Could the heroe of Pixar's 'Brave' be gay? (Warng: Spoilers!) |

Contents:

• DO IT MATTER IF THE HEROE OF 'BRAVE' IS GAY?
• COULD THE HEROE OF PIXAR'S 'BRAVE' BE GAY? (WARNG: SPOILERS!)
• ROB PORTMAN AND HIS BRAVE, GAY SON
• DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAY AND BRAVE
• THE ‘STAR TREK’ CAST ON THE RADIL LGBT+ REPRENTATN OF ‘STRANGE NEW WORLDS’FINAL FRONTIER: PRIDETHE OUT STARS OF “STRANGE NEW WORLDS” DISCS WHAT THE SHOW’S UNAPOLOGETIC PICTN OF QUEERNS AND GENR MEANS TO THEM AND THE “STAR TREK” ANCHISE’S HISTORY OF ALLYSHIP.DAWN ENNISPUBLISHED JUN. 15, 2023 4:35AM EDT PARI DOVIC/PARAMOUNT+WHEN THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE FALLY NTU S VOYAGE THIS WEEK, THE LOUD AND PROUD NTGENT OF LGBTQ+ STAR TREK FANS WILL SEE SOMETHG VERY SPECIAL: THEMSELV, REPRENTED THE 23RD CENTURY.“I LOVE THAT WE’RE PREMIERG DURG PRI MONTH,” ACTOR MELISSA NAVIA TELLS THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED, SPEAKG AHEAD OF THE SEASON 2 LNCH OF STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS JUNE 15 ON PARAMOUNT+. “I FEEL LIKE OUR POSTER IS ABOUT THAT, TOO,” SHE ADDS. PROMOTNAL ADVERTISEMENTS AND VIOS PROMENTLY FEATURE RABOW LORG AND GRAPHICS, MUCH TO NAVIA’S LIGHT. “I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS ON PURPOSE, BUT I’M GOG TO GO AHEAD AND SAY WAS!”ON STRANGE NEW WORLDS, NAVIA PLAYS ERI ORTEGAS, THE PILOT OF THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE. THE STAR TREK PREQUEL SERI IS SET THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO THE PAST; THE ADVENTUR TAKE PLACE THE 2200S, BUT ’S SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THOSE PICTED THE ORIGAL SERI OM THE 1960S, WHEN SULU (GEE TAKEI) SERVED AS HELMSMAN UNR WILLIAM SHATNER’S INIC CAPT. JAM T. KIRK.WHEN STRANGE NEW WORLDS LNCHED LAST SUMMER, NAVIA WAS ASKED BY VARIETY ABOUT HER CHARACTER’S ANDROGYNO APPEARANCE AND MEANOR. “I LIKE THAT WE’RE APPROACHG A WAY THAT NOBODY BATS AN EYE. LIKE, THEY SHOULDN’T, RIGHT? EVERYBODY SHOULD BE A B QUEER,” SHE SAID. “I KNOW I GIVE OFF THIS WONRFUL QUEER ENERGY. IT’S JT BEEN A PART OF WHO I AM.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ ALMOST A YEAR LATER, NAVIA TELLS SHE “ABSOLUTELY” STANDS BY THOSE STATEMENTS, AND THE MUNY.“THROUGHOUT MY REER, THE TRANS AND LGBT MUNY HAVE BEEN JT SUCH ROCK STARS FOR ME, TERMS OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE WHAT THEY SEE ME. THEY LOVE WHAT I BRG TO THE SCREEN AND WHAT I BRG TO CHARACTERS,” SHE SAYS. “THE FACT IS, GENR [FLUIDY] PLAYS ALMOST HERENTLY A PART OF ME AND ALWAYS HAS. SO WHENEVER I’M ST THGS, I THK PEOPLE SOMEHOW SEE THAT. [THE LGBT MUNY] HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY MY BIGGT FANS.”