Star Wars is a series that helps to inspire hope among fans. Whether it is through Leia’s determination to lead or Padmé’s willingness to do what she thinks is right, the women of the Skywalker family have inspired children for decades, and we’re just talking about the Skywalkers! That’s not even getting into the rest of the series and the tones of “hope” throughout.
So, with everything happening in the United States right now in regards to trans youth and the harmful laws being put into place in states like Texas, Florida, Utah, and beyond, fans have created The Amidala Initiative. Their Twitter bio states that it is a “collaborative community effort of 77 Star Wars fan creators benefitting @equalitytexas, trans youth & their families.”
“We, the undersigned, are 77 fan content creators, podcasters, YouTubers, TikTokers, artists, writers and cosplayers who have joined together to use our limited platforms to stand in solidarity with our trans siblings and their families in Texas,” the GoFundMe page for the initiative states. “No child should fear that their teachers will report their parents to the government for allowing them to live as their true gender. No parent should fear criminal charges for supporting their transgender child and helping them seek therapeutic and medical support to treat their gender dysphoria … this is something we refuse to stand by silently for.”
Some of those involved have also been talking about why raising money to fight against the hatred happening in these states is so important. “LGBTQIA issues are obviously something that’s very important to me as a queer person and a nonbinary person,” Byn McDonald, a Star Wars podcaster, told Yahoo Life. “Obviously it’s not just Texas: We’ve got Florida and Utah and South Dakota and Tennessee and Arkansas—it’s a bevy of states using the opportunity to overload us with all of this so we can’t really concentrate on one part of it.”
They went on to say, “When you have a level of misplaced anxiety, it helps if you can find something to do with it. Obviously I don’t have any pull with Texas legislators. I can’t pop up as an advocate. I don’t know people. But at the very least I’m good at doing my research and I can find someone who’s already doing that and help in what little way I can.”
The initiative was started by McDonald (and 76 other Star Wars online creatives) who were inspired by Padmé’s willingness to fight for what she believed in. It’s something that exists for many of us who grew up with Star Wars. We have this need to help those who are being pushed down and repressed because of those in power. We’ve been taught “hope” and fighting against those abusing their power from the start, so it’s wonderful to see the action that a love of Star Wars can result in.
Star Wars fans helping
This isn’t the first time that Star Wars fans have rallied and raised money for trans rights. When Gina Carano took to Twitter to mock the question of pronouns, Star Wars fans like writer Maggie Lovitt got together to create a GoFundMe for the Trans Law Center to counteract the actress’ harmful tweets.
When Star Wars fans use their power for good, it’s a wonderful community to be a part of, and it’s inspiring to see what groups like The Amidala Initiative are working to do. Let’s help them reach their goals and be the hope in this world that Star Wars has inspired in us all.
(via Yahoo!, image: Lucasfilm)
