT THE WAY DISNEY HOP, OR THKS, I SHOULD BE.K. AT COLLS

Peter Boyk, a gay nservative activist, replied to Harlow sayg, “We have had C3PO om the begng… That robot is gay..

Like super gay… Also, Jar Jar uld have been gay.. It’s tertg to me that the directors of the movi — when they put somethg like this the background and then make a big al out of — seem to realize that if they did much more than that, like makg major characters the foc of a gay love affair, they would lose their dience.

It’s an disputable fact that heterosexuals vastly outnumber homosexuals. Homophobia is not the issue. Straight people simply have no sire to watch gay love stori.

STAR WARS' GAY KISS SLIPS THROUGH CHA'S CENSORS

It’s a niche market that do want gay stori and there are works that ter to that dience, like LOGO and pretty much all of Netflix, HBO, and the Cann Film Ftival. Don’t Like Gays ‘Star Wars’? You’re a Homophobe.

‘STAR WARS: RISE OF SKYWALKER’ GAY MOMENT DON’T FAZE CHE AUDIENC, CENSORS

A prev gay teen rom-, Love Simon, was rated R21 by the IMDA. Brokeback Mounta, which featured two gay wboys, was aired Sgapore s entirety 2006 - but was siarly h wh an R21 listg.

Same-sex marriag are not regnised Sgapore and gay sex is illegal - though the law is not enforced. There are gay bars and clubs Sgapore, as well as an annual pri rally. In 2018, a gay Sgaporean man won a landmark se allowg him to adopt a child he fathered through a surrogate.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featur the anchise’s first gay kiss.