“I’M QUEER,” SAYS ACTOR JS BH, WHOUT HATN, SPEAKG ABOUT BOTH HER OWN LIFE AWAY OM THE TV SCREEN AND ON THE PARAMOUNT+ STREAMG SERI. “I AM SO LIGHTED THAT THERE'S MORE REPRENTATN FOR ALL EXPRSNS OF SEXUALY AND GENR STAR TREK. THAT’S REALLY EXCG TO ME, AND I’M REALLY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT REPRENTATN.” THE ATRALIAN NATIVE RETURNS AS NURSE CHRISTE CHAPEL, WHO THIS RNATN IS AN OPENLY BISEXUAL CHARACTER—BUT STILL WH THE HOTS FOR SPOCK. “I WOULD LIKE TO SEE [SEXUALY AND GENR] EXPLORED MORE FOR CHAPEL AND FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO’S ON THE SHOW,” SAID BH. “THAT IS SOMETHG THAT I THK THE FANDOM REALLY APPRECIAT, AND ’S ALSO A DIRECT REFLECTN OF OUR SOCIETY RIGHT NOW. THE CREASED VISIBILY AND THE CREASED ACCEPTANCE OF QUEER FOLK IS SOMETHG THAT'S BEG CELEBRATED A LOT RIGHT NOW, BUT IS ALSO THREATENED A LOT RIGHT NOW. THERE’S A LOT OF VLENCE TOWARDS PEOPLE WHO ARE QUEER.”BH WAS ALLUDG TO CINTS LIKE THE GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, BOARD OF EDUTN MEETG THAT EPTED A BRAWL BETWEEN ANTI-LGBTQ+ AND PRO-LGBTQ+ MONSTRATORS THIS MONTH. AND AS THE DAILY BEAST HAS REPORTED, FAR RIGHT EXTREMISTS HAVE BEEN TARGETG SCHOOLS THAT SHOW SUPPORT FOR QUEER STUNTS. BH MENTNS HOW, THROUGHOUT S HISTORY, STAR TREK HAS ADDRSED CURRENT NFLICTS THROUGH SCIENCE FICTN STORYTELLG, OM WAR TO RACISM AND, MORE RECENTLY, LGBTQ+ AND NONBARY CLN.“I THK STAR TREK HAS A CERTA POWER THAT ULD BE ED TO FIGHT THAT [VLENCE],” SHE SAID. “I URGE THE [PRODUCERS] TO DO THAT WH THE WRG. I THK ’S AN OPPORTUNY FOR THEM TO REALLY STEP UP AND STAND BEHD OUR QUEER FANS.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ THOSE FANS HAVE LONG FANTASIZED—AND POSED REAMS OF FAN FICTN—ABOUT A POTENTIAL ROMANCE BETWEEN STAR TREK’S ORIGAL LEAD CHARACTERS, KIRK AND SPOCK, SHIPPG THEM AS “SPIRK.” PL WLEY PLAYS A YOUNG JIM KIRK ON STRANGE NEW WORLDS, WHILE ETHAN PECK, THE GRANDSON OF THE LEGENDARY ACTOR GREGORY PECK, WEARS THE FAMED POTED EARS THIS TIME AROUND.“I DO THK ONE’S RELATNSHIP WH ANOTHER ACTOR OFFSCREEN, OR YOUR GENERAL CHEMISTRY, DO ACTUALLY TRANSLATE ONTO THE SCREEN,” WLEY SAYS. SPOCK MEETS KIRK FOR THE FIRST TIME SEASON 2, AND PECK SAYS THEIR FOUNDATNAL IENDSHIP WAS KEY TO THAT SCENE.“IT REALLY ADD A LOT OF NUANCE TO THAT MOMENT, THE MOMENTO MOMENT THAT THE TWO CHARACTERS MEET,” PECK SAYS, AFTER WHICH WLEY ADPANS: “CAN WE GET ‘SPIRK’ TATTOOS?”CELIA ROSE GOODG IS BREAKG GROUND STRANGE NEW WORLDS, NOT JT AS THE FIRST ACTOR TO PORTRAY MUNITNS OFFICER NYOTA UHURA SCE THE ATH OF THE TRAILBLAZG NICHELLE NICHOLS, BUT ALSO AS THE FIRST QUEER ACTOR TO PLAY THE ROLE. DAWN ENNIS “AS AN OUT QUEER PERSON, AS SOMEONE WHOSE RELATNSHIP WH THEIR GENR IS EVER-EVOLVG AND EVER-CHANGG, IS SO EXCG TO BE A PART OF THIS, PECIALLY PLAYG A ROLE THAT HAS BEEN ORIGATED BY CIS WOMEN AND HAS HISTORILLY ONLY BEEN PLAYED BY CIS WOMEN,” GOODG SAYS, ADDG THAT SHE IS HUMBLED TO BE TSTED WH UHURA’S STORY.“TO THE TRANS AND NONBARY QUEER MUNY, KNOW THAT THERE IS AN ENTIRE ST OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO RIGHT BY Y’ALL AND WANT TO REPRENT Y’ALL A WAY THAT IS HUMAN AND TE AND BETIFUL AND LOVELY. AND TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE MOON AND BEYOND TO ALL OF , BUT PECIALLY TO ME, BEE I AM SOMEONE WHO HAS LEARNED THE MOST ABOUT MYSELF OM QUEER PEOPLE, AND AS SOMEONE WHO IS MYSELF EVERY DAY AND HAS TO SHOW UP AS MYSELF TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER,” GOODG SAYS.