Bachelor Nation Stars and Fans Campaign for More Diversity in the Franchise With New Petition

As more and more celebrities start to speak out on the lack of diversity in Hollywood and beyond, focus has certainly turned to The Bachelor franchise, which has been called out multiple times in the past for its predominately white cast.

Rachel Lindsay, who was Season 13's Bachelorette, has been extremely vocal when it comes to racism in the franchise and the way she's personally been treated on social media since she rose to fame. In light of George Floyd's tragic death and the Black Lives Matter movement fortunately getting more attention via protests and the internet, the 35-year-old Texas native has only used her platform to speak out further, even admitting last week that she was "embarrassed" to be part of the ABC franchise.

It seems both Bachelor Nation stars and fans feel similarly, and are now demanding more diversity. As reported by Vulture, a petition on Change.org was recently created, titled "A Campaign For Anti-Racism in the Bachelor Franchise." The description reads in-part, "ABC and Warner Bros. have been producing Bachelor content for 18 years. During that time they’ve cast 40 season leads, yet only one Black lead. This is unacceptable," later adding, "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."

The petition, which you can sign here, currently has 71,876 signatures, with a goal of 75,000.

Among the many Bachelor Nation members who have shown support for the petition includes former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, who shared the link to Twitter, writing, "Signed," along with former Bachelor Nick Viall, who has also shared the petition in a tweet.

As the petition points out, the franchise has only cast one black lead since The Bachelor's debut in 2002. Rachel competed on Season 21 of The Bachelor with Nick Viall, and went on to become the Bachelorette, where she accepted the proposal of Bryan Abasolo. The two are currently happily married. As you'd expect, Rachel is at the forefront in rallying for a more diverse franchise, but she's clearly not alone.