"Gaymers" Speak Out On Homophobia

[Anton P. Nym]

This thread is gay. Do you think I get offended every time I've been called a "cracker" or a "honkey" on video games? The answer is NO, so get the hell over it, or don't play. End of discussion.

P.S. Why is gay-bashing called "homophobic" all of a sudden? I don't call someone a fag because I am afraid of them (phobic is derived from PHOBIA, which is a fear), but it's because I strongly dislike them.

You, sir, represent all that is wrong with game chat. You assume that everyone of worth wants to wallow in the same slime-pit you do, and that everyone else is some sort of second-rate chunk of meat.

You are the reason gaming has a bad reptuation. Yes, you. Take your petty hatreds and keep 'em to yourself, bigot-boi, because I'm sick of having the popular image of gaming dragged through the muck by the likes of you.

Everyone else, please use whatever reporting mechanism is available to let administrators know whrn game communication is being abused. Get the bigots pushed out of public gaming and onto their own little servers, away from everyone else, and I think gaming online would be a lot more pleasant for everyone, straight or gay or male or female or whatever.

-- Steve

 

[Riyka]

Not being a particularly hard core gamer (and given our xbox is in the the living room and my father refuses to let me play with it ) i dont know any of the issues on the headset. but knowing what a lot of gamers are like especially those on thing like XBL it's not that surprising 'gay' is used as an insult. I dont tend to take that one to heart though, there not usually directing it at me/you it more of a general comment on how something is gay. which in itself IS offensive and wrong...but i just feel sorry for them. they are clearly stupid and have no class.

TBH i spend a lot of time in 'gay friendly' areas of the internet...so i don't tend to run into homophobia or 'gay-bashing' that much. And again i tend to just laugh at the ignorance of people. I find it more upsetting when people i know make comments, especially those that know i'm bi-sexual. I'm not asking them to be super nice around me or anything but certains things just don't need to be said making generalised statements and crude jokes about mostly incorrect stereotypes is just annoying, stupid and quite upsetting (especially in my case where it was a family member, whom i had regarded as being a close friend as well)

The problem with the internet and gaming is the anonymity (4chan is an excellent example) people can hide behind the fact you're most likely never going to meet the person your insulting. I imagine most people posting or saying these things wouldn't be quite so upfront if they were in an actual room with the people.

Khell_Sennet has a point though...theres really no need to mention you sexuality, yes i feel it does define part of who i am, but, for me at least, it doesn't define my entirety. I don't form opinions on people because they are straight or a different race or religion so being gay is also irrelevent, especially on the web or in game. You shouldn't really have to expect backlash for telling people but at the end of the day that's just how things work.

Sometimes i really do think people make a point of telling others so they CAN get all worked up and angsty over it, if someone asks me whether im gay or not, i won't lie. but i don't go around shoving it in your face. But then if you ask and get the answer yes, i shouldn't have to put up with homophobic comments.

 

[TheDean]

it'd be weird if i hated gays since everyone thinks i am one. however, it is not possible for me to hate an entire group of people. We should only hate individuals.

 

[Usige Beatha]

I have nothing against homosexuals, however I do believe that anyone who brags about their sexuality over the internet is asking for ridicule.

 

[Lord George]

I completly support this video and , though I am not usally bothered by what some prepubescent american is sceeching about over XBL as I have that lovley mute button I still think it would be much better if it didn't happen at all sadly with the obscurity of the internet you can't bring homophobes or racists to justice (unlike in real life) but its good that people are trying to stop it

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I have nothing against homosexuals, however I do believe that anyone who brags about their sexuality over the internet is asking for ridicule.

Amen, and second on Religion, Political Alignment, and their love or hate of any celeb.

Again agreed, and especially if they come up with a ridiculous title that spouts their own form of elitism. I've been persecuted for being gay in the past(despite being as hetero as they come (pun intended), and I don't think there's a 'support group' for me.

Haters will just use whatever tag is handy, rather than appropriate. If there was enough research put into WHY these people hate, then we could perhaps start working on a soloution.

 

[Texian]

Again, if you don't let your orientation become public knowledge, and don't take a generic insult so personally. If they don't know you're gay, then it's just them being ignorant with a word they don't use properly. If you HAVE told them you're gay, well shit, guess that wasn't so smart was it.

So....shut up and get back in the closet then; is that it?

I have nothing against homosexuals, however I do believe that anyone who brags about their sexuality over the internet is asking for ridicule.

Amen, and second on Religion, Political Alignment, and their love or hate of any celeb.

