Star Wars has defended a special comic book cover to celebrate US LGBT Pride Month after it was accused of making the franchise “political”.
The cover for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #24, created by artist Jan Bazaldua, features two female characters, T’onga and Losha, who are partners.
Responding to a Twitter user online, who accused the franchise of “making Star Wars political”, the official account defended the existence of queer characters.
1. Queer characters existing isn’t political
2. Star WARS is literally in our name
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 15, 2022
“1. Queer characters existing isn’t political,” it wrote.
“2. Star WARS is literally in our name.”
LGBT Pride Month in the US runs from June 1 to June 30.
The two companies behind the current Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm and Marvel, have teamed up to celebrate “a time dedicated to uplifting, honouring, and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community’s impact in the world.”
Celebrate #PrideMonth with Jan Bazaldua’s incredible cover for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #24, out today! More info here: https://t.co/TgLG4au6Bh pic.twitter.com/G82ZFiOYnd
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 15, 2022
As part of its 2022 celebrations, Star Wars is showcasing a number of variant covers for its comic books, each created by LGBTQIA+ artists and showcases LGBTQIA+ characters of the Star Wars galaxy.
All covers also feature a rainbow burst and a classic Star Wars logo with a rainbow trail.