A New Petition Wants 'The Bachelor' Franchise To Fix Its Diversity Issues
A Change.org petition is advocating for more diversity in the Bachelor franchise.
The petition demands that the franchise cast a black Bachelor for season 25.
It also demands for more BIPOC representation in both the show's cast and crew.
Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, the first and only African American to have a lead in either The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchises, has opened up more about the lack of diversity in a recent interview, via Variety.
"In 40 seasons [The Bachelor] had one black lead," Lindsay said on the "AfterBuzz." "We are on 45 presidents. And in 45 presidents there’s been one black president. You are almost on par to say you’re more likely to become the President of the United States than you are a black lead in this franchise. That’s insane. That’s ridiculous."
Rachel isn't the only one who thinks so. The lack of diversity on the television series is finally garnering attention and action from Bachelor Nation fans with a new Change.org petition advocating for more equal representation of different races in both casting and crew. The petition was released in time with the franchise's latest premiere, The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons - Ever!, which debuts on Monday at 8 pm ET on ABC.
Started by fan Brett Vergara, the Change.org petition demands the franchise "cast a Black bachelor as the Season 25 lead" and "cast BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] for at least 35% of contestants each season hereafter." Beyond just casting, it also demands that The Bachelor/Bachelorette "give equitable screen time to BIPOC contestants, "equitably compensate and hire more BIPOC employees in all parts of production, casting, and filming," and "hire a BIPOC diversity consultant to be involved in all parts of production, casting, and filming."
A post shared by Brett Vergara (@brettsvergara) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:44am PDT
The petition also notes that it should be the show's duty to show a more realistic image of America: "As creators of one of the most popular and influential franchises on television, ABC and Warner Bros. have an opportunity and responsibility to feature Black, Indigenous, People of Color ("BIPOC") relationships, families, and storylines. The franchise, and all those who represent it, should reflect and honor the racial diversity of our country—both in front of and behind the camera."
Former Bachelor cast members Kirpa Sudick wrote on Vergara's post, "👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼" and Olivia Caridi commented, "I accept this invitation!!!" on his post.
The campaign also has an Instagram page, and has created a hashtag, #BIPOCBachelor.
A post shared by Bachelor Diversity Campaign (@bachdiversity) on Jun 8, 2020 at 9:01am PDT
Add your voice to the petition here.
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