Mark Hamill says "if you think Luke is gay, of course he is"

The conversation about equal representation in cinema has gotten louder in recent years, and few recent blockbusters have been as inclusive as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That said, there is always room for more.

JJ Abrams recently said that he "would love" to see a homosexual character in the Star Wars world, but now Mark Hamill has gone even further by suggesting that the franchise already has a gay character in Luke Skywalker.

"Fans are writing and ask all these questions, ‘I’m bullied in school… I’m afraid to come out’", the actor told The Sun. "They say to me, ‘Could Luke be gay?’ I’d say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves."

Because he's just that awesome, Hamill also took the time to respond to a fan on Twitter via DM in mid-January. Check it out below...

It's important to note that Hamill is not being definitive either way here on whether or not Luke is gay or not, but rather asking fans to decide for themselves as Luke's "sexuality is never directly addressed in the films". For people in the LGBT community who don't have many popular movie characters to relate to, this can only be a good thing.

Directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, and Benicio del Toro, Star Wars: Episode 8 opens on December 15, 2017.

Images: Lucasfilm