The LGBTQIA-community

[Charmed]

So... no LGBT people in the new Star Wars, then?

I haven't seen the movie, yet, but you're absolutely correct.

[legion_quest]

So... no LGBT people in the new Star Wars, then?

I'm ok with that. Personal lives have never been a big thing in Star Wars. Even the few clumsy love stories there have been have been there to propel the plot forward rather than actually be romantic.

Not everything needs to have everything - representation isn't needed everywhere. It has to be a natural fit, else it's just tokenism, which just pisses me off because then it detracts from the reason I'm actually watching the movie/reading the comic - to enjoy the story.

[Time Like Lightning]

I'm ok with that. Personal lives have never been a big thing in Star Wars. Even the few clumsy love stories there have been have been there to propel the plot forward rather than actually be romantic.

This is a really good point. Anakin/Padme was never about the romance itself, it's about giving Anakin motivation to go to the Dark Side. Bit weak in my opinion (aren't there a lot more interesting motivations than "I don't want my love to die?") and annoying in that this allowed Padme to be sidelined as a character in Revenge of the Sith, but it's how the prequels were made.

On the other hand, a black lead in a movie this big is huge. Like, enormous. Bigger than Miles Morales as Spider-Man or spoilers:

Jane Foster

end of spoilers as Thor. Think of how many kids this is going to reach.

[Charmed]

While I agree somewhat with that, I don't think including LGBT characters in the new Star Wars flicks necessarily means there needs to be a love story, as well.

I don't even know how to respond to the "natural fit" portion, because, what exactly constitutes a natural fit? I don't think any of these films acknowledging the existence of LGBT characters in a single instance of dialogue ex. "My brother and his husband were killed when Alderaan exploded" would detract from the story. Or, if Finn happened to fancy Poe, but their relationship propelled the plot forward and didn't meander in romantic, soapy sap like every other relationship in this franchise and others franchises with straight characters.

[Kieran_Frost]

I haven't seen the movie, yet, but you're absolutely correct.

Based on JJ Abrams' track record... it shouldn't be a surprise. Still disappointing, but not a shocker either.

I'm ok with that. Personal lives have never been a big thing in Star Wars. Even the few clumsy love stories there have been have been there to propel the plot forward rather than actually be romantic.

This is a really good point. Anakin/Padme was never about the romance itself, it's about giving Anakin motivation to go to the Dark Side. Bit weak in my opinion (aren't there a lot more interesting motivations than "I don't want my love to die?") and annoying in that this allowed Padme to be sidelined as a character in Revenge of the Sith, but it's how the prequels were made.

In the politest possible way, my darhling boys: horsesh*t! To pretend a MASSIVE part of Star Wars wasn't Han/Leia, the revelation Luke kissed and fancies Leia, or Anakin/Padme... no, absolutely horsesh*t to pretend romance isn't a MASSIVE part of these films. It's only seen as "not major" because they are str8. One of the most famous moments of Star Wars is "I love you/I know." Ping, ping, f*ckin' ping, str8 relationships.

On the other hand, a black lead in a movie this big is huge. Like, enormous. Bigger than Miles Morales as Spider-Man or spoilers:

Jane Foster

end of spoilers as Thor. Think of how many kids this is going to reach.

Yes it's awesome, yes it's great... BUT a black str8 man in Star Wars happened in the 80s, one wielding a lightsaber happened in the 90s; it's not as utterly ground-breaking as some make out. An LGBT lead (when the films have had ZERO LGBT people), THAT would be groundbreaking. A black male wielding a lightsaber in a lead role is merely very good news.

While I agree somewhat with that, I don't think including LGBT characters in the new Star Wars flicks necessarily means there needs to be a love story, as well.

I don't even know how to respond to the "natural fit" portion, because, what exactly constitutes a natural fit? I don't think any of these films acknowledging the existence of LGBT characters in a single instance of dialogue ex. "My brother and his husband were killed when Alderaan exploded" would detract from the story. Or, if Finn happened to fancy Poe, but their relationship propelled the plot forward and didn't meander in romantic, soapy sap like every other relationship in this franchise and others franchises with straight characters.

This. There is a difference between "a gay romances wasn't front and centre of the film" and "this entire universe has no gay people." MASSIVE difference.

Not everything needs to have everything - representation isn't needed everywhere. It has to be a natural fit, else it's just tokenism, which just pisses me off because then it detracts from the reason I'm actually watching the movie/reading the comic - to enjoy the story.

This only works when we talk about a stand alone film or a sequel. When you get to 7 films (which is over 14 hours of film)... no. The problem is they made this world. It's a magical, wonderful place which people love to revisit again and again, and they've established that gay people don't exist. AND PEOPLE AREN'T BOTHERED BY THIS!!! It's 2015, and 14 hours of footage; NO. No that is not acceptable. There is a difference between "don't want tokenism" and "utter exclusion." People shouldn't include LGBT people in 2015 because they have to, they just f*ckin' should naturally and not even think about it! JJ Abrams has a track record of not include LGBT people (even when he specifically knows they've previously been excluded: SEE: Star Trek). If it was a different director, I do believe we'd have stood a far better chance of seeing an LGBT character (not a central plot, but again central plot vs. one bloody mention = HUGE difference).

