Disney has recently announced the casting of Abigail Thorn, a transgender YouTuber, for a major role in the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte.
Thorn, who is a biological male identifying as a woman, will portray the character Ensign Eurus, while the lead role will be played by “non-binary” actress Amanda Steinberg. These casting choices mean that “the upcoming series is shaping up to be one of the most inclusive yet,” as reported by The Direct.
“These are huge strides for transgender representation in the Star Wars galaxy. However, for some years now, Star Wars publishing has been leading the way by introducing characters who identify outside of any gender binary,” the pop culture outlet reported.
Thorn has gained recognition through her YouTube channel, which boasts an impressive following of a hundred thousand subscribers. She has been known to advocate for puberty blockers and hormone replacements for children, raising awareness about transgender issues.
The Direct added that “Back in 2021, Star Wars highlighted Terec and Cerec in celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility. Both are non-binary Jedi who call the galaxy far, far away home.”
A post on the Star Wars Instagram account unveiled the two “non-binary” Jedies with the following, “we’re proud to unveil an exclusive cover highlighting Terec and Ceret, trans non-binary Jedi, currently featured in Marvel’s The High Republic comic. We support trans lives and we are passionate and committed to broadening our representation in a galaxy far far away.”
Last year, Breitbart News mentioned that, The Walt Disney Company “cast transgender ‘non-binary’ actress Zoe Terakes in a key supporting role in the Marvel series Ironheart just days after the show also cast drag queen Shea Couleé, an alumnus of RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“Disney cast Talisa Garcia, who is a male-to-female transgender actor, to play a non-transgender role in the Willow series, which was recently canceled after just one season,” the report continued. “Just this month, Disney debuted its first ‘non-binary’ character in a Pixar film; however, few audience members will see this milestone for the once-beloved animation studio, as Elemental has flopped spectacularly both in the United States and overseas.”
