Australian actress Ruby Rose is set to play the title character in CW's upcoming Batwoman,and the actress is pretty excited for a number of reasons. But the fact that Batwoman herself, a.k.a. Kate Kane, is gay isn't really among those reasons.
In a recent profilewith Glamour magazine, the actress talked about what the role means to her—and what it doesn't. She made it clear that she wouldn't want people thinking of her as a gay actress playing a gay character, but as simply a person playing a superhero.It's unfortunate, to say the least, that society is still not willing to do that.
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In an ideal world
“Her being gay, it’s definitely part of who she is, and it's definitely part of the story and establishing why she's not in the military anymore," Rose said about her character in the interview. "But the show is not about a gay superhero. It’s about a superhero.”
We all long for a world where being gay in one's personal life plays absolutely no role in their profession. A world where regardless of any person's sexual orientation, they can do pretty much anything anyone else can do without being label as a "gay [insert profession here]." A world where people no longer have to worry about coming out or breaking grounds and ceilingsbecause society had been intolerant up to that point. A world where we can leave that all behind.
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In the real world
Unfortunately, we're not there yet.That world still isn't ours, though we're getting closer every day. So it's easy to understand why Ruby Rose doesn't want the labels,why she doesn't care for focusing on breaking ground here. And she's right to reject them. But it's also important to acknowledge that what she's doing, professionally, is truly a wonderful thing.
It's of course sad that it's only wonderful because it follows an era of blatantly homophobic prejudices, of discrimination and ignorance. But it is wonderful nonetheless: to realize that we're slowly crawling out of that centennial hole and walking into a better world.
As Rose herself told Glamour, "I was getting frustrated at always having to have my sexuality be a part of it, like, you’d never say, ‘the heterosexual DJ.’ That’s bizarre. But I realized that if I had to deal with that being really annoying for 10 years, then maybe someone else wouldn't have to.”
And she's clearly aware of the responsibility her current position involves. Speaking about Melissa Etheridge and Anderson Cooper, she added that “They've paved the way for me to do what I do, and I'll pave the way for other people coming through.” As Batwoman, she undoubtedly has the power to do so. More specifically, she's in the process of normalizing female queerness in a superhero, so that future generations don't insist on making it a big deal.
So, yeah, we're not living in that ideal world just yet. But people like Ruby Rose are slowly building towards it. She is part of the change. And of that, at least, she can certainly be proud.