“IT JT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO BE A PART OF THIS AND TO BE JT A SMALL PIECE OF AN CREDIBLY LIC ANCHISE PIE AND HAVE MY LTLE QUEER STAMP ON AND SAY, ‘A QUEER PERSON WAS HERE AND REPRISED THE ROLE AND MA SURE THAT EVERYONE KNEW THAT THIS PERSON IS HERE AND IS PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS MUNY AND HAS A ROLE TO PLAY STAR TREK.’” REBEC ROMIJN, WHO FANS MAY RELL AS MYSTIQUE THE FIRST THREE X-MEN MOVI, PLAYS A CHARACTER WHO WAS HIDG A TERRIBLE SECRET THAT WAS EXPOSED THE FIRST SEASON. THE REVELATN RULTED HER ARRT THE SEASON FALE, AND SHE WILL GO ON TRIAL THE SEND EPISO OF THIS SEND SEASON. ROMIJN’S CHARACTER IS UNA CH-RILEY, AN “GMENT,” MEANG SHE IS THE RULT OF GEIC ENGEERG, WHICH IS BANNED BY STARFLEET AND THE FERATN. SHE IS THE ENTERPRISE’S FIRST OFFICER AND CAPT. PIKE’S “NUMBER ONE.”GIVEN THAT ROMIJN ALSO PREVLY PLAYED A TRANS WOMAN ON TV’S UGLY BETTY, WE ASKED HER IF SHE SAW A PARALLEL BETWEEN HER CHARACTERS’ EXPERIENC AND THE WAY SOCIETY TREATS TRANS PEOPLE AS OUTSTS.“IT'S LIKE THE THREE CHARACTERS KEEP G BACK MY LIFE AND I LOVE ,” ROMIJN SAYS. “EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THIS UTOPIAN, FUTURISTIC WORLD TREK, SOMETIM WE STILL GRAPPLE WH THE VERY HUMAN ISSU LIKE PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN. THAT EPISO REALLY PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON THAT. I THK THAT THE MSAGE THAT UNA WANTS TO SEND IS, JT BEE I N HI DON'T MEAN I SHOULD HAVE TO. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF TRANS PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, TOO.”ROMIJN ALSO SHOUTS OUT JSE JAM KEEL, THE OUT TRANS ACTOR WHO PLAYED A NONBARY VILLA A GROUNDBREAKG SEASON 1 EPISO DIRECTED BY A TRANS WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND. “HAVG THAT EPISO WH THEM, WH JSE JAM KEEL, SHE WAS SO AMAZG ON OUR SHOW. WE JT N’T WA TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO BRG HER BACK.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ IT’S CLEAR THAT THE STARS OF STRANGE NEW WORLD KNOW HOW POWERFUL AND HOW RADIL THE SHOW’S LGBT+ REPRENTATN IS.AS AN ACTIVE ER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, NAVIA HAS HEARD OM QUEER FANS, ASKG ABOUT HER CHARACTER’S LOVE LIFE. “I KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO SEE MORE OF ORTEGAS TERMS OF HER RELATNSHIPS AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT IS, ‘JT HANG ON. HANG ON FOR SURE!’” SHE SAYS. “I N'T WA TO SEE WHAT FANS AND PECIALLY THE TRANS AND LGBT MUNY NTUE TO SEE ORTEGAS. AND HEARG OM THEM ALSO SPIR A LOT OF WHAT WE THEN BRG TO THE ROLE. SO, THANK YOU TO THEM AND, YEAH, PRI MONTH: LET'S DO !”KEEP OBSSG! SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK, TWTER, INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK. DAWN ENNIS

