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Ruby Rose quits Twitter after receiving brutal backlash for Batwoman casting.

 

Earlier this week, it was announced  Ruby Rose will play Batwoman, TV’s first openly gay superhero, in CW’s ongoing DC Comics TV universe.

Speaking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, the Australian actress emotionally shared how important the role was for LGBTQ+ inclusion in popular culture.

“I feel like the reason I get so emotional, growing up watching TV, I never saw somebody on TV that I could identify with, let alone a superhero,” the 32-year-old said.

“I have always had this saying – I mean, not me, Oscar Wilde – which is be yourself because everyone else is taken,” she continued.

“So I always live by that motto, and the second motto when I came into the industry was to be the person that you needed when you were younger. I feel like one motto led to another.”

But it seems not everyone is happy about Rose’s casting.

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Just days on from the announcement, Rose has quit Twitter amid an onslaught of backlash online.

On Twitter, the hashtag #RecastBatwoman began to circulate, as some fans began to accuse Rose of not being a lesbian, while also claiming Rose “stole” the role from lesser-known LGBTQ+ actresses.

According to Syfy, before deleting her account Rose tweeted: “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. I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that? I didn’t change”.

Among the backlash, Twitter users left messages of support for the Orange Is The New Black star, saying she shouldn’t be bullied for the casting.

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Rose’s decision to shut down her Twitter and disable her Instagram comments is reminiscent of moves made by both Star Wars: The Last Jedi actress Kellie Marie Tran and Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown.

Both Kellie Marie Tran and Millie Bobby Brown were forced to shut down their social media accounts after enduring constant fan backlash for their roles.

Tran, who played the first lead female character of colour in the Star Wars universe, was criticised and attacked online by fans who targeted her Asian ethnicity and her appearance.

Stranger Things actress Brown, 14,  also quit Twitter earlier this year after a hashtag #TakeDownMillieBobbyBrown was shared across the social media platform.