*facepalm*

You two geniuses realize that people typically don't brag about their sexuality, right? That what's happening is some dingbat makes an offensive remark, the offended party makes their displeasure known, and then they get assaulted for it?

Also, the "asking for ridicule" bit is so incredibly ass backwards I don't know where to begin.

 

[Chrinik]

Well i think now this shits going to get intresting by introducing:
TADA, the Homophobic...

Oh dont get me wrong, I´m the real type, the type that doesn´t insult and/or hate gay and bisexual people, but feel uncomfortable with physical contact by people of the same sex.
Because Homophobia is the fear of gays or becoming gay, not the hate...its called "Anti Semitism" not "Semitphobia" so i guess the word youre all searching for is "Anti-homo" or something.

Well, i cant really partake in this conversation, because you can´t imagine how i would simply not care.
Putting fuel into a fire is NEVER a good idea, so when someone comes up and sais "You´re a frigging Nazi!" i dont even react.
Don´t feed the trolls they say, and its a good saying.

I´ve seen the bashing of the furry fandom (and recieved some for some reason<.<) and its not nice, but getting insulted by a person on the internet and then taking it personal is one of the most unnecessary things ever.
Mute your headset, leave the game, whatever if you can´t stand it, but i hate, HATE those whiners...
Its the Internet, we should be used to idiots like that but STILL threads like this appear, whining about how they recieve so much bashing by everyone else...
You will NEVER find a game (unless its friends only) where you wont get bashed when you tell someone you are gay.

Live and let live, don´t care about their vocal-drooling, just ignore them.

 

[Texian]

Straight people don't feel this need to go out and announce to strangers that they are straight...

Reeeeeeally? So talking about a hot girl's ass isn't a loud-n-proud proclamation of testosterone-laden heterosexuality?

so why is it such a big deal that gays feel they must?

Because often times their announcement is nothing more out-of-place than what heterosexual males espouse on a daily basis. See: prior example about ass, hot girl it is attached to.

If no, then why do you create the problem by announcing something we didn't want to know.

I didn't want to know someone was a head-up-the-ass bigot....so why am I, or any other gay person for that matter, to blame for causing the problem? They told me something I didn't want to know, so didn't they actually create the problem?

And just an observation on human behavior, but a large chunk of people who ARE homophobic or anti-gay are that way because of how in-your-face some gays are.

I'd like to see a study on this that you must be referencing instead of pulling it out of your ass; it looks like a excellent material for a thesis on "Blaming the victim". Until then, I believe the phrase is "ROTFLMFAO".

But the less flamboyant and gay-prider you are about your preference, the more accepted you will be.

This is patently false. People hate homos for being homos. Sure, the Jack-types may grate on them more, but the big, butch, "straight-acting" bears are hated just as much and would be fired/harassed/killed with equal fervor and delusions of impunity on the parts of the haters.

I do have issues with gay pride parades, public groping/making out (gay or straight) and any subculture that shoves their ways in your face. So what may come off as homophobia or gay bashing is in fact my distaste for rude behavior, not their sexual preference.

So you hate Mardi Gras too, right? That's all pride parades are - gay Mardi Gras.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Goodbye Mr. Heterophobe.

 

[Orekoya]

Again, if you don't let your orientation become public knowledge, and don't take a generic insult so personally. If they don't know you're gay, then it's just them being ignorant with a word they don't use properly. If you HAVE told them you're gay, well shit, guess that wasn't so smart was it.

So....shut up and get back in the closet then; is that it?

Never said that, so don't put words in my mouth.

Sexuality is a private matter, yes it defines who you are, but it is something that really should only be discussed with you significant other and sometimes very close family matters. Who you fuck, man woman or farm animal, is not a public conversation topic. It has nothing to do with remaining in the closet, and I find a lot of gays don't grasp that. Straight people don't feel this need to go out and announce to strangers that they are straight, so why is it such a big deal that gays feel they must?

Bottom line is that if you go out and publicly announce that you are different from the norm, not saying the difference is good or bad, but you are different and choose to publicly announce or display it, there will be a small group of people who call you out for it. Does anyone here need to know you're gay? Did they ASK if you are gay? If no, then why do you create the problem by announcing something we didn't want to know.

And just an observation on human behavior, but a large chunk of people who ARE homophobic or anti-gay are that way because of how in-your-face some gays are. Gays will never be truly accepted socially by 100% of the population, it's sad but true. But the less flamboyant and gay-prider you are about your preference, the more accepted you will be. I have no issues with gay couples, gay marriage, or gay adoption. I do have issues with gay pride parades, public groping/making out (gay or straight) and any subculture that shoves their ways in your face. So what may come off as homophobia or gay bashing is in fact my distaste for rude behavior, not their sexual preference.

