Thousands of fans have joined an online campaign calling for the producers of "Star Wars" to introduce an LGBT character to the franchise, as a tribute to one of the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

More than 6,000 individuals have signed Yehl's petition on Change.org, and many others have promoted the campaign using the hashtag #PutDrewInStarWars.

"'Star Wars' has never had a gay character appear on screen before," the campaign's organizer, Joshua Yehl, wrote on his petition page. "This is a universe with Wookies, Jawas and Hutts, so why can't there be a visible LGBT character on screen?"

Yehl says in his letter that the campaign is meant to pay tribute to his friend, Christopher Andrew "Drew" Leinonen, who was among the 49 killed in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. Leinonen, 32, died in the attack along with his boyfriend, 22-year-old Juan Ramon Guerroro.

"Drew was a beacon of positivity in Orlando, and a force that brought people together," Yehl wrote. "Nothing would make him happier than for all the little gay nerds out there to have their own Star Wars character to look up to."

Yehl also points out that J.J. Abrams, who directed "The Force Awakens," has expressed his support for adding an LGBT "Star Wars" character in the future. "The fun of 'Star Wars' is the glory of possibility," Abrams said back in February, during a speech at the Oscar Wilde Awards. "It seems insanely narrow-minded and counter-intuitive to say that there wouldn't be a homosexual character in that world."

Yehl, who is an editor at the entertainment site IGN, launched the campaign earlier this week.

The #PutDrewInStarWars hashtag has gone viral online, with support from a number of prominent celebrities, including Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. Hamill retweeted a plea to join the cause. "The more the merrier!" he added, along with the hashtag #LGBTerrific.

Actor Robin Lord Taylor, who plays the Penguin in "Gotham," urged his Twitter followers to sign the petition. "This would be a wonderful thing in memory of Drew," he wrote in a tweet.

Several members of the comic book industry also offered their support, including Mark Millar, writer of Marvel's "Civil War," and Geoff Johns, the chief creative officer at DC Comics.