DO IT MATTER IF THE HEROE OF 'BRAVE' IS GAY?

“One of the first muni where I felt like I was accepted and allowed to be my fully exprsed self were my mom’s iends om theater who happened to be gay, ” remembers Bareill.

But 's que possible that while watchg Brave's tomboyish heroe shoot arrows, fight like one of the boys, and squirm when her mother puts her girly cloth, a thought might pop to the head of some viewers: Is Merida gay?

She is gay, and Brave is Pixar's subversive way to put a lbian one of s movi.

COULD THE HEROE OF PIXAR'S 'BRAVE' BE GAY? (WARNG: SPOILERS!)

She's neher gay nor straight; she's asexual.

The film don't need to tell whether Merida is gay. But ’s que possible that while watchg Brave’s tomboyish heroe shoot arrows, fight like one of the boys, and squirm when her mother puts her girly cloth, a thought might pop to the head of some viewers: Is Merida gay?

And neher Pixar, which created her, or Disney, which is distributg the film, has ma any official attempt to tell the gay muny that Merida might be one of them; we fely won’t be seeg any giant, flatable Sttish prcs hoverg over floats at today’s Pri paras. Her love of unprcs-like hobbi, cludg archery and rock-climbg, is sure to strike a chord wh gay viewers who felt siarly “not like the other kids” growg up. Ultimately, don’t matter if Merida uld be terpreted as gay.

ROB PORTMAN AND HIS BRAVE, GAY SON

What’s most excg is that she brgs a new ee-thkg attu to the slightly staid club of Disney prcs, one that’s sure to appeal not jt to gays, but to anyone who ever challenged an inty that was pre-assigned to them. And regardls of whether or not Disney/Pixar tend , those same tras are bound to make Merida an unofficial gay in — even if she never near a Pri para.

”In March, some men will cry the need for an Internatnal Women’s Day, celebrated on the is Pri Month, a time to reflect on and celebrate lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer history. There is a level of social and systemic privilege not afford to many members of the LGBTQ muny North Ameri, and certaly many untri around the is herently polilPri has been celebrated every year June sce 1970 after the 1969 Stonewall rts New York, when police raid the Stonewall Canada, Toronto’s Pri was lnched siar fashn after protts epted when police raid four bathho Febary 1981 and arrted hundreds of gay motive has always been — and should rema — polil. It was a “gay purge, ” and was still happeng ls than 30 years ago.

The slg back of hard-earned rights and protectns of LGBTQ people, particularly transgenr people, is difficult to when straight people ask why there is a need for gay pri or wonr why there aren’t straight pri celebratns, feels a lot like they are sayg ntributns by LGBTQ people — a mory group that fac nstant adversy — are simply not worthy of regnn. The news that Senator Rob Portman of Oh has bee a supporter of equal marriage rights for gays and lbians bee he himself has a gay son was a surprise.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAY AND BRAVE

That I want all of my children to have, cludg our son, who is gay.

” It was tertg that Portman chose to e the same modifier, “personally, ” that Print Obama ed when he first announced his own evolutn to a gay-marriage supporter, to Rob Roberts, on ABC news. One n’t help wonrg if havg a gay son st Portman a spot on the G.

But his Op-Ed, Portman gtured toward an emergg nservative posn on same-sex marriage—“One way to look at is that gay upl’ sire to marry don’t amount to a threat but rather a tribute to marriage”—and talked about the Biblil value of real example of urage this story, however, om Portman’s son Will, who is twenty-one years old. (I remember how felt to e out as the gay son of a proment anti-gay psychiatrist. ) Then image, after sharg this timate part of yourself wh your parents, watchg your father be publicly vetted for Vice-Print on the ticket of someone whose anti-gay-rights views were beg wily reported on.

