UPDATE: Microsoft Disallows Public Lesbians on Xbox Live

[Logan Frederick]

UPDATE: Microsoft Disallows Public Lesbians on Xbox Live

One female Xbox Live user who mentioned her sexual orientation in her profile was suspended from the service for being "offensive."

Teresa, an avid Xbox Live user and open lesbian gamer, spent a fair amount of her time online having to drop out of matches and jump rooms to avoid being "harassed by several players."

"They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap," she stated.

Teresa was shocked to discover one day after logging into Xbox Live to find her account suspended with no reason given other than her being "offensive", most likely based upon user reviews.

After reading a similar story [http://consumerist.com/5008908/gay-player-name-banned-by-xbox-live] about a player's Gamertag being banned for using the word "gay" (not realizing his name really is Richard Gaywood), Teresa was compelled to write a letter to advocacy blog The Consumerist [http://consumerist.com/5160187/identifying-yourself-as-a-lesbian-gets-you-banned-on-xbox-live].

"Today I received a message from another gamer calling me a fag. I am a lesbian, so they aren't too smart if they cant get their anti-gay slurs right," she wrote. "Microsoft does nothing to stop this or prevent it, but instead sides with the homophobes. No one will help me get the word out about Microsoft's anti-gay policy. Not even the HRC who says Microsoft has a positive image with them. Not to me it doesn't!"

Microsoft isn't alone in its homosexual censorship online; Sony's Home service was lambasted last year for blocking [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88376-Home-Censors-Gay-Words] "gay", "lesbian" and "bisexual" from chat rooms. Does the general gaming population truly feel these terms are offensive to individuals, or are they unnecessary distractions people shouldn't be sharing online?

UPDATE: Xbox Live policy director Stephen Toulouse responded to the Consumerist story via Twitter [http://twitter.com/Stepto?page=3] (via VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/26/microsoft-finally-looking-to-stop-gay-bannings-on-live/]), "Expression of any sexual orientation (straight or gay or otherswise (sic)) is not allowed in gamertags. However we've heard from the user base they want that capability, so I am examining how we can provide it in a way that wont get misused. I can't say any more at the moment, except to say I'm working right now in finding a way to safely express relationship preference."

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[Aries_Split]

...

Fucked up.

I am so canceling LIVE Gold.

 

[Omnidum]

What the hell...

 

[shadow_pirate22]

One thing is, the term "gay" is probably blocked for being an inappropriate slur against anyone, not necessarily just gay people. That's one of the main problems with society today. If we keep using those words as insults to other people, it's going to be hard to make progress.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

This isn't helping the stereotype that everyone on Xbox Live are homophobic assholes. Apparently the service is run by homophobic assholes as well?

This is mildly upsetting...but I have to ask...why can't we just keep our sexual orientation to ourselves in online games?

It's in her profile though, not her gamertag. She's not even broadcasting it to people, it's just under the whole "Things about me" section.

 

[Goldbling]

Im still playing, but we should petition for the return of her right to play

 

[MaxFan]

When playing a game, this is simply not something I need to know. And why would you put that out there in a community you (should) know is filled with people who are going to give you trouble for it? I know not everyone on the service is like that, but there are enough of them.

 

[Aries_Split]

When playing a game, this is simply not something I need to know. And why would you put that out there in a community you (should) know is filled with people who are going to give you trouble for it? I know not everyone on the service is like that, but there are enough of them.

2 Way street bub.

 

[dalek sec]

Well this is interesting, wonder if anything will happen.

 

[Higurashi]

What. The. Fuck? I'm... I'm too upset to post anything of worth. Rest assured I will follow this to the ends of it. In what way is that offensive? Especially when compared to the language that is carried by oh-so-many XBL-users? *abyssal sigh*
Microsoft has lost even more respect in my eyes now.

 

[Jeronus]

She should file a lawsuit, but a team of lawyers would probably fall upon her like a plague of locusts.

 

[Eagle Est1986]

This is one of many reasoning I'm not paying for Live anymore. You pay £40 a year and you can't even express yourself in ways that you'd like to.
Banning her for being a lesbian? It's just downright shameful.

 

[Baby Tea]

When playing a game, this is simply not something I need to know. And why would you put that out there in a community you (should) know is filled with people who are going to give you trouble for it? I know not everyone on the service is like that, but there are enough of them.

That's not even the point! It may not be something you 'need to know', but it certainly isn't something someone should be penalized for! IT was just in her 'bio' part of her profile! She wasn't running around yelling 'Any other dikes in this room?'. That's not shoving it in people's faces.

And the fact that people were following her around? Give me those gamer tags and I'll file some complaints about 'offensive conduct'. Absolutely disgusting way to treat someone. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. Microsoft better do the right thing and fix this somehow.

 

[MaxFan]

When playing a game, this is simply not something I need to know. And why would you put that out there in a community you (should) know is filled with people who are going to give you trouble for it? I know not everyone on the service is like that, but there are enough of them.

She shouldn't have to omit something that affects her life like that if she doesn't want to. It's her "About me" section.
It's a lot like if you got in trouble for saying that you're black. It's fucked up.

""They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap," she stated."
I wonder how their kids would take to finding out that their parents are bigots and cunts?

Upon reflection, you're right. If I'd happened to mention something about myself in a "personal" space and somebody got offended I'd be pretty upset.

Also, I think I didn't make my point rightly in the first place. I was trying to say something like, "people should mind their own business or if they don't want to mind their own business, then not freak out about what they find out."

 

[kawligia]

Well on one hand, simply mentioning that she is a lesbian is not really that offensive. Everyone knows they exist. I doubt any kids are going to go gay just because they met someone on the internet who claimed to be.

BUT...

On the other hand, there really is no reason to display your sexual preferences in that time and place. Its not exactly the type of environment where you would announce a foot fetish or love of BDSM, so why does anyone need to announce being gay or straight? It's irrelevant and unnecessary.

I see two wrongs here. That girl should have kept her bedroom in her bedroom like everyone else and Microsoft should have just had her simply change her profile.

 

[mattttherman3]

Honestly, if you keep your sexual orientation to yourself, you wouldn't have this problems, however, everyone knows that most XBL users are ASS HOLES, so by putting that in her profile, she was asking for trouble. But this has intrigued me, I am going to put "supporter of gay rights" as my saying, and see what people say.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Microsoft: Because bigots pay more than you do.