#queerswatcher

[ct-hardcase]

oh my god that new Merrin excerpt, this book is going to be sapphic, huh

[chipthekeeper]

Just for fun here’s a podcast episode about queer rep of all sorts in Star Wars by the trans lesbian who got divorced because of Andor:

lately i have been a bit miffed by the lack of awareness when it comes to queer characters, and more specifically sapphic characters, in the Star Wars canon. so, in my capacity as the patron saint of lesbian visibility, i've decided to quit whining about it and be the one to spread some knowledge

without further ado.....a very long and obnoxious lesson

now let me tell you about them. in detail. through very specific categories

you don't have anything else to do, right?

CATEGORY ONE: GAY. ON. SCREEN.

they're gay. on screen.

CATEGORY TWO: THE A WORD

Doctor Aphra and her web of lesbianity

CATEGORY THREE: HANDGAYDENS

Padme Amidala and her gay handmaidens

CATEGORY FOUR: THE HIGHLY GAY REPUBLIC

all the many, many queers of the golden age of the jedi

CATEGORY FIVE: VIDEO GAYMES

queers from the Jedi games and related media

CATEGORY SIX: GAY FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW

characters created for or made queer in the From a Certain Point of View books

CATEGORY SEVEN: COMICALLY QUEER

wlws from comics not involved with Aphra

CATEGORY EIGHT: BOOKED AND GAY

characters who are gay in books, even if nowhere else

whew. still here?

thank you for scrolling all the way through this. if you are interested in talking about any of these people or want to know how to learn more about them on your own, my inbox is always open!!

and seriously folks, if you’re interested in any of them i implore you: read their stories, write fic, make art!!! the more we show that these characters are appreciated and talked about, the more likely we are to get more like them, and hopefully more that are even better and more visible rep

that’s all from me. have a gay day

[greenreticule]

Hello there, Star Wars fandom, specifically those who like to consider themselves supportive of queer representation in the franchise.

Let's talk about aphobia

That is: disdain for aromantic and asexual people, be it active or ignorant.

(This is not an exhaustive list of how aphobia can show up in fandom, nor is it taking into account intersections such as race, disability, gender, etc.)

Some definitions for people new to the conversation:

aro = aromantic. experiencing little to no romantic attraction ace = asexual. experiencing little to no sexual attraction allo = alloromantic or allosexual. experiencing sexual or romantic attraction a-spec = somewhere on the aro or ace spectrum

-

THE HIGH REPUBLIC

Earlier this year, the twitter @/QueerSWatch posted about the number of queers present in The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray. There were two gay queens in minor roles, and then Leox Gyasi as a lead character, who is explicitly asexual and strongly implied aromantic.

Aside from two replies, the rest of them were bemoaning the lack of queers. Sure, three characters is not a lot. But what additional representation were the replies clamoring for?

Someone wanted Lucasfilm to hire a creator known for creating allo queer characters.

Someone who asked if Claudia Gray has ever written any queer characters, somehow missing the giant ace flag behind Leox in the tweet.

Someone who was insisting that a side character had to be allo queer.

Someone celebrating the side allo characters without a single mention of the leading queer character (which also happened with Into The Dark, where Leox gave a whole speech about his queerness).

And someone was clamoring for the aggressively straight Elzar Mann to be confirmed as allo queer.

In short, every single one of these people were replying to a tweet that was highlighting an asexual character, saying "not enough queers," and then offered fixes to that by suggesting EXCLUSIVELY allo representation.

That's aphobia.

That might not have been the intent, but it was still a very loud indication of what they considered actual, worthwhile representation. And it wasn't the leading aromantic, asexual character.

-

THE SEQUEL TRILOGY

A less recent, but loud conversation, was about Rey.

Part of the fandom interpreted The Last Jedi as Rey's sexual awakening, and then were loud about how any disagreement with that interpretation was cowardly, misogynistic, infantilizing, and repressive. Actual words used.

They insisted that a sexual awakening was essential, critical, and universal in people becoming adults. Not only did this actively ignore the asexual fans who saw themselves in Rey, these arguments are a repetition of actual pressure that asexual people face in real life.

We are considered "late bloomers," repressed by religion, or prudish just by being who we are, and many of us end up pressured into relationships that we do not want because we are considered broken for not wanting them.

Real aphobic arguments were deployed in defense of a ship.

-

THE JEDI CODE

For a more pervasive, ongoing discussion... let's talk about how a significant part of the fandom talks about the Jedi Code and Jedi chastity.

Some clarifications first:

Sex drives, participating in/enjoying the act of sex, virginity, chastity, being single, etc. are NOT the same thing as asexuality.

Asexuality and aromanticism are NOT the same thing. Not everyone who is aro is ace and vice versa.

However, allos often conflate all of these. Star Wars conflates all of these. The fandom conflates all of these.

Therefore, your opinions on #1 often reflect your beliefs about a-spec folks.

Whenever someone headcanons that Obi-Wan either is a-spec or chastely follows the Jedi Code, the constant reply is "Satine Kryze" or "no, I KNOW that he has sex!"

And some of the replies actually are written as if they are offended by the idea that Obi-Wan doesn't have sex.

Contrast this with the time that wording in an official Star Wars release suggested that Palpatine might have had sex. The day after International Asexuality Day 2021 (thanks!), the Star Wars fandom was flooded with people insistent that Palpatine could NOT have sex.

One reply to the myriad of tweets literally said "I know aphobia is bad but I just can't imagine him having sex."

Someone actively recognized they were near or in aphobia, and thought it was okay to continue on anyway.

What does it mean that the fandom will get offended by the implication that a desirable and good man might not have sex, and an undesirable and evil man might have sex?

That someone would prefer Obi-Wan to be allosexual and Palpatine to be asexual, based entirely in desirability and morality, is aggressively aphobic.

In general, the fandom attitude towards Jedi chastity consistently seems to include the assumption that it is wrong for the Jedi to be chaste, that it is repressive to avoid sex.

Obviously there are going to be parallels that people draw to fundamentalist Christianity and their rules about abstinence, but as someone who was raised in fundamental Christianity, I can tell you that those ideas about the Importance of Sex is also harmful to asexual people. It holds this threat of sex as a requirement after marriage, which is also considered a requirement. Because it’s That Important.

And this Importance of Sex gets repeated outside of the church too. Insisting that sex is an Inherent Good that All People Must Experience And Desire is elevating sex in the same way that fundamentalist Christianity does. It is still dictating how and when people must experience sex in order to be a full person.

This is reflected in fandom by being offended at the thought of a desirable character not having sex.

This is reflected in fandom acting as if it is an inherent evil for someone or a group of people to not desire or to choose to abstain from sex.

You need to consider how these things reflect upon your perception and treatment of a-spec people in real life.

[butterycrissantnails]

Simple spooky nails I did over the weekend with the new @hellomaniology X-mas Nightmare plates!! I also used Bam! White and the new LE Halloween stamper. Base color is @cirquecolors La Vie En Rose, base and top coat are from @babygirllacquer 🌹🌹🌹 I just had my first day of nail tech school and I'm tired but feeling good! The teacher said I was pretty good already so tha confidence is way up there 😀 . . . . . ✨✨✨✨✨ #nailart #sally #thenightmarebeforechristmas #maniology #babygirllacquer #cirquecolors #nailstamping #futurenailtech #miaminails #nailartoohlala #pocswatcher #queerswatcher #nails2inspire #nailartwow #mondaymanicure #manimonday #instanails #spooky #halloweennails #nailsoftheday #ignailart #nailblogger #nails #nailpolish #nailsofinstagram #nailstagram #nailsnailsnails #nailedit #nailsdid #nailstyle (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGiY7wODpHU/?igshid=z62zzaue5r2u

[absolxguardian]

Alright I've seen from Twitter (thank you @queerswatch) that the show indulges in the queer erasure and white washing we were worried about (and I cant imagine Jedi Lost fares much better). I'm just not going to watch the damn thing, make the statistics reflect my disappointment. Probably wouldn't be good for my mental health either.

I'm practically afraid to start watching Tales of the Jedi. I don't want Dooku Lost or the Ahsoka novel to be retconned and that be what most people know. Star Wars shouldn't be like this. I should merely be excited to see Ahsoka, possibly see Rael Averross, and watch a good story.

[butterycrissantnails]

Another super late post, but here's my contribution to the #worldanimalday2020 collab hosted by @hgirl_nails @one_stop_nail_slop and @maaikysnails!!! I hope you all like them! . . . . . @babygirllacquer °Glitter Be Gone Base Coat °Diamante Glam Gloss Top Coat @wildflowerlacquer °Don't Play Koi @hellomaniology °Bam! White °M145 °Monocle Stamper °Smudge Free Top Coat 🐋please feel free to use my affiliate code CRISSANT10 for 10% off your orders at Maniology.com🦈 ✨✨✨✨✨ #nailpolish #nailart #nails #nailartdesign #indiepolish #indienailpolish #nailsart #nailstyle #nails2inspire #nailartwow #maniology #babygirllacquer #wildflowerlacquer #nailstamping #nailsoftheday #indieNailart #indiesdoitbest #pocswatcher #queerswatcher #nailsoftheday #nailporn #worldanimalday #indielacquer #nailartoohlala #nailsnailsnails #dailynailsfeed #nailfeature #nailpromote #polishpositivity #marinelife (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGSlbLKDEME/?igshid=f4r9furo5f3e

[butterycrissantnails]

It's been a hectic week 😐 have a sasquatch of this dark What We Do In The Shadows inspired flakie💜 . . . . . @peopleofcolorbeauty °Base Coat °Top Coat @dreamlandlacquer °Bats Full of Shame (July PPU) ✨✨✨✨✨ #indieswatch #pocswatch #peopleofcolor #peopleofcolorbeauty #dreamlandlacquer #polishpickup #vampynails #whatwedointheshadows #queerswatch #nailsnailsnails #crissantsquatch #nailsfortoday #indienailpolish #indielacquer #indienaillacquer #shopsmallbusiness #shopblackowned #nailpolish #nails #nailsoftheday #instanails #nailstagram #naturalnails #darknailpolish #nailartlove #nailstagram #nailsofinstagram #instanailart #nailpolish #nailpolishlove #nailfeature #nailedit (at Hollywood, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFC_Bgoje8u/?igshid=1w9fnnm6op1rh

[chiliconsharls]

Saw people discussing it on Twitter but the book isn't out yet

https://twitter.com/QueerSWatch/status/1550518073677021184?t=K9RZoFo_fWEtvYnewWuDeg&s=08

Obi-Wan is aro in that new Padawan book im?!?!????!!;;!!