Time for Star Wars to get its first gay character? A petition demands just that

I've never met @JoshuaYehl but I'm pretty sure I want to fight anyone who has a problem with the #PutDrewInStarWars campaign

— Derek Stauffer (@TheComfortador) June 28, 2016

#PutDrewInStarWars Join this petition! honor Drew & other victims at Pulse!<33 @JoshuaYehl https://t.co/nzgz0qLlao pic.twitter.com/2649HOdDkQ

— Team RobinLordTaylor (@TeamRobinTaylor) June 28, 2016

Hell yes. #PutDrewInStarWars https://t.co/7P6b5TIrrZ

— Sara_✨ (@sosarasaid) June 29, 2016

Hey, @starwars, let's help @JoshuaYehl #PutDrewInStarWars! And remember, "there is no try."

— Aaron Rogers (@Merc074) June 27, 2016

And he makes a compelling point for the addition.

Star Wars has, with each passing installment, increasingly become more inclusive, progressive and markedly diverse.

"After A New Hope, steps were taken to expand and diversify the cast, giving us the smooth-talking Lando Calrissian and Rebel pilots played by people of color. The tradition of making Star Wars more inclusive continued with the casting of Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn, the main protagonists of The Force Awakens. It's my hope that Star Wars will take another step forward by introducing their first-ever LGBT character in a movie," Joshua writes.

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Moreover, the series celebrates difference, even if it has recognised so itself lately. "This is a universe with Wookies, Jawas, and Hutts, so why can't there be a visible LGBT character on screen?" he asks in the petition.

On being asked about the possibility of an LGBT character in Star Wars, The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams said rather encouragingly, "The fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility. So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counter-intuitive to say that there wouldn't be a homosexual character in that world."

So just maybe, Drew will make it in there.

But should he?

While it is almost unfortunate that Star Wars is taking so long to include a gay character, for one to be introduced on the back of the Orlando massacre would appear less radical and more apologetic.

The LGBT community or any other persecuted community in the world do not deserve these moments of recognition because something horrific has happened to them. And it becomes all the more tricky when there's a public demand.

While JJ Abrams is on the right track by keeping his options for diversification open, is it Drew that he needs to include in his next for viewers to make Star Wars LGBT-friendly?

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As Joshua says in his petition, "It's vitally important that LGBT people are included in mainstream media because it will show that we don't need to be feared or hated or hidden. We can be part of the rebellion and we can fight evil, and we can do it while being who we are with pride." And, while that's a beautiful and completely legitimate thought, does the potential presence of his friend in fantasy series go beyond mere tokenism?

Lastly, would Kennedy and Iger be able to go against #PutDrewInStarWars now without insulting the memory of the 49 people who lost their lives so recently? That absolutely cannot be how the LGBT community wants itself represented. For a community that has held pride above all to stay sane, it would be a shame to be represented in Star Wars because the makers had no other choice.