Ruby Rose quits Twitter over 'Batwoman' casting backlash
Add Ruby Rose to the list of actors who have fled social media to escape the barking trolls.
Rose on Monday appeared to have deactivated her Twitter account and turned off commenting on Instagram after some fanboys and fangirls criticized her recent casting to the title role of “Batwoman” in an upcoming CW series, according to the Huffington Post. Among the complaints were that the 32-year-old Australian actress and model wasn't Jewish, wasn't a good enough actor to tackle the role and - get this - wasn't gay enough.
“Not only does ruby rose not identify as a lesbian but she's not Jewish either,” wrote one Twitter user. “So…they basically lied about wanting an actor that represented the diversity to stay true to who batwoman is and instead just picked a ‘hot' white person that isn't too gay to offend the straights”
Another wrote, “okay but casting ruby rose as batwoman truly is a big (expletive) you to all the lesbian fans like they don't care about the rep they just wanted to cast a lesbian to have good press so they just gave it to her cause she's well known and liked by straight girls”
The not-lesbian-enough accusations left Rose flummoxed, and she addressed it with some of her final tweets.
“Where on Earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can't be Batwoman' come from - has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I've ever read,” she wrote.
“I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she's too gay,'” she continued. “How do y'all flip it like that? I didn't change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.”
DC Comics introduced Batwoman/Katherine Kane (or Kathy) as a love interest for Batman in the 1950s. The character was rebranded in 2006 as Kate Kane, a Jewish lesbian.
“When women and when minorities join forces we are unstoppable… when we tear each other down it's much more hurtful than from any group,” tweeted Rose. “But hey I love a challenge I just wish women and the LGBT community supported each other more. My wish was we were all a little kinder and more supportive of each other … Sending everyone my love and gratitude, it's been a rollercoaster of a year, this month especially.”
Rose did get plenty of online love, especially after news of her widespread trolling got out.
“Apparently Ruby Rose got so much (expletive) from over-entitled ‘fans' about the Batwoman casting she felt it necessary to delete her Twitter account,” tweeted one supporter. “Couple of things here; 1. She may not fit the template of the character in every detail. That's why we call it acting. 2. Shut up.”
Another wrote: “You can dislike Ruby Rose for whatever reason, but what we're not gonna do is say she somehow isn't ‘gay enough' to play lesbian characters, okay folks?”
Rose gushed last week when she shared the news about “Batwoman,” which CW has scheduled to debut in 2019.
“The Bat is out of the bag and I am beyond thrilled and honored,” she wrote. “I'm also an emotional wreck because this is a childhood dream. This is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LBGT community who never felt represented on tv and felt alone and different. Thank you everyone. Thank you god.”
A post shared by Ruby Rose (@rubyrose) on
Aug 7, 2018 at 10:53am PDT
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” stars Kelly Marie Tran and Daisy Ridley, and “Stranger Things” child actor Millie Bobby Brown also deleted social media accounts following harassment from fans.
Tran, the first Asian-American to play a major role in the “Star Wars” franchise, was a target of racist remarks before she deleted her accounts earlier this year. In 2016, Ridley left social media following backlash over her post about gun control.
Brown shut down her Twitter account this year after photos of her were used for homophobic memes and she became the target of the hashtag #TakeDownMillieBobbyBrown. The 14-year-old is an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ rights.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: