Since the story of young Katy Goldman has surfaced in the media, many people have rallied to  support her. Katy, of course, is the 7-year-old girl who was picked on for bringing her Star Wars bottle to school.  Unsympathetic boys told her that Star Wars wasn`t for girls.  One has to wonder what rock these kids {and possibly their parents} have been living under. Havn`t they noticed that many folks in their young lives-doctors, police, business owners-are “girls?”  And why  do people tend to assume that young girls aren`t interested in  science fiction and comics?  I know I`ve been hooked  since roughly first grade, maybe before if you count playing with astronaut dolls.  So have the hundreds of women and girls who`ve written messages of support for Katy online. Some  actually work in the field of science, others  have been inspired by the SW films, TV shows, and books from the time they discovered them.

It`s pretty absurd to consider the Star Wars franchise as something to be branded for one gender only.  The original film achieved success because of its enduring hero and villain archetypes, its moving tale of  people oppressed by a terrible system who had the courage to fight it anyway. That`s a story which everyone can relate to on some level.  And Katy apparently relates to it as well.   Her favorite characters are apparently Luke Skywalker and Leia.  She likes that they are adopted, like herself {there`s that power of identifying with a  character who has something in common with you}.    And Leia and Luke are probably the characters I myself most identify with.  As a teen, I was knocked out by Leia`s feisty personality and refusal to be a victim. I`d read about women like her in Heinlein and Farmer novels, but had not seen any onscreen until I  got into the Star Wars films. Here was a woman who rose to a challenge, who  could   grab a blaster and defend herself, not wait for a hero to remove her from danger. I think it`s great that Katy and a new generation of young girls like her as well, and that young boys like my nephew do, too.

But I also always related to Luke as well. Like him, I was a small town person who sought adventure, something  just over the horizon. You don`t have to be a specific gender to get into his struggle to tame the negative aspects of himself, to become a true hero despite his quick temper and impulsiveness.  Han Solo is appealing, but the Luke character has a vulnerability that many female fans are drawn to, including myself.   I liked that he wasn`t the perfect “cool” guy, he was something better.

Star Wars is a rich and entertaining tale which isn`t just for boys, or just for girls-it`s for all of us. Cheers to Katy for sticking with the things she loves. This is a big, diverse world-you can be a girl who loves Star Wars, or a boy who loves Burlesque and Chicago. The stories and characters that you cherish as a kid help you on the tough voyage to adulthood. And  returning to them is what keeps you young at heart, always.

• Tweet