Mark Hamill effortlessly trolls Ben Shapiro as they tussle over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
Star Wars star Mark Hamill squared off against Ben Shapiro after the right-wing commentator was riled by the actor saying the word “gay” 69 times.
The 70-year-old touched off a movement among his five million adoring fans to tweet the word “gay” countless times in opposition to Florida lawmakers vying to ban any mention of LGBT+ identities in state primary school.
Dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the cynically called Parental Rights in Education law wielded vague, menacing language to stop educators from mentioning LGBT+ lives in kindergarten through third grace.
Among its critics, the White House, Floridian students, celebrities such as Ariana Grande, the Walt Disney Company and Hamill, who jumped on the hashtag “SayGayAnyway” in a social media campaign to persuade governor Ron DeSantis to veto the bill.
But to Shapiro, who has fought for the rights of chicken shops and hardware stores to be homophobic, Hamill tweeting the word “gay” 69 times on Tuesday (8 March) was “propaganda”. No, you really can’t make this up.
“So I take it you wish to indoctrinate small children into gender and sexual ideology,” the Daily Wire founder tweeted. “Because that’s the only reason you’re parroting idiotic propaganda.”
Mark Hamill asks Ben Shapiro which ‘finger he is holding up’
Hamill, though, was more than ready to take on Shapiro, a grown man who gets annoyed at rom-coms with lesbian representation and men in skirts.
“Hi Ben, I LOVE mind-reading acts!” Hamill replied.
“Now guess which finger I’m holding up…” before signing off with a love heart and writing his name as “Mar” and a camel emoji.
Hi Ben,
I LOVE mind-reading acts! Now guess which finger I'm holding up…
❤️- Mar🐫 https://t.co/et79YujyB2 pic.twitter.com/gFY1uger67
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 11, 2022
It comes after the Luke Skywalker actor vocalised his support for Florida students protesting the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by retweeting a message from Occupy Democrats.
“Florida’s students spoke loud and clear this week against the GOP’s bill to cancel free speech and LGBTQ people,” the grassroots political group tweeted. “They’re going to #SayGayAnyway. RT if you will, too.”
And tweet he did. Hamill wrote: “Gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay.”
And, of course, ended it with a rainbow emoji. His tweets roughly received 10 times more engagement from users than Shapiro’s – and the replies don’t lie.
You’re not so bad yourself.— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 11, 2022
You are loved for who you are, not for who you love.
❤️to you always, mh— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 11, 2022
The only propaganda is that far-right, fear-based bill that passed in Florida.
I’m with @HamillHimself! https://t.co/NVq8a79XhH— Delina DiSanto (@delina4az) March 11, 2022