J.J. Abrams says Star Wars whout gay characters is 'sanely narrow-md and untertuive' - The Verge

Contents:

• GAY STAR WARS CHARACTERS? I'D LOVE , SAYS JJ ABRAMS
• 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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYTHAT 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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYTHE 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
• GAY STAR WARS CHARACTERS WILL 'OF URSE' HAPPEN, J.J. ABRAMS SAYS
• IS LE SKYWALKER GAY? MARK HAL OPENS UP ABOUT 'STAR WARS' CHARACTERS' SEXUALY
• J.J. ABRAMS SAYS STAR WARS WHOUT GAY CHARACTERS IS 'SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE'J.J. ABRAMS SAYS STAR WARS WHOUT GAY CHARACTERS IS 'SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE'
• WILL J.J. ABRAMS KEEP HIS PROMISE TO ADD GAY CHARACTERS TO ‘STAR WARS?’A NEW HOPETHE BLOCKBTER FILMMAKER WAS JT STALLED TO DIRECT ‘STAR WARS: EPISO IX.’ NOW ’S TIME TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS WORD.IRA MADISON IIIUPDATED SEP. 14, 2017 4:44AM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 14, 2017 4:30AM EDT GETTY IMAGTHIS WEEK, THE DISTURBANCE THE FORCE CREATED BY COL TREVORROW’S REMOVAL OM EPISO IX WAS SETTLED WHEN WAS ANNOUNCED THAT J.J. ABRAMS WILL BE RETURNG TO STAR WARS TO REPLACE HIM. ABRAMS WILL DIRECT THE FILM, CURRENTLY SCHLED FOR A DECEMBER 20, 2019, RELEASE, AND SHARE -WRG DUTI WH CHRIS TERR (ARGO). AS I’VE WRTEN, THE MOVE ISN’T EXACTLY GROUNDBREAKG—ABRAMS IS A PERFECTLY PABLE DIRECTOR, BUT I DON’T EXPECT HIM TO TT THE BOUNDARI OF THE GENRE LIKE THE LAST JEDI WRER AND DIRECTOR RIAN JOHNSON, GIVEN HIS PEDIGREE OF GENRE-BTG FILMS LIKE BRICK AND LOOPER. WHAT ABRAMS N DO, HOWEVER, IS KEEP HIS PROMISE TO CLU LGBTQ CHARACTERS THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE.AT BAD ROBOT HQ, WHERE HE HOSTED THE US-IRELAND ALLIANCE’S ANNUAL OSR WIL AWARDS AHEAD OF LAST YEAR’S OSRS, HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST: “WHEN I TALK ABOUT CLIVY ’S NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS. IT’S ABOUT CLIVY. SO OF URSE. I WOULD LOVE . TO ME, THE FUN OF STAR WARS IS THE GLORY OF POSSIBILY. SO SEEMS SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE TO SAY THAT THERE WOULDN’T BE A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER THAT WORLD.”SO FAR, THERE’S YET TO BE AN LGTBQ CHARACTER THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE, BUT ABRAMS’ LAST OUTG DID TRODUCE TO OUR FIRST FEMALE AND BLACK LEADS DAISY RIDLEY’S REY AND JOHN BOYEGA’S FN. PERHAPS HE HAS MORE DIVERSY UP HIS SLEEVE FOR THE FAL STALLMENT? THERE’S ALREADY BEEN PLENTY OF FAN FERVOR MANDG A ROMANCE BETWEEN THE FORCE AWAKENS’ FN AND OSR ISAAC’S POE DAMERON, FOR EXAMPLE.BOTH BOYEGA AND ISAAC PLAYED Y WHEN ASKED ABOUT THEIR CHARACTERS’ RELATNSHIP THE FILM. BOYEGA TOLD THE RAD TIM 2016: “WHEN J.J. [ABRAMS] SAT DOWN TO GO THROUGH THE SCRIPT [FOR