Disney has recruited a transgender YouTuber to play a significant role in an upcoming Star Wars series. Abigail Thorn, who was assigned male at birth but identifies as a woman, has been selected to portray Ensign Eurus in the new show titled The Acolyte.
Additionally, a performer who identifies as non-binary, Amanda Steinberg, has been chosen for the lead role. This casting decision suggests that the forthcoming series is committed to being highly inclusive.
Abigail Thorn has gained a substantial following on YouTube, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. She is known for her advocacy of puberty blockers and hormone replacements for children.
Abigail Thorn’s casting in a significant role for an upcoming Star Wars project marks a milestone as the first transgender actor to be cast in such a role.
According to The Direct, Star Wars acknowledged the importance of transgender visibility on Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021 by featuring Terec and Cerec, non-binary Jedi characters who are part of the Star Wars universe.
When Star Wars introduced the “non-binary” Jedi characters, they made an announcement on their Instagram account, “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.”
According to a report by Breitbart News, last year, Disney made casting decisions that included transgender ‘non-binary’ actress Zoe Terakes in a significant supporting role in the Marvel series Ironheart. This came shortly after the show also cast drag queen Shea Couleé, known for their participation in RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Furthermore, Disney cast Talisa Garcia, a male-to-female transgender actor, to portray a non-transgender character in the Willow series, which unfortunately was recently canceled after just one season. Additionally, Disney introduced its first ‘non-binary’ character in a Pixar film earlier this month. However, this milestone for the animation studio went largely unnoticed as the film, Elemental, performed poorly both domestically and internationally.
