I love Beverly Crusher. That's all you need to know. Bye. #beverly crusher's cheekbones could puncture the hull of a Galaxy-class starship leaving thousands to float in space #because... it's so SHARP — doctorcrusher #Extremely heterosexual Beverly
I write this from a place of deep respect, gratitude and compassion, and with hope that what I have to say will be received in good faith and be heard.
I am an immigrant woman of colour who found Star Trek at a time when I was at my lowest and stuck in what seemed like perpetual darkness, and it was this wonderful franchise and its powerful message which uplifted me and brought me back into the light so that today I can truly say that I am at my strongest. As such, Star Trek’s positive influence in my life has been no small thing. Star Trek has taught me to be the captain of my life, to reach for the stars, to stand up for what is right no matter the cost, and, above all, to be brave and bold.
And so, in the spirit of boldly going, I humbly call on ALL white members of the Star Trek Community — creators, platform curators, prominent fans and figures, including and especially Star Trek cast members, past and present — who believe in the underlying mission and vision of Star Trek to formally denounce all forms of racism and bigotry and those who uphold such abhorrent beliefs; I call on you to condemn the actions of those who have harmed Black and Indigenous people, and all People of Colour (BIPOC); and I call on you to strive to do more and do better for the sake of BIPOC in both the Star Trek community and in your own lives who have been subjected to racism. Finally, I encourage you to urge your supporters in this community to do the same, particularly those who are now finally waking up to the injustices perpetrated against BIPOC.
I am, of course, aware that the official Star Trek entity released a statement in this vein recently. I know many of you have expressed one way or another your support for the Black Lives Matter movement. I see you. It’s a good start. But it is not enough. I need each of you who hold so much influence within this community to do this, to say once and for all that you will not condone racism and anti-Blackness from your supporters, fans and followers any longer. It is important for this to happen.
I know you support the vision of the great Gene Roddenberry and the powerful philosophy of Star Trek and what it stands for. I know you believe in these words as much as I do:
“Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms.”
But many white supporters within the Trek community truly do not share these sentiments, and they have proven this time and again, especially as they have belittled and driven fans of colour like me away instead of putting the mission of Star Trek into practice and welcoming us with open arms. Both on-and-offline, there are those who have insulted and degraded BIPOC involved in the Trek community— and not just fans but creatives, actors, and notable figures of colour alike. We have been treated as inferior and dismissed.
I have seen and witnessed it with my own eyes. I have endured this myself and I cannot explain to you how hurtful it has been for many of us. I am a fan who has experienced so much harm from many white people I have come across in Trek spaces, at conventions and events, even among those I had considered friends, and for it to come from within a franchise that promotes love, hope and acceptance, it has been devastating. What I once looked to as a safe haven no longer is.
I can only speak for myself and from my own experiences. And based on my experience, my call to action here is completely necessary. Because something I never say aloud, something I constantly have to process and reprocess in therapy is that 6 years ago when I was 24, the night before I first met my Trek heroes, I cried bitter tears because I felt that they would not accept me because I wasn’t white, that I was unlovable by even the most amazing people because I was not white like them. 24 years old. A grown adult. And I felt that way. So many white Trek supporters contributed to making me feel that way every time they overtly and subtly implied that their whiteness made them superior. I have remained silent about this and numerous other incidents for many years, but living in silence has only served to intensify the painful experiences I’ve had, and so I share this to stress the urgency with which this community-wide issue needs to be addressed. We cannot allow damage like this to continue towards BIPOC in this community.
Racism destroys the soul. Racism is why I hurt myself for so long and why so many white supporters have harmed fans of colour like me, despite their claims that they believe in all that Star Trek stands for. Racism hurts us all. This is just a small part of my story. Imagine how many more there are like it or even worse. As white people, you will never experience racism and you may not see the abominable treatment BIPOC in the Trek community encounter, but it is happening.