THE FORCE AWAKENS], WAS A BROMANCE. BUT NOW I’M LEARNG WHAT MARK HAL SAID BEFORE WHEN HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT DARTH VAR WAS LE’S FATHER: YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GOG TO PULL. I’M LOOKG AT THE DIRECTOR RIAN [JOHNSON] CLOSELY SO HE N GET ME VOLVED EARLY, SO I N PREPARE MYSELF. SO WHO KNOWS?” WE NOW KNOW THAT WE WON’T SEE ANY ROMANCE THE LAST JEDI, HOWEVER. KATHLEEN KENNEDY, LUSFILM CHIEF, ACKNOWLEDGED THE FAN RPONSE TO FN AND POE BUT SPEAKG TO ERTLERA, SHE SAID: “WE’VE TALKED ABOUT , BUT I THK YOU’RE NOT GOG TO SEE THE LAST JEDI. AFTER 40 YEARS OF ADVENTUR, PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF RMATN AND A LOT OF THEORI ABOUT THE PATH THE STORI N TAKE, AND SOMETIM THOSE THEORI THAT E UP ARE NEW IAS FOR TO LISTEN TO, READ AND PAY ATTENTN TO.”IT’S A NICE SENTIMENT BUT AS I’VE WRTEN BEFORE, KENNEDY LOV TO MAKE BETIFUL STATEMENTS LIKE THIS THAT SHE HAS YET TO BACK UP. WHEN SPEAKG OF FEMALE DIRECTORS THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE, KENNEDY SAID TO VARIETY: “WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE BRG A FEMALE DIRECTOR TO DO ‘STAR WARS,’ THEY’RE SET UP FOR SUCCS. THEY’RE GIGANTIC FILMS, AND YOU N’T E TO THEM WH SENTIALLY NO EXPERIENCE. WE WANT TO REALLY START TO FOC ON PEOPLE WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WH AND SEE WHAT KDS OF THGS THEY’RE DOG TO PROGRS UP THAT LADR NOW, AND THEN PULL THEM WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.”SO FAR, STAR WARS HAS CYCLED THROUGH MULTIPLE STRAIGHT WHE MALE DIRECTORS—TREVORROW, JOSH TRANK, CHRIS MILLER AND PHIL LORD—BEE OF SO-LLED CREATIVE DIFFERENC OR PROBLEMS ON SET. BUT SOMEHOW, KENNEDY HAS YET TO HIRE A WOMAN TO DIRECT OR WRE A FILM. IT’S EVEN ODR NSIRG PATTY JENKS DIRECTED THE SUMMER’S BIGGT H, WONR WOMAN, AND IS NOW THE HIGHT-PAID FEMALE DIRECTOR AHEAD OF WONR WOMAN 2. ALL SIGNS POT TO THE ADDN OF WOMEN AS A RECIPE FOR BOX OFFICE SUCCS, AND YOU’D THK A WOMAN LIKE KENNEDY WOULD SEE THAT HERSELF, YET SHE’S GONE WH THE DTRY ROUTE OF HIRG WHE MEN. AND NOW WH EPISO IX, SHE’S RELYG ON ABRAMS.IT’D BE GREAT TO SEE NOT ONLY A WOMAN, POC OR AN LGBTQ DIRECTOR JO LUSFILM, BUT UNTIL THEN, WE HAVE TO RELY ON ABRAMS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE. KENNEDY AND BOYEGA HAVE TEASED A ROMANCE FOR FN AND POE, AND ABRAMS HAS SAID THAT THERE WILL BE AN LGBTQ CHARACTER THE UNIVERSE AT SOME POT. IF NOT THOSE TWO EPISO IX, THE SKY IS THE LIM. IT’S SCI-FI AND KENNEDY AND ABRAMS ARE CRAFTG THIS UNIVERSE THEMSELV, LLG ALL THE SHOTS. THERE’S NO STUD HEAD ABOVE THEM TO KEEP GAY CHARACTERS OUT OF STAR WARS, ’S JT A MATTER OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO MAKE THE EFFORT.SO IF YOUR IA OF CLIVY MEANS NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS LIKE YOU SAID J.J., I’M LOOKG FORWARD TO STAR WARS: EPISO IX BUTG A GAY UPLE THAT WILL RIVAL THE BABADOOK AND PENNYWISE. IRA MADISON III

