UPDATE: Microsoft Disallows Public Lesbians on Xbox Live

[Yog Sothoth]

Too many pages, so I'm just gonna post.

From what I did read, there's a lot of bitching about the girl because she shouldn't list "lesbian" on Xbox LIVE. Personally, if I were female, I'd probably listed "lesbian" or "married" even if I were neither just so the horde of immature males on the service wouldn't Friend Request me or send me messages.
I'm a straight male and I get enough as it is just by being good and respectful (for the most part). I'd rage if I had to fend off the horny nerds and other douches that seem to fill the majority of LIVE.

I think the parties are fault are the bigots who gave her shit and Microsoft for not fixing this problem by removing the neg-refs from her account and maybe even disabling the "reffing" ability of the people who neg-reffed her in the first place if they are continual offenders of neg-reffing people with no cause.

I know it's a big job, but I'd like to see some kind of right of a person who is neg-reffed to make some kind of case against the other party if they feel they are not in the wrong. Or even to make an apology to a gamer if they offended them.

But who listens to a bleeding heart democrat anyways?

People give out negative feedback on Live for anything anymore since there's no repercussions for doing so. Some gamers will give it out for beating them, or for saying you're black, hispanic or anything else that's not white, or even for having a game they don't like in your recently played list. Reps on Live are a joke, and most everyone is in on it.....

 

[H.R.Shovenstuff]

Is it a dating service? If it is I will apologize for everything I've said so far

I don't know, when I go online, I'm online to play games, I don't care about what you like to sleep with. Having it in your 'About Me' profile or not having it there are both fine to me, I just realize that you'll have alot less problems if you don't.

Why would it even come up in a game?

"Alright, CTF on Sandtrap with no time limit. By the way guys, I'm straight."

Fair points but what I meant was that in a general sense you shouldn't have to go so far as to hide it. And from what I can tell, the reason she was picked on was because she put she was a lesbian on her 'about me' page. Which seems pretty reasonable as it is arguably a notable character point.

As for brandishing your sexuality about mid-match then it is a little strange, however if someone calls you out on it from seeing it on your profile somehow, you shouldn't have to pretend otherwise or decline from a debate. Remember this is xbox LIVE and if someone doesn't say something to these ignorant kids then they'll continue to run around being homophobic and/or racist unchallenged.

 

[AceDiamond]

Once again this forum reminds me that many people have this silly belief they understand how the Internet works.

Which they don't.

They have a silly belief that they know how XBox Live's complaints get monitored

Which they don't.

They have a silly belief that they know what's in the EULA

Which they don't.

Sorry to say but she did something not allowed. Not only that but there's no goddamn need to know a person's oreintation online when you're playing games. Sexual preference doesn't make a difference in how good a shot you are, so stop trying to be an attention whore and play.

MS probably shut the account down for it getting so many complaints, rather than anything else. But of course very few people on this forum seem to have a rational understanding of how a system that cannot hand-read and monitor every single complaint from millions of gamers. So what do we do? We blame the big, bad corporation for being a big meanie to the innocent, attention-demanding lesbian. Give me a break. Seriously. I have many bi and gay friends but none of them tag themselves as such when they game online. You know why? because they understand the point that accepting all orientations means that you shuoldn't label yourself either.

The funny thing is that if everybody who posted here had taken the time to think this over, they would've found that part in the EULA that says you can't define your orientation. Unfortunately it took us 4 pages just to get to that point. Which really, I'm not surprised by.

And I bet that if it got revealed this woman was constantly saying "by the way guys i'm a lesbian" every other sentence just to aggrivate people, some people here would still claim she's an innocent victim. There's being open and there's being annoying, and when you try to shoehorn your orientation into an environment that doesn't require that knowledge, you're being annoying.

 

[squid5580]

Ok I have looked through a few pages now and I gotta ask Why would you do that to begin with? I am a proud Hetrosexual so should I have that in my profile for a gaming community? I can understand if I was in a dating community or something like that but this is a place where there are kids and adults all together in one place. It sounds an awful lot like she wsa trying to pick up as opposed to being there to play. That is the only reason I can possibly fathom as to why someone would have thier sexual orientation in thier gaming profile. There is no reason why she couldn't tell people her personal life in a personal chat not having to announce it to the entire community. Most of us are there to play games not to try and score a date.

Well said Ace ^^^^^ well said!!!!

 

[sanzo]

violently anti-homosexual

Just quoting this bit for this

lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol

You can be labeled as "violently anti-homosexual" by reporting someone who states there sexual preferance... JUST BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO BE GAY??? You are a biggot, like a person who assumes a man who is gay must love all men, you assume all who feel it was inaproprate to state that must be homophobic.

