Luna Lovegood is a fictional character from the Harry Potter series of books and movies. She has many of the characteristics associated with Asperger’s Syndrome, and is described as “quirky” and “eccentric.” She is highly intelligent and can be bluntly honest. She has difficulty making friends with the other students at Hogwarts, but she is very loyal to those who are her friends, including Harry Potter and Hermione. Many people with Asperger’s Syndrome have blogged about their identification with her character, and it is highly likely that she is on the autism spectrum.
I wish Luna being autistic became canon. I feel like autism lacks a display of diversity when it comes to media representation in fiction. All they really focus on are low-functioning people or high-functioning, emotionally-detached, and analytical. Luna is kind, empathetic, and an artist, as well as sort of odd. As someone autistic who prefers the gray areas of art, music, and performing, this would be a considerate step for neurodiverse representation in fiction to me.
I totally agree. Luna is my favorite character, even more than Harry and Hermione. I’ve found it easy to identify on a ‘my imagination is enormous’ kind of way.