Ruby Rose is the New Lesbian Batwoman. Let the Blacklash Begin!
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A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that the CW is doing a live action Batwoman series, based on the Kate Kane character from the 2006 DC comic universe. That would be the Batwoman who is Jewish and and openly gay. So when it was announced that Ruby Rose got the lead, it was fair to assume the LGBTQ+ fans would be thrilled. She’s not only, in my subjective opinion really hot, athletic enough to pull off the part, very good in Orange is the New Black and John Wick 2, she’s also just happens to be lesbian. But you’d be wrong, apparently. Source –
When the CW announced that they were looking for an out actress to play a lesbian Batwoman in a new TV show—the first gay superhero to headline a live-action series—you could see the backlash coming from a mile away. … Shockingly, the backlash to Ruby Rose’s recently announced casting appears to actually be coming from inside the house—from fans who seem to love the idea of an out actress playing Kate Kane, but want more from their trailblazing lesbian superhero. …
[J]ust two days after the announcement, Rose quit Twitter in a series of tweets that appeared to call out critiques from the queer community, including misguided allegations that the gender fluid actor “is not a lesbian.” In the now-deleted message, Rose wrote, “Where on earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can’t be batwoman’ come from — has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read. I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that? I didn’t change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.”
Meanwhile, the Twitter hashtag #RecastBatwoman is still going strong. Recurring sentiments appear to be that Batwoman should be played by a Jewish lesbian, and that the role would have been a great opportunity to elevate new talent. Sample tweets include, “Ruby is great… But she is not the only queer actress out there” and “JEWISH LESBIAN CHARACTER SHOULD BE PLAYED BY A JEWISH LESBIAN.”
OK. So I guess the beef against Ruby Rose is, she’s not lesbian enough? Or not Jewish? Like when Scarlett Johansson backed out of a role playing a transgender character because she faced so much backlash, I’m not arguing with the rules, I’m just trying to understand them. Because the goal posts keep moving on me and I’m just trying to keep up.
So by the new logic, if you’re casting a Jewish lesbian superhero who dresses like a bat, she has to be Jewish and a lesbian. What about the other stuff? Does she have to also have to be a vigilante of the night who villain kicks ass in a flying rodent costume? Or can we look the other way on that?
Again, I’m not starting a fight; I just want to be as enlightened as the ALL CAPS SJW who says you can’t pretend to be a Jewish lesbian on screen unless you are, in fact, both of those things off screen. So I just want to know how far that extends. For instance, Daniel Day Lewis is a Brit who played Abe Lincoln. Was Spielberg wrong to have cast him? Should that part have only gone to a former Illinois lob cabin resident who split rails, wrestled and once walked five miles to return a book? When he wasn’t getting shot behind the ear in the theater.
What about Brad Pitt as Aldo Raine? Should Quentin Tarantino have scoured the Tennessee countryside until he found a genuine Jewish hillbilly moonshiner who also happened to serve in the U.S. Army? Because when I watch Inglorious Basterds I just sort of see a good actor, well, acting. (I’ll skip asking if Christoph Waltz took work away from a real sadistic Nazi in that one, in order to avoid the unfortunate comparisons between evil German Jew hunters and awesome lesbian superheroes. But you get my point.)
So I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to be looking forward to seeing Ruby Rose in that awesome Batsuit wreaking havoc on Gotham’s criminal underworld. I thought I was being progressive. But once again, I’m guilty of not being progressive enough. I’ll try to be more outraged next time.