I'm talking about the people that threaten to kill me when I'm playing games online because I happen to mention that I'm gay offhand. I mean start describing how they plan to slaughter me and laugh as I die because I'm a freak and a sick ******. I don't have a problem with people that say that it's offensive to put that information in her profile, since I know there are people who are offended by it. I'm talking about the people I have reported for threatening my life for being gay, and forwarding messages from them that said that, and being told "While we regret this kind of action, the users in questions have not violated the terms of use of our servers, and as such will not be banned".

Yes that makes more sense. Then that should have been dealt with... but why mention at all? If some people might take it wrong why say it?

Yeah, let's hide who we are inside because some people might not like it. That won't cause any sort of depression, or long term mental instabilities

I hope you like sarcasm, because there's a lot in there

 

[AceDiamond]

Yeah, let's hide who we are inside because some people might not like it. That won't cause any sort of depression, or long term mental instabilities

I hope you like sarcasm, because there's a lot in there

Yeah I love how not mentioning it on XBox Live where you're not allowed to mention any orientation at all counts as "hiding who you are inside". Do people on XBox Live only go on XBox Live to interact with anybody? Probably not for the most part. You can be open with your orientation anywhere else but a place where according to the EULA you can't say a damn thing because it violates the Terms of Service.

But no, I'm sure that not mentioning it counts as hiding who you are at all times, yes, surely.

I hope you like sarcasm as much as I like sarcasm.

 

[FarleShadow]

Did....did someone just try and use the 'Let us do it or we'll kill ourselves' argument while being serious?

 

[Cinder Block of Oppression]

I think it's a bad idea to just mention out of the blue, but if it did come up, there should be no penalty for it. That's like banning someone for liking one food over the other. It's a personal choice. Some people are vegetarians, and some people think that that is unnatural. But it's a choice, and no one has the right to tell you otherwise.

 

[chuckman1]

That's really fucked up.
I mean seriously.

 

[sanzo]

Yeah, let's hide who we are inside because some people might not like it. That won't cause any sort of depression, or long term mental instabilities

I hope you like sarcasm, because there's a lot in there

Yeah I love how not mentioning it on XBox Live where you're not allowed to mention any orientation at all counts as "hiding who you are inside". Do people on XBox Live only go on XBox Live to interact with anybody? Probably not for the most part. You can be open with your orientation anywhere else but a place where according to the EULA you can't say a damn thing because it violates the Terms of Service.

But no, I'm sure that not mentioning it counts as hiding who you are at all times, yes, surely.

I hope you like sarcasm as much as I like sarcasm.

I wasn't talking just about on live; I was responding to the "Why do it if people don't like it argument." Because, obviously, what the masses think is always right, so conform, or else. And those jackasses who call other people "fags" and teabag corpses obviously aren't violating the EULA. Most certainly not.

The people who use racial and sexual slurs are a lot worse than this, because they're using it in a derogatory way, whereas this woman was just expressing who she is. See what's wrong about that?

It's like I said before: Just because it's hard to catch, doesn't mean it's not wrong.

And yes, I do love sarcasm; it's delicious

 

[jebussaves88]

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

I'm kinda with this guy. No one should be banned due to sexual orientation, but is it really relevant? I'm sure a guy would have got banned if his profile said "Hey, I'm Alex. I'm 24. I nail lot's of women day and night. Cya on Halo". By putting her sexuality on her bio for a games console, it at least gives the impression that she is seeking some kind of un-game related attention for it. It just isn't relevant.

 

[scotth266]

"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"

KIDS SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING THE GAMES IN THE FIRST PLACE!

God damnit, there are truely some retarded idiots out there...

Microsoft, wtf is your problem?, seriously?, What difference does one's sexual preference do in gaming!?

Ok, what? Kids shouldn't play videogames?
*Hits you in head*

Halo 3 - Rated M for Mature (17+): Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Violence. (Taken from www.halo3.com)

Would you mind explaining where it says that kids should be playing that game?, seeing as you quite clearly think they should...

You were not being specific, so I punished you for it. Of course kids shouldn't play Halo 3, but you have to recognize that a lot do anyway, and there are non-M rated games to play online (Rock Band). Be more specific when you post and don't assume I'm going to understand you the first time.

Oh dear, I will have to dispatch a reprimand on Microsoft's file. One more and I'll have to have the entire command structure wiped. This is what I get for being the overarching evil mastermind....have to control the littler evil masterminds

May I have a puppy? I skipped lunch.

No. NO PUPPY FOR YOU!!

Sir, I would like to return my puppy... it won't stop breathing fire.

Umm sorry, tis a side-effect of the breeding process. Would you like a Hydralisk instead?

Hydralisks are fun for the whole family! Like a Dingo!

Hmmm... If you happen to have a Zergling, I'd take that....

 

[Irridium]

who cares if someone is gay or not?

its not like if you talk to a gay person you turn gay

I have always hated the human race, but now I just want to leave Earth and get away from all the stupidity.

so she's a lesbian, big deal, its not like she killed someone

 

[scotth266]

who cares if someone is gay or not?

its not like if you talk to a gay person you turn gay

I have always hated the human race, but now I just want to leave Earth and get away from all the stupidity.

so she's a lesbian, big deal, its not like she killed someone

Ummm...kinda not what we were discussing, it's less about her and more about whether MS was in the right legally to do that.

