Microsoft Apologizes to Fort Gay for Xbox Live Ban

[Viking Incognito]

That is one for the yearbook.

 

[Wintermoot]

there is a place in Germany called "Fucking"(I am not making this up, check it if you dont believe me) so it could be worse

 

[AndyFromMonday]

What about straight? Is the word straight inappropriate?

 

[Isalan]

I know for a fact theres a town in Germany called Fucking cos there was a story in the paper about people going there on holiday and nicking the signs.

I'm also fairly sure theres a town in Michigan called Gaylord, thought someone might wanna check that.

EDIT: Gah, ninja'd.

Closer to home, I live within a few miles of towns called Brown Willy and Skinners Bottom, but thats Cornwall for ya.

 

[mad825]

So heres what i dont get about all this... EVEN IF Fort Gay, WV did not exist... what axactly IS OFFENSIVE about saying that???

it's "distasteful"/"Profanity" language, it's considered OFFENSIVE to the social norm.

although I cannot really blame MS for suspending the account as this sort of things are quite uncommon but they should've resolved this problem quickly without the Mayor having to get involved in the dispute.

 

[esperandote]

That's g........ I don't dare to.

 

[DoctorObviously]

They should give the guy five years extra subscription time, damned! I hate it when stupid misunderstandings happen like these.

 

[tlozoot]

I'd expect Microsoft to be giving this guy some freebies, if only to negate the negative press this causes.

 

[chronobreak]

I have friends that are homosexual, and they refer to themselves as "gay". I have black friends that like to say "Nigga" a lot. Just because some people associate the term with childish insults doesn't mean they should be banned for using them.

 

[paketep]

Microsoft making asses of themselves?.

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

 

[Kukakkau]

I wouldn't go around putting that in my profile.

My thoughts exactly - most people KNOW what the XBL community is like and he thought of putting "Fort Gay" in his profile? Wow get ready for a verbal massacre

 

[Hosker]

Why would you name a place "fort gay"?

Fort "Happiness" I suppose?

That's what i was thinking, still strange even for the time. Also fort gives me the sense that it's a fortification, not an area of land

 

[barkingbug]

Residents of Penistone, Crotch Crescent, Crapstone, Hooker, Titty-Ho, and all the other unfortunately named towns listed here, consider yourself banned by default. This may be a case of stupidity on the part of one customer service employee, but if my experiences with Microsoft customer service hold true, there's a lot more incompetence where that came from.

 

[Sovvolf]

It eventually reached the point that the town's mayor, David Thompson, got involved, although he didn't fare any better, being told that the word "gay" wasn't appropriate under any circumstances.

I have a few issues with that statement.

There are loads of places with funny names in the UK which have evolved over the centuries.

<img height=250>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Twatt_road_sign.jpg/450px-Twatt_road_sign.jpg

Don't for get titty hill west Sussex.

I'm glad I live in such a humorous land.

hey don't forget this...

And the guy who didn't check it up should be fired, seriously it would of taken like 5 seconds =S

There's also this

in Lincolnshire.

Also if taken the wrong way Penistone...

Wow our Country is full of innuendos...

 

[Snotnarok]

I know this is gonna sound stupid but isn't there a "Fucking" Australia? It's a small town, I wonder if they have trouble.

 

[Waif]

The kid was obviously twisting the story to make Microsoft look bad. For this reason, I can't feel sympathy for him. The fact that many offensive people would use such a city in order to be offensive is a fact here. I think Microsoft made the right decision, because a person who would use Fort Gay as a town name, may very well be trying to insult and condemn people of that orientation. Besides, maybe he should be blaming his parents instead, for moving to a town that has a very offensive name to begin with.

 

[Deacon Cole]

being told that the word "gay" wasn't appropriate under any circumstances.

Wow. Wait until I tell my lesbian cousin this. She'll have a rhino.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Unless you were born in the early 20th century it is a bit pretentious. It's kind of like complaining that when you say ****** people don't realise you simply mean a bundle of twigs. Why bother using gay when you listed synonyms anyway? That's not how people talk and unless you are part of the class or age that does speak like that it's going to be considered pretentious when you try.

If you've got the right to call homosexuals '****** people' then I get to compliment a banner covered in pretty flowers and colours for being 'gay'.

And this, kids, is why it's important to use commas. X^D

 

[VincentX3]

Makes me wonder if there's a fort lesbian in the world...
*google searches*