With the Black Lives Matter protests gaining momentum worldwide, it couldn’t be more clear that now is not the time to find the middle ground on issues like this, because there is none when it comes to racism. Either you are against it or not. And I promise you, the Trek community does not need the support of people who go out of their way to justify any and all racist acts, because as we can clearly see, even the smallest racial microaggressions and biases can ultimately lead to murder. The desire to keep the peace in the fandom and franchise is not more important than Black lives. Especially because the truth is, as far as I have observed, there has never been actual peace.
We are presently witnessing a global reckoning in which many are finally starting to acknowledge the existing ways racism and white supremacy are upheld. As a community that claims to value all beings and embrace all differences, it only makes sense for Star Trek and all its community members to lead the way to a better future in the entertainment and creative industries and beyond, and to start doing so by looking within ourselves and our own backyard. We MUST clean up this community so that all People of Colour can truly feel safe and welcomed and be embraced and celebrated in every Trek space.
As I issue my call to action, I urge you to consider doing the following:
First, in particular for prominent white cast and creatives, please let the Trek community know where you stand. If you have not already done so, please let people know that you will not tolerate any further bigotry and racist behaviour from anyone. Please let your Black fans and all fans of colour know that you are with us. And please don’t mince words.
Amplify the voices of BIPOC within this community. So many of us are constantly silenced and drowned out and it is time for us to be heard. Our presence only enhances the Trek community. Uplift and embrace us. We matter.
If you manage any online Trek-related spaces and platforms, it is your responsibility to moderate and remove speech that is racist against BIPOC. It is imperative for you to enforce stricter commenting policies and do all that you can to protect BIPOC from further harm. And for those participating in these spaces, it is equally your duty to call out and report any such speech you encounter.
Educate your fellow white Trekkies who don’t yet understand why this is important. BIPOC have expended a lot of labor attempting to do so already but we have been dismissed, ignored, and cast aside. The onus is now on you to ease us of this burden and do the work given your positions of influence.
Hold yourselves and other white people in your Trek networks accountable to BIPOC community members. Make this part of your norm so that it becomes second nature to you, especially so these issues don’t ever fade into the background as they have often done in the past. This is an opportunity to improve and get it right.
Continue supporting the Black Lives Matter movement even after it stops trending. Visit https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ to find helpful resources, make donations, sign petitions, and to get more involved in this work beyond the Trek community. This work is ongoing. It is lifelong.
Committing to doing every one of these would be small yet meaningful steps in the ongoing struggle for racial justice and it would make a significant difference. So with great respect and love, I implore you to use your power and privilege to do this for BIPOC, for yourselves, for all of us.
Stand up with and speak up for all BIPOC fans, friends and colleagues, far and wide. Be loud about it.
Be as loud and unrelenting as LeVar Burton. He has always been at the helm of this struggle, has always been upfront about it, and I love and admire him for it. Follow his lead.
Naturally, fear courses through me as I write all this, but I think of Gates McFadden, a great hero of mine, who once rocked the boat and spoke up against the sexism and racism she witnessed while working on TNG and was actually fired for it. If she can do that, then I think I can do this regardless of the risk. Because I know what I’m asking for and ultimately fighting for is right. Because what we can no longer deny is that lives are at stake. Black lives. And they matter.
Now it is up to you to do your part. Boldly go, in hope and with love.
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It’s been quite a while and life is being lived in my corner of the universe but no matter where my journey has taken me, my space queen Beverly Crusher and her influence in who I have become is lasting and ever present. I am who I am today and the best version of myself so far because of her. Truly. As you can imagine, I am so wildly excited for her return in Star Trek Picard, positively over the moon! The joy that the news of her return has brought me simply compelled me to start a project in celebration and honour of Bev as we await her return to our screens. And so because I ♥️ her so much, I’ve decided to rewatch TNG all over again & gush all about her on my lil new podcast — “Boldly Going with Beverly Crusher”!
