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Neil Gaiman—New York Times bestselling author and The Sandman creator—"has always taken a strong stance and been very vocal about inclusivity and diversity, especially when it comes to his work.
While true fans and readers of his graphic novels applaud his choices in casting for the Netflix series adaptation of The Sandman, others have taken to social media to criticize his decisions, particularly the casting of non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park and Black actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste, whose character Death is White in the graphic novels.
In July, Gaiman fired back at critics who called The Sandman 'too woke':
"I give all the fu*ks about the work. I spent 30 years successfully battling bad movies of Sandman."
"I give zero fu*ks about people who don't understand/ haven't read Sandman whining about a non-binary Desire or that Death isn't White enough. Watch the show, make up your minds."
Gaiman did also state, though, he tries not to get caught up in the trolling because most of the comments aren't from true fans who have actually read his books.
However, on Monday, his work was once again criticized.
Twitter user @eclecanecdotes tweeted:
"Stop writing about gay sex and accept Jesus Christ."
"You will never be as good a writer as Tolkien because you reject Logos."
Gaiman proceeded to shut down the troll with his tweet
\u201cI don't write much about gay sex, as people who have read my books would know. But, oddly, I don't read a tweet like this and feel the urge to convert. Instead I read it and vaguely wish I'd actually written more about gay sex.\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
Many users tweeted in support of the author, some even encouraging him to fulfill his wish.
\u201c@neilhimself You have time, sr. https://t.co/D6e19Rw2Gt\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself As a Christian theologian I can say that your writing is fine, and honestly the person behind this tweet may need to read the book they claim to believe in.\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@sephirothii @neilhimself I'll echo, I'm a Christian pastor and love your writing, your embrace of life's beauty and mystery. You are one of my favorite authors!\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself It's never too late to start\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself I truly never thought I could love Neil Gaiman more than I already did--I mean every word of his has been better than the last--but these past few weeks have proven him to be even cooler than I thought. THIS is what people should do when they have the world's attention.\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself I don't think you can compare one author to another. Each one has its way of writing, its authenticity. You're a genius at what you do, just like Tolkien was and that's it.\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself Me, a 32-year-old gay who has been a fan since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, hoping somewhere in the multiverse, their Neil Gaiman wrote about that \ud83d\ude05\ud83d\ude4a\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
\u201c@neilhimself Neil Gaiman you're my hero\u201d— Neil Gaiman (@Neil Gaiman) 1662431695
Unfortunately, The Sandman isn't the only series facing criticism over diversity in casting choices.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas also seen its share of outrage over the casting of 'Black hobbits' in the new LOTR series.
Fortunately, LOTR has Gaiman in their corner.
On September 2, Gaiman responded to a tweet slamming casting decisions by sharing Tolkien's actual words describing one character as"browner of skin than the other hobbits."
Gaiman added:
"So I think anyone grumbling is either racist or hasn't read their Tolkien. Your mileage may vary."
He also fired back at Elon Musk's tweet about character choices after a Twitter user tagged him.
Gaiman responded:
" Elon Musk doesn't come to me for advice on how to fail to buy Twitter, and I don't go to him for film, TV or literature criticism.
All 11 episodes of Season 1 ofThe Sandman are currently streaming on Netflix.