Universal Basic Income Is the Heart of This Queer Candidate’s Platform

James Felton Keith, New York’s first black queer congressional candidate, believes we all deserve a raise.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/10/01/universal-basic-income-heart-queer-candidates-platform

Star Wars officially has its first gay couple

Animated series Star Wars Resistance returns to the Disney Channel for its second and final season this Sunday (October, 6th). Ahead of the first episode, its creators have confirmed something fans already suspected from the first season: Recurring characters Flix and Orka are a gay couple.

Executive producers Athena Portillo, Justin Ridge, and Brandon Auman guested on the Coffee with Kenobi podcast, where Ridge confirmed the fan speculation.

“I think it’s safe to say they’re an item, absolutely. They’re absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that. We love Flix and Orka,” he said.

Orka and Flix are voiced by actors Bobby Moynihan and Jim Rash respectively.

Related: Oscar Isaac’s latest take on his ‘Star Wars’ character has gay fans going into hyperspace

Auman singled the men out for praise, describing them as “wonderful”, and having “the same chemistry” as the characters they play.

Moynihan also featured on the podcast and was happy to expand on his character’s love life. He joined the show, which made its debut last October, 18 months ago.

“I have had a sentence prepared for a year and a half. If someone would finally ask me, I would say, ‘All I can say is that when Flix says I love you, Orka says I know.’ They’re the cutest.”

This is a reference to a line Han Solo (Harrison Ford) says to Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in 1980 movie, The Empire Strikes Back.

To see a clip of the pair, check out the video below. In the 12th episode of the first season, the couple took time out to visit Flix’s mother. They appear at the 1.30-minute mark. The characters operate the Office of Acquisitions in the aircraft refuelling station, the Colossus.

Star Wars Resistance is produced by LucasFilm, which is now owned by Disney. The series is focussed on Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot recruited by the Resistance shortly before and during the events of the franchise’s most recent sequel trilogy.

Fans have previously speculated about the sexuality of characters in Star Wars, with some queer viewers wishing the bromance between Finn (John Boyega) and Po (Oscar Isaac) in the recent movie trilogy bloomed into something more. However, Boyega has previously indicated that’s highly unlikely.

Related: Marvel casting director promises LGBTQ characters in future films

For now, we’ll have to make do with animated characters Orka and Flix – a small but significant step by Disney. The entertainment giant also owns Marvel Studios, which revealed in the summer that Tess Thompson’s Valkyrie will be its first LGBTQ superhero when she appears in the fourth Thor movie, due 2021.

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