I’ve often felt Bev was sidelined and not given the attention and respect she deserves and so I’m intent on continuing to sing her praises and leaving something behind for posterity as a mark of how much this character and Gates McFadden changed the life of an Indo-Caribbean immigrant woman for the better. It’s basically a love letter from Bollywood Bev to OG Bev🥰 I just wanted to come back here to my blog where my journey with Crusher first began and share this with those who share my love for this character and the lovely lady who brings her to life! If you’re interested, you can find the podcast at the link above! Thanks for reading and LLAP🖖🏽
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There are many who cosplay as Beverly Crusher, some who do so quite well. I used to think I could never join them and do this because I looked so different from Crusher. But what I learnt is that there is great value in being different. I am no carbon copy and never will be. And because of this, there will only ever be one Bollywood Bev.
okay but i cried a little in this, I’ve always wanted to cosplay or look like a star trek character, or wanted to see myself on the trek screens, and this cosplay, is literally telling me I CAN be anyone i want to be.
This comment and the tags from this young Trekkie really touched my heart, you have no idea. I am so grateful to know that this project I set out to do in celebration of myself and my favourite Trek character is inspiring other Trekkies of colour to do the same for themselves and incorporate their own cultures and authentic selves into the Trek universe.
I encourage everyone to do the same in your own way, whether you cosplay, create art pieces, write fanfic, or however else you show up in the community — make your vision a reality! This is how we are going to make the Star Trek universe the one Gene Roddenberry intended it to be. Go boldly and never let anyone stop you from being yourself. You are needed, you are the change, you are the future. We all are. LLAP 🖖🏽
Thank you so very much🙏🏽 I am grateful for the support from everyone and will never forget it. All the solidarity and love I have received is counteracting all the negative experiences of the past and I am increasingly hopeful that I can indeed return to the Star Trek community fully knowing that there are folks out there who truly have my back. You all embody what Trek is all about 🖖🏽
Beverly Crusher is bisexual and you can’t convince me otherwise :)
Allow me to demonstrate.
Exhibit A:
That time she barges in on Picard and Vash’s breakfast date knowing it would catch Picard off guard and make him lose his shit and THEN she proceeds to flirt with and actually STEAL his girlfriend lmaoooo
(GIF via https://captainbeverlycrusher.tumblr.com/post/81020051500)
Plus in the same ep, the time when Worf looks at Vash and says "Nice legs ... for a human" and then Beverly ogles Vash as she walks away and then does a double take to check out her legs and wasn’t subtle about it at all!!!
Bev x Picard x Vash totally happened that night!
Exhibit B:
Let’s not forget that THIS was her reaction to seeing THEE Lwaxana Troi in all her nude glory. She simply doesn’t know what to do with herself! I believe this is what they call “gay panic” lololol Couldn’t be more obvious that Bev loves hot women as much as she loves her man Picard. Yes Bev, don’t suppress your feelings!
(GIF via https://raffaela-musiker.tumblr.com/post/80734287387)
Exhibit C:
And finally there’s this ... wherein her reaction to having her wrist so lovingly kissed by her former male lover in a new female body makes her pause and consider “Hmmm am I really straight? Probably not”. I like to think of this as when she was in her early baby bi days, coming to terms with her sexuality and challenging all her beliefs about herself and about love <3
(GIF via https://sapphicstartrek.tumblr.com/post/172940945260/requested-by-anon)
Not to mention all the tenderness she shows to the women in her life, the touches, the caresses, the knowing looks and soft smiles. The signs are all there. So.
This morning the official Star Trek entity published an article that linked to my open letter on Women at Warp and used my letter as the basis for the article on StarTrek.com listing ways Trekkies can be better allies. They also released a statement saying that they will now be adopting a zero tolerance policy for racist and bigoted comments in their spaces which is one of the action steps to take I listed in my article in collaboration with the Women at Warp team.
Their statement:
My action step:
At first I was very happy to see this but then I realize that because my letter was published under a pseudonym for my own safety and protection against the backlash from white fans, I was not initially named as the author of the open letter which spurred all this into motion and is the catalyst for the changes we are now seeing in the Trek franchise and fandom. I felt this was very unfair to me as it was only further marginalizing and erasing me while the author of the recent article, who is white, received much credit for her article which was only possible because of all of the pain, labour and tears that went into my being able to write this letter in the first place cause I knew it needed to be done.
