Star Wars fans petition for LGBT character as tribute to Orlando victim

London : To tribute a victim of the Orlando shooting, a fan petition has been set up to ask Star Wars creators to include an LGBT character in the franchise’s next film.

This petition has been organised by Joshua Yehl, friend of Drew Leinonen, an impassioned fan of the franchise and one of the 49 individuals who lost their lives in Pulse nightclub in June, alongside his boyfriend Juan Ramon Guerrero, reports the Independent.

The petition asks for Leinonen’s memory to be honoured in the creation of Star Wars’ first ever LGBT character, inspired by him as well as to pay tribute to the other victims and to any LGBT individual whose life is lost to hate.

“He and I bonded over many things, but nothing brought us together like Star Wars,” Yehl’s passionate entreaty reads.

“Drew was a beacon of positivity in Orlando, a force that brought people together. He loved Star Wars, yes, but he also loved his friends and his family, and he was warm and welcoming to everyone he ever met.

“Nothing would make him happier than for all the little gay nerds out there to have their own Star Wars character to look up to,” it added.

However, ‘ The Force Awakens’ director J.J. Abrams has already indicated that the LGBT characters will be making appearance in future ‘Star Wars’ movies, stating, “To me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility. So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world.” (ANI)