A same-sex kiss in 'The Rise of Skywalker' is being heralded as 'historic,' but Disney has a long way to go in LGBTQ representation

• Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
• A kiss is shown between two female characters in "The Rise of Skywalker." 
• The moment is well-intentioned but falls flat because it features two minor characters who were cut out of showings of the film in other countries.
• It would have meant more for LGBTQ representation to show two prominent characters like Finn and Poe share a similar moment. Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe, told IGN"the Disney overlords were not ready to do that."
• Disney has a history of showing brief "gay moments" in recent films like "Avengers: Endgame" and "Beauty and the Beast."
• Marvel's "The Eternals" will feature a more prominent openly gay character when it comes to theaters next fall.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more.

There's a moment near the end of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" where two female characters from the Resistance share a brief kiss. The Hollywood Reporter called it historic for being the first same-sex kiss in a "Star Wars" movie. 

"In the case of the LGBTQ community, it was important to me that people who go to see this movie feel that they're being represented in the film," director J.J. Abrams told Variety in early December.

However well-intentioned the moment was meant to be, it's incredibly frustrating that the kiss occurred between two minor side characters. Commander d'Acy's biggest role in the movie is telling Finn and Poe that General Leia is dead. The other woman is a background character who the audience never meets.

The moment feels added simply to pander to LBGTQ audiences and for Disney to give itself a pat on the back on a job well done by showing "representation" on screen.

It's more insulting when you know the moment has been cut from screenings in Singapore and Dubai, suggesting it was added in such a way that it could be easily removed from the film.

A pattern of subtle gay moments in Disney blockbusters

The moment is also troublesome because this isn't the first time Disney put a scene like this in one of its larger movies. Disney put a blink-and-you'll-miss-it "gay moment"in 2017's "Beauty and the Beast" near the film's end. The company also had a similar overblown moment in "Avengers: Endgame" that was praised for showcasing Marvel's first openly gay character. 

You may imagine the openly gay character must have been one of the film's dozens of superheroes on screen, right? Nope! It was just one of the "Endgame" directors vaguely discussing a blind date he went on at a support group in the opening moments of the film.

"Representation is really important," co-director Joe Russo told Deadline. "It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them."

"We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that," he added.

For such a hyped moment, it was extremely underwhelming, especially when Russo is not openly queer. It felt like a slap in the face when you have over 24 superheroes you can choose from to show that sort of representation on screen. 

This needs to stop. 

Representation isn't simply inserting yourself or someone into the background and calling it a day. It's showcasing diversity in the characters who are at the center of the story, the ones who children look up to and identify with. 

Disney should be using its massive platform to set an example, not shy away by sprinkling in a few moments here and there. Maybe these would be big steps if it was the late '80s or early '90s. In 2019, it just looks like the company is scared of ruffling any feathers.

There were two more obvious characters who could have kissed in 'The Rise of Skywalker'

If Disney is serious about representation on screen, the company had the perfect opportunity to showcase it in "The Rise of Skywalker" and chose to back away. 

Since "The Force Awakens," fans have seen the bromantic tension brewing between John Boyega and Oscar Isaac's characters Finn and Poe. #FinnPoe wasn't just fan-fiction. It was real for Boyega and Isaac, too. Both of the actors said they wanted to explore that relationship more on-screen with Isaac telling Variety it "would have been fun" for the two to be boyfriends, but for whatever reason, "people are too afraid."

Isaac has been very vocal about a potential #FinnPoe pairing in the press. The actor even called Disney out for backing away from a modern love story in an interview with IGN.

"I think there could've been a very interesting, forward-thinking — not even forward-thinking, just, like, current-thinking — love story there, something that hadn't quite been explored yet; particularly the dynamic between these two men in war that could've fallen in love with each other,"Isaac told IGN.

"I would try to push it a bit in that direction, but the Disney overlords were not ready to do that," he added. 

Steps in the right direction

In the past, Disney has been criticized for "straightwashing" its Marvel characters who are on the LGBTQ spectrum like Loki. That hasn't stopped actors from voicing their opinions on the subject. Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie on screen, has openly embraced her comic character's bisexuality.

Only earlier this year, after appearing in two Marvel movies, Thompson confirmed Valkyrie will be openly queer in "Thor: Love and Thunder."

"As new king [of Asgard], she needs to find her queen,"Thompson said.

Brie Larson has already suggested who her Asgardian queen can be.

After 23 Marvel movies, it's about time. And that's not the only LGBTQ representation that will come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Next November, Marvel's "The Eternals" will introduce an openly gay character who is married with children as part of its cast.

According to footage shown off at Brazil's Comic Con, CCXP, in early December, that character will be Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos. We don't know much else about the character yet. But these two moves seem like more genuine examples of representation than adding something into the background of a big film for people to be on the lookout for.

And that's a step in the right direction. 

• Read more:
• We may know what Finn was going to tell Rey in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' and it could have a connection to 'The Mandalorian'
• 27 celebrity cameos you probably missed while watching 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
• A 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' book hints Lando Calrissian may have a direct connection to a new character in the movie
• 12 clues you may have missed that hinted at Rey's true identity in the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy
• The 23 biggest questions we have after seeing 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'

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