Julia Sarah Stone Asks Off Campus Fans To Respect Jules' Pronouns
"Their gender identity hasn’t been directly addressed in the show because it isn’t a major plot point."
Every time a popular book is adapted into a TV show, the most notable changes to the story always become a hot-button issue for the fandom. And for Off Campus, that tension is centered on the newly invented character of Jules. As the only main character who didn’t exist in Elle Kennedy’s books, Jules seriously shakes up the Briar U world. Unfortunately, because John Logan’s younger sibling is nonbinary, their presence has also incited some homophobic discourse.
Julia Sarah Stone addressed the misgendering of their hockey-loving gossipmonger in a May 25 Instagram post, claiming that certain foreign translations of the show mistakenly misgendered their character.
“A couple of language dubs have errors that might cause some (understandable) confusion, so I hope I can provide some clarity,” Stone wrote. “Jules is John Logan’s younger sibling, and goes by they/them pronouns. Their gender identity hasn’t been directly addressed in the show because it isn’t a major plot point, nor is it the most important or interesting thing about their character.”
As Stone pointed out, Off Campus has not delved into Jules’ gender identity or love life at all in Season 1, though the dialogue (in the English version, at least) has been very clear that they use they/them pronouns.
Stone went on to clarify that although their pronouns differ from Jules’, they would appreciate fans respecting the character’s nonbinary identity. “I personally go by they/them and she/her pronouns, you’re welcome to use either or both,” Stone wrote. “You don’t need to get Jules’ pronouns perfectly, but it’s cool to do your best and to be kind and respectful.”
Stone wrote her caption under a screenshot of Out Magazine’s article about the controversy around Jules. The write-up links to several social media posts that call the character “useless and annoying,” and compared Jules to The Summer I Turned Pretty’s nonbinary addition Skye. Back when TSITP added Skye in Season 2, Elsie Fisher’s character was similarly met with homophobic hate — so much so that author Jenny Han had to post a statement calling out the “hurtful” comments online.
Despite this backlash, Jules is expected to play an even larger role in future seasons, as their brother Logan will likely be the lead for either Season 2 or Season 3.