I get the logic "we can't be in every film", I do. But this isn't one film. This is 7 films, I don't know how many TV series. To understandably accept an absence in ONE film, that makes sense, but this film doesn't stand on it's own. It's part of a canon, therefore it has the weight of canon on its shoulders. That is a huge benefit (biggest film premier ever) but it comes with consequences too (just like Star Trek). This film didn't happen in a void.

This of Hickman's lack of open LGBT characters in his Avengers. This issue wasn't his specific run didn't have an LGBT character, the issue was his run continues the trend of no Avengers have been openly LGBT while on the team. Canon was not his friend. The same is true here for Abrams.

[Silvermoth]

I honestly think there won't be any lgbtiq relationships in the new Star Wars films but there will be people of ambiguous sexuality that they can point at later when it's safe to do so and say "oh that character was gay the whole time and we were the first to have lgbtiq representation in a blockbuster"

[legion_quest]

I guess I'm just not a social justice crusader, or even that much of a compaigner in general.

I don't need to see gay people on TV or in films to feel validated. I appreciate it when it's there as long as it isnt played for laughs or stereotypes, but in general, I simply do not care except in cases on straight washing, as with iZombie, where they deleted the prominent gay characters.

For me, that's where the problem is. When people are getting away with making adaptations of literature and then aren't getting utterly lambasted and ridiculed everywhere for deleting the gay characters, and not even for any good reason.

I have no issue with someone not getting made gay for validation reasons. If it isnt part of the story being told, I really dont care. If they had one character randomly drop in that they were gay and then that character is never seen again, you bet you'd all be in here complaining that that character was bumped in to the background for being gay. Equally, if they died, they died because they were the gay and thus expendable. You can't just 'drop it in.' That'd get you more moaning than leaving it out.

Equally, we have no idea if there might be a gay character yet. The silver stormtrooper played by Brienne of Tarth is the sort of character you just know will get labelled a lesbian at some point.

[Reality]

Yeah, I like seeing diversity simply because it's more realistic, but if it isn't there it doesn't ruin fiction for me. It's just nice to have more visual and cultural variance within a work, IMHO. I certainly don't need to have my sexuality validated by anyone- it's a part of me and that's enough validation. It's a fact, so the opinions of others on it are irrelevant to me. Personally, of course.

[numberthirty]

In the politest possible way, my darhling boys: horsesh*t! To pretend a MASSIVE part of Star Wars wasn't Han/Leia, the revelation Luke kissed and fancies Leia, or Anakin/Padme... no, absolutely horsesh*t to pretend romance isn't a MASSIVE part of these films. It's only seen as "not major" because they are str8. One of the most famous moments of Star Wars is "I love you/I know." Ping, ping, f*ckin' ping, str8 relationships.

To me, the whole "seven films/fourteen hours" cuts the exact opposite way.

You get "I love you/I know". That ain't much. You get whatever is going on with Luke's folks. We never actually see who or what gave birth to Boba Fett. Luke's aunt and uncle? Would you know they weren't brother and sister if no one told you?

The folks who took Leia in?

There's what, maybe, four straight couples across "seven films/fourteen hours/untold amounts of worlds"? With maybe, three or four nods to that even being the case?

Relationships, in general, are sort of a weird fit in the films.

[t hedge coke]

To me, the whole "seven films/fourteen hours" cuts the exact opposite way.

You get "I love you/I know". That ain't much. You get whatever is going on with Luke's folks. We never actually see who or what gave birth to Boba Fett. Luke's aunt and uncle? Would you know they weren't brother and sister if no one told you?

The folks who took Leia in?

There's what, maybe, four straight couples across "seven films/fourteen hours/untold amounts of worlds"? With maybe, three or four nods to that even being the case?

Relationships, in general, are sort of a weird fit in the films.

There's more than that.

Luke goes on the mission, in big part because he's clearly excited that there's a girl - pretty girl. That kiss for luck isn't just a pat on the back. Luke is also visibly jealous of Han having any designs on her. Han, for his part, is amused, but still amorous from movie one forward. The Vader/Padme romance is discussed and implied in the earlier movies, and fleshed out, such as it was, in the later three. Lando literally wines and dines. By the third movie, all pretense of confrontation with Han and Leia is gone and they're pretty dang gushy when it's appropriate.

Sexual content of a less savory nature is clearly present in the slave girl stuff.

And, would we know his aunt and uncle aren't siblings? Well, we'd assume, possibly, even if they were, that they were an old couple, because that's how it's played. As an old farm couple. And, Luke is a naive farmboy who saw a picture of a pretty girl who needs help and he's going to go find her and he doesn't want the jerk in the vest to start getting ideas, etc.

It's possible it's brother and sister, living together, raising a boy together, being doting and doddery together. But it wouldn't leap to my mind before them being a couple.

[Silvermoth]

I would definitely think it's cool to see more lgbtiq people in science fiction settings though. Like just being badasses etc. How can you not want that?

[MasterOfMagnetism]

I just read this article on NewNowNext about the hottest male characters in video games. I highly approve their choice for the number one spot.

http://www.newnownext.com/the-20-hot...-time/12/2015/

[Reality]

So many pretty video game dudes! I like the one in the heart undies the best. I think. It's hard to pick.

[TheInvisibleMan]

just so you all know, Abby Wambach plays her last game with the US Womens National Team tonight

[numberthirty]

On AHS:H...

You have to weigh a couple of perfectly solid character moments against some of the worst television since Melrose Place. Just weird.