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Internet rallies around bullied little Jedi who gets some much deserved Star Wars love

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I still remember the thrill of seeing ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’ in 1977 when it opened. To this day it is one of the most vivid and delightful memories from my childhood.

I don’t remember getting any grief from my friends for being a ‘Star Wars’ fangirl. After all, I was the geek who had seen every episode of ‘Star Trek’ at least five times and was always begging my parents to go to Star Trek conventions. (No, Capt. Kirk, it was not just a TV show).

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So my heart goes out to Evanston, Ill., first-grader Katie Goldman, who was bullied by her classmates for carrying a Star Wars water bottle to school because they said Star Wars was for boys.

Her mom, Carrie, writes a blog about her life with her 7-year-old, who was adopted and so already feels different.

Her mom blogged about her daughter’s experience on Nov. 15. Enter the Internet.

Jen Yates, creator of Cake Wrecks and a science fiction fan, spotted the post and activated the ‘Geek Girls.’

‘Don’t let the scruffy nerf herders get you down,’ Yates wrote. ‘You rock that water bottle with pride, and know that there are thousands of other fans out there (myself included) who would be proud to share a lunch table with you.’

Katie received thousands of comments (comments on the post have now been closed). ThinkGeek sent her a lightsaber. Catherine Taber, the voice of Padme in the ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ contacted her. Lucasfilm sent her a bunch of gear, which -- get this -- she shared with the kids who bullied her.

You can check out more on Katie at CNN.

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In the meantime, we are giving a shout out to our Star Wars sister, too. And a shout out to her mom. My adopted son is different, too. Someday our diversity will be celebrated. Until then, may the force be with us all.

Hat tip to John Biggs.

-- Jessica Guynn

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