 

[Resistance205]

That's bullshit! I bet if i put in "I'm striaght!" somewhere on my about me section, i wouldn't get blocked, and no one else would! It sickens me how the world is still this closed of, and close minded!

 

[AceDiamond]

Yeah, let's hide who we are inside because some people might not like it. That won't cause any sort of depression, or long term mental instabilities

I hope you like sarcasm, because there's a lot in there

Yeah I love how not mentioning it on XBox Live where you're not allowed to mention any orientation at all counts as "hiding who you are inside". Do people on XBox Live only go on XBox Live to interact with anybody? Probably not for the most part. You can be open with your orientation anywhere else but a place where according to the EULA you can't say a damn thing because it violates the Terms of Service.

But no, I'm sure that not mentioning it counts as hiding who you are at all times, yes, surely.

I hope you like sarcasm as much as I like sarcasm.

I wasn't talking just about on live; I was responding to the "Why do it if people don't like it argument." Because, obviously, what the masses think is always right, so conform, or else. And those jackasses who call other people "fags" and teabag corpses obviously aren't violating the EULA. Most certainly not.

The people who use racial and sexual slurs are a lot worse than this, because they're using it in a derogatory way, whereas this woman was just expressing who she is. See what's wrong about that?

It's like I said before: Just because it's hard to catch, doesn't mean it's not wrong.

And yes, I do love sarcasm; it's delicious

Yeah and I'm sure you did everything you could to report the people who use such slurs. No of course you didn't. Continue to blame Microsoft for everything though, cause clearly they took a personal vested interest in this case, just like every case. They clearly have the power to observe millions upon millions of reports.

No you just want to blame people you think you can harm, rather than the users who gave her the trouble she brought on herself by thinking it was soooooo damn important people know her orientation. Because you know, that's apparently the only place she could be open about it, despite the explicit statement that she couldn't (perhaps because it has nothing to do with gaming)

"Man if only we'd asked that lesbian to play, we wouldn't be getting our asses kicked on Valhalla"

Sweet, delicious, straight-from-the-tap Sarcasm.

 

[Fronken]

"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"

KIDS SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING THE GAMES IN THE FIRST PLACE!

God damnit, there are truely some retarded idiots out there...

Microsoft, wtf is your problem?, seriously?, What difference does one's sexual preference do in gaming!?

Ok, what? Kids shouldn't play videogames?
*Hits you in head*

Halo 3 - Rated M for Mature (17+): Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Violence. (Taken from www.halo3.com)

Would you mind explaining where it says that kids should be playing that game?, seeing as you quite clearly think they should...

You were not being specific, so I punished you for it. Of course kids shouldn't play Halo 3, but you have to recognize that a lot do anyway, and there are non-M rated games to play online (Rock Band). Be more specific when you post and don't assume I'm going to understand you the first time.

Well seeing as the article in question was about Halo 3, and the picture included in the article was taken in Halo 3, i kinda assumed you knew what i was talking about.

And yeah, there are lots of games you can play online in, but kids shouldnt play Halo 3, which is what the person in question was playing, meaning the only way kids would've ever seen her gamertag was if they either searched for her on purpose only to complain or if they were playing Halo 3 and then checking out her gamertag, and seeing as i highly doubt kids go around checking random gamertags for things to moan about, its kinda obvious they found her gamertag through Halo 3, Which they arent even supposed to play.

That being said, the only ones who should be punished are the kids playing the game, cause they arent supposed to be playing the game, if a person feels its important to share their sexual orientation when playing online they should be allowed to, seeing as it was Not in her name, but in her gamertag info.

 

[Irridium]

who cares if someone is gay or not?

its not like if you talk to a gay person you turn gay

I have always hated the human race, but now I just want to leave Earth and get away from all the stupidity.

so she's a lesbian, big deal, its not like she killed someone

Ummm...kinda not what we were discussing, it's less about her and more about whether MS was in the right legally to do that.

so I just rambled and didn't really contribute anything?
Hell, then I should be a politician, since thats all they do.

But responding to that one guy, who got banned for having the word "gay" in his name, if he wasn't smart enough to realise that "gay" would offend people, then he's a dumbass. Its xbox live, of course your going to get flamed, what do you expect?

But if his name was more than the word "gay" then he shouldn't have been banned. What was his gamertag anyway?

and in response to that lesbian, if her name was "lebian" or "lesbian gamer" then she should have also known that some people would be ofended and that she would get flamed. But if she just told people that she was a lesbian and was banned for it then yeah, thats bullshit and shouldn't have happened.

But if anyone doesn't think that they will be flamed on xbox live, the main hub for all the assholes who play games online, then they seriously need to get a clue

seriously, who HASN'T been harassed in any way on xbox live?