GAY STAR WARS CHARACTERS? I'D LOVE , SAYS JJ ABRAMS

A gay relatnship between Fn and Poe — which fans have dubbed #FnPoe or #Stormpilot — uld hardly be seen as ntroversial, as the anchise has flirted wh ct (Le and Leia), abe (Anak and Padme) and trangement (Han and Leia) prev films. But Abrams’ addnal ments about gay reprentatn the Variety terview were even more problematic. The term LGBT enpass many different thgs, not jt lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (the L, the G, the B, the T and the Q).

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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYTHAT 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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYTHE 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

And any gay relatnship outsi of Fn and Poe the fal film would be g out (pardon the pun) of nowhere, last-mute, and as a rult, unrveloped.

” Director Bill Condon told Attu magaze that the movie clud an “exclively gay moment” wh Josh Gad’s character, Le Fou. That “gay moment” end up beg a blk-and-you’ll-miss-, two-send dance between Le Fou and another man the endg ballroom scene. A gay moment don’t have to h viewers over the head.

When Jt L took over directg the “Star Trek” anchise om Abrams, he tablished Sulu as gay (by showg him rng wh his hband and dghter).

GAY STAR WARS CHARACTERS WILL 'OF URSE' HAPPEN, J.J. ABRAMS SAYS

”Also Read: Baby Yoda Love Go Hollywood: 7 Starry 'The Mandalorian' MemA gay relatnship between Fn and Poe — which fans have dubbed #FnPoe or #Stormpilot — uld hardly be seen as ntroversial, as the anchise has flirted wh ct (Le and Leia), abe (Anak and Padme) and trangement (Han and Leia) prev films. )But Abrams’ addnal ments about gay reprentatn the Variety terview were even more problematic.

IS LE SKYWALKER GAY? MARK HAL OPENS UP ABOUT 'STAR WARS' CHARACTERS' SEXUALY

The term LGBT enpass many different thgs, not jt lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (the L, the G, the B, the T and the Q)’s prumptuo for cis straight men like Abrams to believe all LGBTQ viewers regnize and feel reprented by a sgular reprentatn, whatever that turns out to be. Even if Fn and Poe were to walk off holdg hands as the suns of Tatooe set, they would only reprent a same-sex, cis male-cis male any gay relatnship outsi of Fn and Poe the fal film would be g out (pardon the pun) of nowhere, last-mute, and as a rult, Read: Disney Confirms Ewan McGregor Back as Obi-Wan Kenobi for Streamg SeriSend, the “LGBTQ muny” isn’t solely fed by sexualy. JJ Abrams has said that would be “untertuive” not to have a gay character the Star Wars director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has rpond to fans llg for more diversy wh the anchise and says that might be on the way.

So seems sanely narrow-md and untertuive to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character that world. “When I talk about clivy ’s not excludg gay characters, ” Abrams said. ”The suggtn follows news that this summer’s sci-fi sequel Inpennce Day 2 will clu a gay married uple and a female have already speculated that new characters Fn and Poe, played by John Boyega and Osr Isaac, are havg a gay relatnship.

J.J. ABRAMS SAYS STAR WARS WHOUT GAY CHARACTERS IS 'SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE'J.J. ABRAMS SAYS STAR WARS WHOUT GAY CHARACTERS IS 'SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE'

Another h movie, another cmb of gay panrg, another round of the ual first thg I did after seeg 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.

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. “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.