So I began advocating for myself on Twitter and had to do this for half of my entire day to get the recognition I deserve and thus had to disclose myself as the letter’s author publicly beyond this blog where I felt safe enough to reveal myself first and I even had my full name replace the pseudonym “Devi” (Sanskrit for “goddess” btw because I am indeed a goddess and a gift to the Trek community) I used on WAW so that I could receive the proper credit (see first image above).
Because ultimately as the woman of colour who relived her pain to do this work, it was important that I was credited and acknowledged. I reach out to the author of the StarTrek.com article and she immediately began to help me right this wrong along with other prominent fans in the community who supported and advocated for my voice and my letter to be amplified over this article.
The author has been a real ally and pushed really hard to get this done properly and kept redirecting others who praised her back to my letter so that I could be acknowledged. I am so grateful to know people like this exist and will stand with me and others when it is needed. So I just want to uplift the author Amelia Kovac for her work, her allyship and for knowing how to decenter herself in this situation in order to amplify and support me unequivocally. That’s how you do the work I’m calling for, folks. This is the example right here in real time. Amelia Kovac, I appreciate you and will be eternally grateful to you.
And at last, my name was included in the Trek article (see second image above) so folks can know exactly who started all this.
Me. Miranda R. Deebrah.
Immigrant. Descendant of Indian Indenture. Lifelong anti-racist activist. Trekkie.
I hate putting my legal name on the internet but this is part of my legacy now and I will not be invisible any longer. Because without me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and we wouldn’t be taking these steps towards real change which are long overdue.
There are many who cosplay as Beverly Crusher, some who do so quite well. I used to think I could never join them and do this because I looked so different from Crusher. But what I learnt is that there is great value in being different. I am no carbon copy and never will be. And because of this, there will only ever be one Bollywood Bev.
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absolutely in awe of your strength in speaking out, much love your way. hoping that my fellow white trekkies are able to recognize the truth and importance of your words
Thank you so much. It certainly isn’t easy but I do believe my commitment to being truthful is greater than all the fears I have about speaking up. I need Star Trek to be safe for all of us and if what I’m doing is helping us get there, then it is worth it.
First I want to thank everyone for supporting my open letter to the community and for receiving it well. I am surprised and humbled by the support my words have garnered.
When I was active on here from 2013-2016 it was in celebration and dedication to Dr. Beverly Crusher and her originator Gates McFadden who I know personally and consider a friend, a great honour for me. But I left this fandom and disengaged from all Trek related things because I was on the receiving end of racist actions and words from many Crusher fans and then Trek fans overall. I will not go into the many specifics now but I will say this to address the most significant damage I have experienced in this fandom.
There is one specific white girl on here and in online Trek spaces who cosplays as Beverly Crusher. You will definitely have seen her around in the Crusher and Gates tags and cosplaying at conventions. She found my blog when she first watched TNG and I befriended her but from the very beginning of my interaction with her, I had bad vibes about her and she ended up being super racist, elitist, entitled and ignorant. I have all the messages between her and myself to prove this. The dehumanization I experienced was unbelievable.
Yet being the open and welcoming person I strive to be, I tried to educate her and encouraged her to learn and be better. But she didn't so I cut her out of my life after giving her a million chances and to this day she has never apologized to me for all the racial, emotional and psychological abuse she put me thru for 6 years. She is a fraud and she may claim she has changed but one cannot truly change if they haven't taken accountability for the harm they've done. She has tried to brush this all under the rug and has masqueraded within the Trek community as if she hasn't been harmful to POC. I was very hurt by this person and will never forgive them. I will not name them publicly yet. I will at some point but I find it distressing to even think of their name because of how traumatic my experience was with them and I have panic attacks when I see them on any online feed. It was that bad. In my eyes, this person will never regain my trust. No apologies will make it better now. And they are not worthy of emulating Dr. Crusher at all. They are the antithesis of everything Crusher stands for and they should burn their costumes and get to work to make personal reparations to me and all the other BIPOC they've hurt. That would be the first step in what should be a lifelong process of making amends.
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