Like every major pop culture franchise these days, Star Wars has several canonically LGBTQ+ characters. But that doesn’t include two of Star Wars‘ most famous gay characters, Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto, who – despite their notoriety – don’t actually exist!
The Story Behind ‘Gay Star Wars Characters’ Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto, Explained
Unlike the Star Wars heroes and villains created by original franchise architect George Lucas or the various writers and artists contracted by Lucasfilm over the decades, Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto owe their existence to a meme.
In May 2024, social media was inundated with posts highlighting bizarre, often hilarious, errors in Google’s AI-generated overviews. One such post came via X (formerly Twitter) user @computer_gay, who shared a supposed screenshot of an AI overview listing “Slurpy Faggi” as Star Wars‘ first openly gay character. The overview also identified “Dr. Butto” as Slurpy’s boyfriend. Given how crude the pair’s names are – plus the easily verifiable fact that Slurpy isn’t a galaxy far, far away’s first openly gay character in either pre or post-Disney acquisition canon – the implication was that Google had incorrectly treated content from a joke social media or message board post as fact.
But wait: the plot thickens further. Based on pretty convincing research by Tumblr user machine-saint, @computer_gay’s post doesn’t feature a real screenshot. Machine-saint couldn’t replicate this AI overview error, nor could they find any prior references to Slurpy Faggi or Dr. Butto anywhere on the web. As such, Google’s AI overview tool would’ve had to invent both names – something outside of its capabilities. But goof or hoax, one thing’s for sure: Slurpy and Butto are not among the Star Wars franchise’s officially recognized LGBTQ+ characters!
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Every Confirmed LGBTQ+ Character in Star Wars Canon
So, Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto aren’t real LGBTQ+ Star Wars characters – then who is? Back in 2021, Lucasfilm spotlighted the following folks in a Pride Month-themed article:
- Ceret and Terec
- Chelli Aphra
- Keo Venzee
- Magna Tolvan
- Rae Sloane
- Sana Starros
- Varko Grey
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Plus, there’s Larma D’Acy and Wrobie Tyce, two minor characters not listed above who gave us the franchise’s first on-screen same-sex kiss in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And Disney+ series Andor featured lesbian couple Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz in 2022, a year after Lucasfilm’s list went up. Also not on the list are:
- Delian Mors
- Ledaney
- Sinjir Rath Velus
- Yrica Quell
Oh, and that’s just current, post-Disney canon. If we’re also counting the pre-Disney Expanded Universe continuity, Knights of the Old Republic‘s Juhani (not Slurpy) is Star Wars‘ first openly gay character. Similarly, Mandalorian Medrit Vasur and his husband Goran Beviin were the legacy canon’s first confirmed gay couple.
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Published: Jan 10, 2025 06:00 pm