THE ‘STAR TREK’ CAST ON THE RADIL LGBT+ REPRENTATN OF ‘STRANGE NEW WORLDS’FINAL FRONTIER: PRIDETHE OUT STARS OF “STRANGE NEW WORLDS” DISCS WHAT THE SHOW’S UNAPOLOGETIC PICTN OF QUEERNS AND GENR MEANS TO THEM AND THE “STAR TREK” ANCHISE’S HISTORY OF ALLYSHIP.DAWN ENNISPUBLISHED JUN. 15, 2023 4:35AM EDT PARI DOVIC/PARAMOUNT+WHEN THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE FALLY NTU S VOYAGE THIS WEEK, THE LOUD AND PROUD NTGENT OF LGBTQ+ STAR TREK FANS WILL SEE SOMETHG VERY SPECIAL: THEMSELV, REPRENTED THE 23RD CENTURY.“I LOVE THAT WE’RE PREMIERG DURG PRI MONTH,” ACTOR MELISSA NAVIA TELLS THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED, SPEAKG AHEAD OF THE SEASON 2 LNCH OF STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS JUNE 15 ON PARAMOUNT+. “I FEEL LIKE OUR POSTER IS ABOUT THAT, TOO,” SHE ADDS. PROMOTNAL ADVERTISEMENTS AND VIOS PROMENTLY FEATURE RABOW LORG AND GRAPHICS, MUCH TO NAVIA’S LIGHT. “I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS ON PURPOSE, BUT I’M GOG TO GO AHEAD AND SAY WAS!”ON STRANGE NEW WORLDS, NAVIA PLAYS ERI ORTEGAS, THE PILOT OF THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE. THE STAR TREK PREQUEL SERI IS SET THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO THE PAST; THE ADVENTUR TAKE PLACE THE 2200S, BUT ’S SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THOSE PICTED THE ORIGAL SERI OM THE 1960S, WHEN SULU (GEE TAKEI) SERVED AS HELMSMAN UNR WILLIAM SHATNER’S INIC CAPT. JAM T. KIRK.WHEN STRANGE NEW WORLDS LNCHED LAST SUMMER, NAVIA WAS ASKED BY VARIETY ABOUT HER CHARACTER’S ANDROGYNO APPEARANCE AND MEANOR. “I LIKE THAT WE’RE APPROACHG A WAY THAT NOBODY BATS AN EYE. LIKE, THEY SHOULDN’T, RIGHT? EVERYBODY SHOULD BE A B QUEER,” SHE SAID. “I KNOW I GIVE OFF THIS WONRFUL QUEER ENERGY. IT’S JT BEEN A PART OF WHO I AM.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ ALMOST A YEAR LATER, NAVIA TELLS SHE “ABSOLUTELY” STANDS BY THOSE STATEMENTS, AND THE MUNY.“THROUGHOUT MY REER, THE TRANS AND LGBT MUNY HAVE BEEN JT SUCH ROCK STARS FOR ME, TERMS OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE WHAT THEY SEE ME. THEY LOVE WHAT I BRG TO THE SCREEN AND WHAT I BRG TO CHARACTERS,” SHE SAYS. “THE FACT IS, GENR [FLUIDY] PLAYS ALMOST HERENTLY A PART OF ME AND ALWAYS HAS. SO WHENEVER I’M ST THGS, I THK PEOPLE SOMEHOW SEE THAT. [THE LGBT MUNY] HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY MY BIGGT FANS.”“I’M QUEER,” SAYS ACTOR JS BH, WHOUT HATN, SPEAKG ABOUT BOTH HER OWN LIFE AWAY OM THE TV SCREEN AND ON THE PARAMOUNT+ STREAMG SERI. “I AM SO LIGHTED THAT THERE'S MORE REPRENTATN FOR ALL EXPRSNS OF SEXUALY AND GENR STAR TREK. THAT’S REALLY EXCG TO ME, AND I’M REALLY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT REPRENTATN.” THE ATRALIAN NATIVE RETURNS AS NURSE CHRISTE CHAPEL, WHO THIS RNATN IS AN OPENLY BISEXUAL CHARACTER—BUT STILL WH THE HOTS FOR SPOCK. “I WOULD LIKE TO SEE [SEXUALY AND GENR] EXPLORED MORE FOR CHAPEL AND FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO’S