This reply is so unbelievably ignorant I'm not sure even where to start and frankly was disturbing enough to get me to register an escapist account just to reply to it, so congrats for that. Truth be told from your reply I'm guessing you might have your heart in the right place but you just don't know what the issue of gay vs straight rights are so let me shove your head face first into this situation since you feel so strongly about it.

If you honestly and truly believe that straight people don't EVER discussed their sexuality in any way, shape, or form in any public environment you are provably wrong. It isn't just daily, or hourly, it happens several times a second that someone somewhere is taking about their heterosexual mates, sexual escapades, sexual conquests, marriage, children, wild nights, and such. Pictures, magazines, and media absolute flood this world with tidal waves of images of sexy straight couples, happy straight couples, elderly straight couples, etc, etc, etc. The degree to how in-your-face straights are with their lifestyles is so utterly barbaric and suffocating that it's a point where it CANNOT be escaped without living in a cave and collapsing it behind you. It is forced upon everyone since their birth with even the most innocent of comments and speakstyles such as "Your mother and I" which is code speak for "We had heterosexual sex to make you".

Then, after all that, to be straight and look at those who all this is being forced upon to tell them not talk about their loved ones who just happen to be the same gender, to tell them it's a private matter that nobody should know of, to tell them they aren't the 'norm' and we forcing that fact on them with in-your-face attitude and to not make a big deal out of it, to tell them they can't live their lives with the same openness as your own.... sorry, there are just no words to express how frustrating and horrifying it is to be under such restraints that you can't talk about who you are to anyone else for EVERY SECOND of EVERY MINUTE of EVERY DAY for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. It isn't just who you have sex with behind closed doors that is affected by sexuality. Sexuality affects every aspect of your life and most straight people don't seem to know how much their own sexuality is showing in their every day life. It doesn't have to be asked if you were gay or straight, just living your life portrays that information.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Do straight people discuss their sexuality a lot of the time? Yes
Is it lovely and lilting to listen to? Hell no.

It is forced upon everyone since their birth with even the most innocent of comments and speakstyles such as "Your mother and I" which is code speak for "We had heterosexual sex to make you".

If you seriously think that is a homophobic attitude, then I feel sorry for you.

Try watching any form of media sometime to see how many openly Gay presenters are running the show. Right back to Valerie Singleton.

I had a crush on a girl once. For every second of the time I was with her, I wanted to yell my love from the rooftops, but I couldn't. That restraint happens to everyone whose ever had unrequited love, being it straight/gay or whatever.

 

[Orekoya]

Do straight people discuss their sexuality a lot of the time? Yes
Is it lovely and lilting to listen to? Hell no.

It is forced upon everyone since their birth with even the most innocent of comments and speakstyles such as "Your mother and I" which is code speak for "We had heterosexual sex to make you".

If you seriously think that is a homophobic attitude, then I feel sorry for you.

Did I call it homophobic attitude? No.

Well I guess there's no point arguing with you Texian (EDIT: This applies to Orekoya too), you are dead set on the opinion that being asked to keep sexual matters private is a form of persecution. I am no more thrilled hearing a guy detail his encounter with a chick than I am hearing a guy detail his drilling of another guy. You are using bad behavior by one party to justify equally bad behavior being alright for another.

And just for the record... Homosexuality is not the cultural definition of "normal". It is by its very definition abnormal...

To quote dictionary.com

ab·nor·mal
?adjective
1. not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard: abnormal powers of concentration; an abnormal amount of snow; abnormal behavior.

Homosexuality is not normal, by society's viewpoint. Not saying it's not natural or that it is bad, but normal is heterosexuality. One will always assume everyone else to be normal until proven otherwise, thus one will always assume someone to be heterosexual until something conflicts with that assumption. So a guy making comments that affirm his heterosexuality is not advertising his gender preference, it is simply confirming it.

Remember when I opened my reply by saying you had your heart in the right place? That still applies but you're forgetting my point [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterosexism].

 

[SomeBritishDude]

"I want to shoot you right now. I want to hang you because you're gay. It's not nice but it's true."


This makes me feel sick, it really does. Homophobes are some of the biggest arseholes this world has to offer.

 

[sequio]

This reeks of political correctness.

 

[EonEire]

Assuming Hell exists. Then why persecute them for something that may or may not be real?