Apparently the whole Religious Right versus same sex-romance-in-Star Wars-video-games dogfight isn’t over yet.
Quick rewind: Recently, BioWare, the makers of the massively popular MMO video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, decided that one of your role playing options should be a same sex romance. Diverse, the universe is, hm?
“BioWare originally announced that players and their companions in “Star Wars: The Old Republic” would only be able to experience mixed-gender romantic relationships. After many inquiries from fans asking the developer to explain the decision, earlier this week a new forum post by Stephen Reid, the senior online community manager for the game, showed up on the company’s official website announcing that those fans had been heard and same-sex romance will be added to the game.”
Right on cue, the usual right-wing watchdogs got their midi-chlorians in a bunch and, just like here on Earth, they are trying to eliminate these rebel alliances.
According to Right Wing Watch, The American Decency Association huffed, “Star Wars video games are for children. An overwhelming percentage of the 1.7 million games sold are being used by children who do not need to be forced to see this propaganda.”
The ever reliable Tony Perkins of The Family Research Council said, “In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists!” (And yes, the exclamation point is his.)
Now, the latest group to weigh in is the hi-larious Florida Family Association who wonders, “Will the makers of Star Wars video games create Darth VaPaula, a (mock) transgender version of Darth Vader – RuPaul, for kids to choose as their action player?” (See the FAA’s illustration above. Note to BioWare: make this happen—The Florida Family Association may have stumbled onto a gold mine here.) The FFA also made this jaw dropping observation: “There were no LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) characters in any of the Star Wars movies.” Really? What about Obi Wan? Or Jar Jar? Or Yoda? Or Chewbacca? Why does the FFA just assume they’re not LGBT? Statistically, several Star Wars characters definitely are. And what about the Ewoks? Finally, this note from a commenter on the FFA blog, “Dear FFA, It would be greatly appreciated if you would take your archaic ideas on morality, and your personal opinion on how others should live, off of this planet. You no longer have a place, and we need the oxygen for working brains. Sincerely, The Modern World”
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