ON THE SHOW,” SAID BH. “THAT IS SOMETHG THAT I THK THE FANDOM REALLY APPRECIAT, AND ’S ALSO A DIRECT REFLECTN OF OUR SOCIETY RIGHT NOW. THE CREASED VISIBILY AND THE CREASED ACCEPTANCE OF QUEER FOLK IS SOMETHG THAT'S BEG CELEBRATED A LOT RIGHT NOW, BUT IS ALSO THREATENED A LOT RIGHT NOW. THERE’S A LOT OF VLENCE TOWARDS PEOPLE WHO ARE QUEER.”BH WAS ALLUDG TO CINTS LIKE THE GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, BOARD OF EDUTN MEETG THAT EPTED A BRAWL BETWEEN ANTI-LGBTQ+ AND PRO-LGBTQ+ MONSTRATORS THIS MONTH. AND AS THE DAILY BEAST HAS REPORTED, FAR RIGHT EXTREMISTS HAVE BEEN TARGETG SCHOOLS THAT SHOW SUPPORT FOR QUEER STUNTS. BH MENTNS HOW, THROUGHOUT S HISTORY, STAR TREK HAS ADDRSED CURRENT NFLICTS THROUGH SCIENCE FICTN STORYTELLG, OM WAR TO RACISM AND, MORE RECENTLY, LGBTQ+ AND NONBARY CLN.“I THK STAR TREK HAS A CERTA POWER THAT ULD BE ED TO FIGHT THAT [VLENCE],” SHE SAID. “I URGE THE [PRODUCERS] TO DO THAT WH THE WRG. I THK ’S AN OPPORTUNY FOR THEM TO REALLY STEP UP AND STAND BEHD OUR QUEER FANS.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ THOSE FANS HAVE LONG FANTASIZED—AND POSED REAMS OF FAN FICTN—ABOUT A POTENTIAL ROMANCE BETWEEN STAR TREK’S ORIGAL LEAD CHARACTERS, KIRK AND SPOCK, SHIPPG THEM AS “SPIRK.” PL WLEY PLAYS A YOUNG JIM KIRK ON STRANGE NEW WORLDS, WHILE ETHAN PECK, THE GRANDSON OF THE LEGENDARY ACTOR GREGORY PECK, WEARS THE FAMED POTED EARS THIS TIME AROUND.“I DO THK ONE’S RELATNSHIP WH ANOTHER ACTOR OFFSCREEN, OR YOUR GENERAL CHEMISTRY, DO ACTUALLY TRANSLATE ONTO THE SCREEN,” WLEY SAYS. SPOCK MEETS KIRK FOR THE FIRST TIME SEASON 2, AND PECK SAYS THEIR FOUNDATNAL IENDSHIP WAS KEY TO THAT SCENE.“IT REALLY ADD A LOT OF NUANCE TO THAT MOMENT, THE MOMENTO MOMENT THAT THE TWO CHARACTERS MEET,” PECK SAYS, AFTER WHICH WLEY ADPANS: “CAN WE GET ‘SPIRK’ TATTOOS?”CELIA ROSE GOODG IS BREAKG GROUND STRANGE NEW WORLDS, NOT JT AS THE FIRST ACTOR TO PORTRAY MUNITNS OFFICER NYOTA UHURA SCE THE ATH OF THE TRAILBLAZG NICHELLE NICHOLS, BUT ALSO AS THE FIRST QUEER ACTOR TO PLAY THE ROLE. DAWN ENNIS “AS AN OUT QUEER PERSON, AS SOMEONE WHOSE RELATNSHIP WH THEIR GENR IS EVER-EVOLVG AND EVER-CHANGG, IS SO EXCG TO BE A PART OF THIS, PECIALLY PLAYG A ROLE THAT HAS BEEN ORIGATED BY CIS WOMEN AND HAS HISTORILLY ONLY BEEN PLAYED BY CIS WOMEN,” GOODG SAYS, ADDG THAT SHE IS HUMBLED TO BE TSTED WH UHURA’S STORY.“TO THE TRANS AND NONBARY QUEER MUNY, KNOW THAT THERE IS AN ENTIRE ST OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO RIGHT BY Y’ALL AND WANT TO REPRENT Y’ALL A WAY THAT IS HUMAN AND TE AND BETIFUL AND LOVELY. AND TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE MOON AND BEYOND TO ALL OF , BUT PECIALLY TO ME, BEE I AM SOMEONE WHO HAS LEARNED THE MOST ABOUT MYSELF OM QUEER PEOPLE, AND AS SOMEONE WHO IS MYSELF EVERY DAY AND HAS TO SHOW UP AS MYSELF TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER,” GOODG SAYS.