"Star Wars" fans have been showing solidarity with actress Kelly Marie Tran after it was noticed she had completely wiped her Instagram page.
Kelly made her debut as new character Rose Tico in the eighth instalment of the regular "Star Wars" series, "The Last Jedi", and became a favourite among fans when it emerged that she was also a huge fan of the franchise.
As one "Star Wars" fan account pointed out, Kelly's deletion of her social media comes after months and months of racist and sexist abuse hurled at her from certain "Star Wars" fans (mostly men) unhappy with her inclusion in the cast.
Kelly Marie Tran has deleted all the posts off her Instagram due to months of harassment she has received for her character Rose in #TheLastJedipic.twitter.com/ipxdbDH30C
— Star Wars Facts (@SWTweets) June 5, 2018
In response to this, many of the franchise's fans have been sharing messages of support and solidarity with Kelly on their own accounts, to let her know that there is still a lot of love for her out there:
Kelly Marie Tran, a constant source of light and body positivity on my feed, has deleted her Instagram because of constant racist and sexist comments. Some days, I love the internet. Some days, I truly hate it. Be better, fans. Be kind. #KellyMarieTran
— Sarah (@SarahPenn08) June 6, 2018
It's no exaggeration to say Kelly Marie Tran's line in The Last Jedi
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) June 5, 2018
"That's how we're gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love"
...changed my life.
Be good to each other. Pump up the things you love, don't destroy the things you hate.
I really hope the Kelly Marie Tran issue makes this fanbase take a long hard look at its self. Been saying for a while how sad this current crop of #starwars fans make me but this is a new low. I want the old fanbase back. Its a disgrace to harass anyone online, no excuses.
— John B (@angelus073) June 6, 2018
#KellyMarieTran and #DaisyRidley are both beautiful, talented actresses and they deserve to be a part of #StarWars, but they don't deserve to be harassed the way they were and bullied off of social media.
— AO98 (@aoswell12) June 6, 2018
Kelly Marie Tran is a wonderful person. Her instagram was full of humbleness, love, excitement about her job, and because she's a WOC in a great Star Wars film that challenged the supposed "rules" of the franchise the racist, sexist arseholes have chased her off social media 😡 https://t.co/yf4lYxkei4
— Sarah (¬_¬) #YNWA (@SarahEHoll) June 5, 2018
It just makes me angry the shouty manbabies are the loudest part of the fanbase. Rose was an excellent character and I hope Kelly Marie Tran also sees all of the support and positivity that people have been sharing.
— Just ∆lex. (@AlexJDelaney) June 6, 2018
If you bully and harrass people because of a #StarWars film, then you're not a Star Wars fan. You're not. It's simple. Get out. We don't want you. You belong with the Empire - in ashes over Endor. #KellyMarieTran
— Brian Robinson (@TalcyBri) June 6, 2018
Once more with feeling!#KellyMarieTran is beautiful, and is so much better than the crap she's received it's not even funny.
— Kelly the perpetually caffeinated (@MidgleyMenace) June 6, 2018
Down with all bullies.
Hate has NO place in my #StarWars fandom!
Any problems - refer to the gif below. pic.twitter.com/f8Z1p5EAD3
It really fucking sucks that Kelly Marie Tran has had to delete her Instagram due to sexist and racist comments about her.
— Patrick "OsirisAU" Bigwood (@OsirisAUcsgo) June 6, 2018
No matter what you think about a character, that should not be reflective of how you treat the actor/actress.
10% of the fan base ruining it for everyone. Kelly Marie Tran's is a voice we seriously need on social media and I hate that she can't share her thoughts without racist and sexist idiot comments. https://t.co/2Cyi9Er1eH
— Finding Chirsty (@FChirsty) June 6, 2018
I'm beyond disheartened to hear that Kelly Marie Tran- this beautiful, quirky actor, deleted all of her @instagram posts after months of being bombarded by sexist and racist attacks from so-called "fans." The @starwars universe knows no bounds, no borders...
— L. (@youvegotveil) June 6, 2018
...it is filled with diverse individuals, all definitions of beauty, and powerful ♀ leads who are a force to be reckoned with. Be #thelastjedi- bring balance to the force by shedding #light on these topics, and by calling-out those who seek to pull others into the darkness. ✨
— L. (@youvegotveil) June 6, 2018
😭 Kelly Marie Tran is a ray of sunshine in a crappy world. Rose Tico inspires so many ppl, but especially young girls, and Kelly did that! She brought that character to life 💫 that she has copped so much racist and sexist harassment for doing so is absolutely cooked https://t.co/GYGwCrXFKb
— Tash Heenan (@tashellenheenan) June 6, 2018
Kelly Marie Tran seems like one of kindest, most deserving people of her new-found success. She should be having the time of her life - not being subjected to racist and sexist harrassment. Not all Star Wars fans are jerks but the ones harassing her are.
— Jill Zwarensteyn (@JillZwarensteyn) June 5, 2018
There's a lot of fanboys in that section which is tolerable, but SW fans also ran Kelly Marie Tran and Daisy Ridley off the internet with racist and sexist remarks so I don't have any sympathy
— Ryan (@StannisAF) June 5, 2018
Similarly, in August 2016, then-newcomer to the "Star Wars" universe Daisy Ridley also decided to delete all of her social media accounts.
Having previously used her Instagram to speak out about causes close to her heart, Daisy appeared to have had enough after she shared a post about gun violence, and quickly sparked a heated discussion in the comments section.
Both Daisy and Kelly will be back in the upcoming ninth "Star Wars" film, the final instalment in the current series, which JJ Abrams will return to direct.
The currently untitled film is scheduled for release in December 2019.