Batwoman Rose goes offline after trolls lash out at new role

Actor Ruby Rose is taking a break from Twitter following a wave of backlash over her casting as Batwoman in the CW’s Arrowverse shows.

Last week, Rose, one of the stars of The Meg, was announced as the DC heroine in the network’s upcoming crossover episodes and a spinoff series in development, making Batwoman the first lesbian superhero to headline her own series.

Reactions were mixed across social media, though many endorsed her casting, including Arrow star Stephen Amell and Batwoman comics co-creator Greg Rucka. Still, Rose, who is a lesbian and identifies as gender fluid, was trolled by the comic’s avid fandom, leading to her abrupt Twitter departure over the weekend.

Rose previously described the role as her “childhood dream,” but in her final tweets, she derided the hate.

She also turned off public commenting on her Instagram account in response to critics of her sexuality. (Some Batwoman fans also complained that Rose, unlike the relaunched Batwoman of 2006, was not of Jewish descent.)

“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,” the actor wrote. “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.”

Citing a “rollercoaster of a year,” the Orange Is the New Black actor said she was “looking forward to getting more than 4 hours of sleep” and taking the break to “to focus all my energy on my next 2 projects. If you need me, I’ll be on my Bat Phone.” Rose’s case is not the first case of its kind. In June, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown retreated after becoming the subject of a cruel hashtag and meme. That came just days after Star Wars actor Kelly Marie Tran quit social media after facing a glut of cyber-bullying and negativity.

The Flash star Grant Gustin, who will likely costar with Rose in the CW crossover episodes, also faced his own fan backlash last week after a poorly taken photo of a Flash costume leaked online and led to the thin actor being body shamed.