“IT JT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO BE A PART OF THIS AND TO BE JT A SMALL PIECE OF AN CREDIBLY LIC ANCHISE PIE AND HAVE MY LTLE QUEER STAMP ON AND SAY, ‘A QUEER PERSON WAS HERE AND REPRISED THE ROLE AND MA SURE THAT EVERYONE KNEW THAT THIS PERSON IS HERE AND IS PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS MUNY AND HAS A ROLE TO PLAY STAR TREK.’” REBEC ROMIJN, WHO FANS MAY RELL AS MYSTIQUE THE FIRST THREE X-MEN MOVI, PLAYS A CHARACTER WHO WAS HIDG A TERRIBLE SECRET THAT WAS EXPOSED THE FIRST SEASON. THE REVELATN RULTED HER ARRT THE SEASON FALE, AND SHE WILL GO ON TRIAL THE SEND EPISO OF THIS SEND SEASON. ROMIJN’S CHARACTER IS UNA CH-RILEY, AN “GMENT,” MEANG SHE IS THE RULT OF GEIC ENGEERG, WHICH IS BANNED BY STARFLEET AND THE FERATN. SHE IS THE ENTERPRISE’S FIRST OFFICER AND CAPT. PIKE’S “NUMBER ONE.”GIVEN THAT ROMIJN ALSO PREVLY PLAYED A TRANS WOMAN ON TV’S UGLY BETTY, WE ASKED HER IF SHE SAW A PARALLEL BETWEEN HER CHARACTERS’ EXPERIENC AND THE WAY SOCIETY TREATS TRANS PEOPLE AS OUTSTS.“IT'S LIKE THE THREE CHARACTERS KEEP G BACK MY LIFE AND I LOVE ,” ROMIJN SAYS. “EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THIS UTOPIAN, FUTURISTIC WORLD TREK, SOMETIM WE STILL GRAPPLE WH THE VERY HUMAN ISSU LIKE PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN. THAT EPISO REALLY PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON THAT. I THK THAT THE MSAGE THAT UNA WANTS TO SEND IS, JT BEE I N HI DON'T MEAN I SHOULD HAVE TO. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF TRANS PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, TOO.”ROMIJN ALSO SHOUTS OUT JSE JAM KEEL, THE OUT TRANS ACTOR WHO PLAYED A NONBARY VILLA A GROUNDBREAKG SEASON 1 EPISO DIRECTED BY A TRANS WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND. “HAVG THAT EPISO WH THEM, WH JSE JAM KEEL, SHE WAS SO AMAZG ON OUR SHOW. WE JT N’T WA TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO BRG HER BACK.” KHAREN HILL/PARAMOUNT+ IT’S CLEAR THAT THE STARS OF STRANGE NEW WORLD KNOW HOW POWERFUL AND HOW RADIL THE SHOW’S LGBT+ REPRENTATN IS.AS AN ACTIVE ER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, NAVIA HAS HEARD OM QUEER FANS, ASKG ABOUT HER CHARACTER’S LOVE LIFE. “I KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO SEE MORE OF ORTEGAS TERMS OF HER RELATNSHIPS AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT IS, ‘JT HANG ON. HANG ON FOR SURE!’” SHE SAYS. “I N'T WA TO SEE WHAT FANS AND PECIALLY THE TRANS AND LGBT MUNY NTUE TO SEE ORTEGAS. AND HEARG OM THEM ALSO SPIR A LOT OF WHAT WE THEN BRG TO THE ROLE. SO, THANK YOU TO THEM AND, YEAH, PRI MONTH: LET'S DO !”KEEP OBSSG! SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK, TWTER, INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK. DAWN ENNIS

In his Op-Ed, Portman wrote about learng that Will was gay:He said he’d known for some time, and that his sexual orientatn wasn’t somethg he chose; was simply a part of who he was. We were surprised to learn he was gay, but knew he was still the same person he’d always been.