WILL J.J. ABRAMS KEEP HIS PROMISE TO ADD GAY CHARACTERS TO ‘STAR WARS?’A NEW HOPETHE BLOCKBTER FILMMAKER WAS JT STALLED TO DIRECT ‘STAR WARS: EPISO IX.’ NOW ’S TIME TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS WORD.IRA MADISON IIIUPDATED SEP. 14, 2017 4:44AM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 14, 2017 4:30AM EDT GETTY IMAGTHIS WEEK, THE DISTURBANCE THE FORCE CREATED BY COL TREVORROW’S REMOVAL OM EPISO IX WAS SETTLED WHEN WAS ANNOUNCED THAT J.J. ABRAMS WILL BE RETURNG TO STAR WARS TO REPLACE HIM. ABRAMS WILL DIRECT THE FILM, CURRENTLY SCHLED FOR A DECEMBER 20, 2019, RELEASE, AND SHARE -WRG DUTI WH CHRIS TERR (ARGO). AS I’VE WRTEN, THE MOVE ISN’T EXACTLY GROUNDBREAKG—ABRAMS IS A PERFECTLY PABLE DIRECTOR, BUT I DON’T EXPECT HIM TO TT THE BOUNDARI OF THE GENRE LIKE THE LAST JEDI WRER AND DIRECTOR RIAN JOHNSON, GIVEN HIS PEDIGREE OF GENRE-BTG FILMS LIKE BRICK AND LOOPER. WHAT ABRAMS N DO, HOWEVER, IS KEEP HIS PROMISE TO CLU LGBTQ CHARACTERS THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE.AT BAD ROBOT HQ, WHERE HE HOSTED THE US-IRELAND ALLIANCE’S ANNUAL OSR WIL AWARDS AHEAD OF LAST YEAR’S OSRS, HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST: “WHEN I TALK ABOUT CLIVY ’S NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS. IT’S ABOUT CLIVY. SO OF URSE. I WOULD LOVE . TO ME, THE FUN OF STAR WARS IS THE GLORY OF POSSIBILY. SO SEEMS SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE TO SAY THAT THERE WOULDN’T BE A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER THAT WORLD.”SO FAR, THERE’S YET TO BE AN LGTBQ CHARACTER THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE, BUT ABRAMS’ LAST OUTG DID TRODUCE TO OUR FIRST FEMALE AND BLACK LEADS DAISY RIDLEY’S REY AND JOHN BOYEGA’S FN. PERHAPS HE HAS MORE DIVERSY UP HIS SLEEVE FOR THE FAL STALLMENT? THERE’S ALREADY BEEN PLENTY OF FAN FERVOR MANDG A ROMANCE BETWEEN THE FORCE AWAKENS’ FN AND OSR ISAAC’S POE DAMERON, FOR EXAMPLE.BOTH BOYEGA AND ISAAC PLAYED Y WHEN ASKED ABOUT THEIR CHARACTERS’ RELATNSHIP THE FILM. BOYEGA TOLD THE RAD TIM 2016: “WHEN J.J. [ABRAMS] SAT DOWN TO GO THROUGH THE SCRIPT [FOR THE FORCE AWAKENS], WAS A BROMANCE. BUT NOW I’M LEARNG WHAT MARK HAL SAID BEFORE WHEN HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT DARTH VAR WAS LE’S FATHER: YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GOG TO PULL. I’M LOOKG AT THE DIRECTOR RIAN [JOHNSON] CLOSELY SO HE N GET ME VOLVED EARLY, SO I N PREPARE MYSELF. SO WHO KNOWS?” WE NOW KNOW THAT WE WON’T SEE ANY ROMANCE THE LAST JEDI, HOWEVER. KATHLEEN KENNEDY, LUSFILM CHIEF, ACKNOWLEDGED THE FAN RPONSE TO FN AND POE BUT SPEAKG TO ERTLERA, SHE SAID: “WE’VE TALKED ABOUT , BUT I THK YOU’RE NOT GOG TO SEE THE LAST JEDI. AFTER 40 YEARS OF ADVENTUR, PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF RMATN AND A LOT OF THEORI ABOUT THE PATH THE STORI N TAKE, AND SOMETIM THOSE THEORI THAT E UP ARE NEW IAS FOR TO LISTEN TO, READ AND PAY ATTENTN TO.”IT’S A NICE SENTIMENT BUT AS I’VE WRTEN BEFORE, KENNEDY LOV TO MAKE BETIFUL STATEMENTS LIKE THIS THAT SHE HAS YET TO BACK UP. WHEN SPEAKG OF FEMALE DIRECTORS THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE, KENNEDY SAID TO VARIETY: “WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE BRG A FEMALE DIRECTOR TO DO ‘STAR WARS,’ THEY’RE SET UP FOR SUCCS. THEY’RE GIGANTIC FILMS, AND YOU N’T E TO THEM WH SENTIALLY NO EXPERIENCE. WE WANT TO REALLY START TO FOC ON PEOPLE WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WH AND SEE WHAT KDS OF THGS THEY’RE DOG TO PROGRS UP THAT LADR NOW, AND THEN PULL THEM WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.”SO FAR, STAR WARS HAS CYCLED THROUGH MULTIPLE STRAIGHT WHE MALE DIRECTORS—TREVORROW, JOSH TRANK, CHRIS MILLER AND PHIL LORD—BEE OF SO-LLED CREATIVE DIFFERENC OR PROBLEMS ON SET. BUT SOMEHOW, KENNEDY HAS YET TO HIRE A WOMAN TO DIRECT OR WRE A FILM. IT’S EVEN ODR NSIRG PATTY JENKS DIRECTED THE SUMMER’S BIGGT H, WONR WOMAN, AND IS NOW THE HIGHT-PAID FEMALE DIRECTOR AHEAD OF WONR WOMAN 2. ALL SIGNS POT TO THE ADDN OF WOMEN AS A RECIPE FOR BOX OFFICE SUCCS, AND YOU’D THK A WOMAN LIKE KENNEDY WOULD SEE THAT HERSELF, YET SHE’S GONE WH THE DTRY ROUTE OF HIRG WHE MEN. AND NOW WH EPISO IX, SHE’S RELYG ON ABRAMS.IT’D BE GREAT TO SEE NOT ONLY A WOMAN, POC OR AN LGBTQ DIRECTOR JO LUSFILM, BUT UNTIL THEN, WE HAVE TO RELY ON ABRAMS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE. KENNEDY AND BOYEGA HAVE TEASED A ROMANCE FOR FN AND POE, AND ABRAMS HAS SAID THAT THERE WILL BE AN LGBTQ CHARACTER THE UNIVERSE AT SOME POT. IF NOT THOSE TWO EPISO IX, THE SKY IS THE LIM. IT’S SCI-FI AND KENNEDY AND ABRAMS ARE CRAFTG THIS UNIVERSE THEMSELV, LLG ALL THE SHOTS. THERE’S NO STUD HEAD ABOVE THEM TO KEEP GAY CHARACTERS OUT OF STAR WARS, ’S JT A MATTER OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO MAKE THE EFFORT.SO IF YOUR IA OF CLIVY MEANS NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS LIKE YOU SAID J.J., I’M LOOKG FORWARD TO STAR WARS: EPISO IX BUTG A GAY UPLE THAT WILL RIVAL THE BABADOOK AND PENNYWISE. IRA MADISON III

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 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 that’s merely if we’re startg om the 20th century—I uld go on and on, further and further back.

”When grilled further on whether this would mean there will fely be an openly gay character the film, he went on: “I will say I’m givg away nothg about what happens the movie. "The Force Awakens" director thks 's only a matter of time before Star Wars movi feature gay characters.