Ruby Rose quits Twitter amid Batwoman backlash

Australian actress Ruby Rose has deleted her Twitter account following a backlash over the news she is set to play Batwoman, the first openly gay superhero lead on TV.

The new series due to premiere on the CW network in 2019, focuses on Kate Kane: “first created by DC Comics in the 1950s as a love interest for Batman, before being reintroduced in 2006 as a gay woman of Jewish descent”, reports The Independent.

The choice of Rose has been met with mixed reactions, with some fans taking against the casting of a non-Jewish actor in the role and prompting a #RecastBatwoman hashtag to circulate on the social media site.

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But it seems Rose's Twitter deletion may have particularly been motivated by accusations she shouldn't play a lesbian character - despite the actor having been out since the age of 12.

The actress took to Twitter one last time before exiting saying: “Where on earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can’t be batwoman’ come from — has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read. I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that? I didn’t change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.”

Rose's removal of her Twitter account prompted people in the LGBT community to reiterate that it is no one’s place to define someone else’s identity.

In her Twitter statement, Rose continued saying: “When women and when minorities join forces we are unstoppable… when we tear each other down it’s much more hurtful than from any group. But hey/ love a challenge I just wish women and the LGBT community supported each other more, My wish was we were all a little kinder and more supportive of each other…Sending everyone my love and gratitude, it’s been a rollercoaster of a year, this month especially.”

Rose's Batwoman will be introduced to US audiences on The CW network in a December crossover episode featuring its other DC Comics properties, including The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl.

“The Bat is out of the bag and I am beyond thrilled and honored," Rose wrote on Instagram after news broke she'd been cast. "I’m also an emotional wreck. Because this is a childhood dream. This is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LGBT community who never felt represented on tv and felt alone and different. Thank you everyone. Thank you god.”