UPDATE: Microsoft Disallows Public Lesbians on Xbox Live

[orangebandguy]

where will it end? it's bad enough having other gamers shout at you down their headsets but this is an insult gone too far.

 

[Pirce]

...

Fucked up.

I am so canceling LIVE Gold.

Hold up. I'm not saying that what happened was right, but MS is a business, and must function as such to be successful. If multiple customers complained, then MS is compelled to take certain measures to retain the majority of their customers.

But I do not think that she should have been banned.

So by your reasoning then if people complained about someone being Asian or black then MS should ban them as well to retain the majority of their customers?

 

[The Rockerfly]

When I'm playing on xbox I do not want to know about someones sexual orientation. Straight or gay. I disagree when they banned her, probably to set an examle so people on xbox live will be careful of what they talk about or something.

 

[Pirce]

Know what happens when you poke a bear? It pokes back

Wouldn't be fun if it didn't.

 

[oliveira8]

What I would like is to Microsoft spend more time controlling what its population screams into a microphone then checking someones sexual orientation.

 

[bluerahjah]

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

I agree, anyone willing to start said petition?

 

[Talendra]

I am quite angry at Microsoft for this. Sure she may have been able to stem the tide of the bigots by removing this info from her profile, but why should she have to.
Then to have Microsoft turn around and ban you for this is an absolute outrage.
Also by her comments in the article it is quite obvious she refers to herself as a Lesbian, which is not used as offensive slur, so it is not like the 'gay' filters would have been in play unless there really is some bigotry on Microsoft's part also.
I also disagree that it was not the place, it is an important aspect of her life, and if she wants to share it then she should be allowed to in the space about her or in a chat room, I'm sure when your getting to know someone even online you are likely to tell them about your partner if your in a serious relationship.
As for the comments about the Microsoft drones, if they cant take the time to even open up a profile to see what is going on then they quite deserve to have the whip cracked directly at them!
I will be looking for the address for my complaint to Microsoft first thing in the morning as I'm far too tired now, and they will be having none of my money until this is rectified.
Goodnight.

 

[Shadow Law]

My love for this world has just gone down from 2% to 1%. One more bad mark for mankind and I'll have to move to mars.

 

[joystickjunki3]

...

Fucked up.

I am so canceling LIVE Gold.

Hold up. I'm not saying that what happened was right, but MS is a business, and must function as such to be successful. If multiple customers complained, then MS is compelled to take certain measures to retain the majority of their customers.

But I do not think that she should have been banned.

So by your reasoning then if people complained about someone being Asian or black then MS should ban them as well to retain the majority of their customers?

No, I do not agree w/ what happened. I'm just saying that MS was acting according to a business model. Idealistically, everyone will tolerate others' lifestyles. Realistically, people are afraid of difference and change.

I don't want people to think that I have anything against lesbians, gays or any race.

Currently, our society (and the world) is not completely tolerant of anything that might be different from the norm, but that's especially true of alternate sexualities. Racism stills exists, but it has gone through what I believe to be its hardest times; so I don't think MS could get away w/ banning a specific race to begin w/. I do not think that the battle for acceptance of homosexuality has finished its hardships. It's much more difficult to argue sexuality in court than it is race.

EDIT: But please don't accuse me of intolerance. I consider myself to be very tolerant of almost anything. Including the intolerance of intolerance.

 

[Valiance]

Wow, what?

First I laughed, and then I cried. (Well, didn't cry, but got sort of angry.)

Personally, I don't go bragging about being straight or my personal sexual activities, and I don't see why anyone else would or has to do so on a gaming service. As far as I know, Xbox Live doesn't have a sexual hookup section, right? I don't use it, so I could be mistaken. I don't understand why you'd post anything like that anyway.

About Me
I like to have sex a lot.
^ Wrong. Why mention it?
About Me
I have a preference to other people my gender.
^ Also wrong. Same reason: Why are you talking about it anyway?

I can understand why someone would be against the idea, but I personally am not:

It is, after all, a personal profile. I may enjoy a certain kind of music, or a certain kind of game, and mentioning that is okay, and mentioning other interests is okay, and if one of my interests is women or men, I should be able to list that too, right? How come I have to censor my own feelings to not offend them?

I could understand better if it was a "G-rated only" service, but from what I've personally seen and heard, Xbox live is anything but. So why are lesbians suspended while intolerance is acceptable over voice chat? I don't understand.

 

[whaleswiththumbs]

Thats so messed up.. I dont know I have never ran into a lesbian admitting it online, i dont really see how that changes how they play, they should just grow up. And Btw i use homophobe as an insult lol

We should start a boycott of Xbox Live

 

[Steelfists]

Calm down. The way I see it, microsoft noted that this person had loads of negative feedback, so simply disabled the account.

This is lazy BUT NOT HOMOPHOBIC

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

Fag = Lesbian anyway imo. Perfectly acceptable racial slur and most likely she was called a fag not because she was gay but because she was being a fag which is totally different in the internet world.


Also on the subject of blocking gay/straight etc etc, It's because Sony/Microsoft don't want their gaming platforms turned into sexy time internet parties. No Halo 3 Red Light Districts. Hence their is no reason ever to need to type the word gay/lesbian, if you care that much I'm sure you could get the word "Straight" banned too but what if someone needed to describe a really not wavy line huh? Yeah.

I doubt you are actually Robert Moran. I know that your avatar and screenname are the same as the UR forum's SirSchmoopy, and the Epic Limberjack title gives me pause, but the UR videos on the Escapist are uploaded by Unforggoten Realms, not SirSchmoopy.

If you are Robert Moran, fag =/= racial slur. Also, how will saying "gay" turn Xbox Live or PSN into Red Light Districts? It can be used to describe many things, and even if used to describe the orientation, I doubt Xbox Live or PSN would become all about sex. Besides, she just said she was a lesbian in her "About Me" section, so its not like she was advertising it; she just thought that it was something about her important enough to put in her profile.

On a completely different note, I see a lot of people jumping the gun on blaming Microsoft for this. The User Reviews system works by having a player prefer or avoid another player, and then choose from a list of reasons. Most likely a lot of people just avoided her under the offensive reason, and Microsoft suspended her because of that, without even checking to see why those people found her offensive. I bet if she contacts Microsoft about this, then they will restore her account.

EDIT- It seems as if you might actually be Robert Moran, noting the video contributor badge on your profile. If you really are him, I wish you would put more thought into your posts. Please proofread next time, and think about other points of view- I really enjoy Unforgotten Realms, and would like to think that it is not made by an illterate gay-hater or at least an illiterate ignorant person with poor reasoning.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Calm down. The way I see it, microsoft noted that this person had loads of negative feedback, so simply disabled the account.

This is lazy BUT NOT HOMOPHOBIC

I think that may be a better way of demonstrating my point.

 

[Korhal]

I'm somewhat amused on how quick people are to take a crack at Microsoft. If you've ever called their technical support you'd realize that they pretty much have drones working from them that will never step outside the boundary of their scripts, if you have any problem they'll just read out the solutions they were given. And like the article says she was most likely banned because of user feedback. I think its probably common for Microsoft to have a certain number which flags the account and then some low paid guy pressed a few buttons and the account gets banned without any review. Also I'm a bit curious as to how she riled up a handful of players onto her in the first place, most people rarely look at other people's profiles in depth, my guess is that she's like a moderate chunk of the gay community that feels the need to tell everyone their sexual orientation whether asked or not. I'm not saying a person isn't privileged to their choice of sexual partners but in certain contexts it really shouldn't come into play, like in the case of Sony's chatrooms...was there really a need to have those kinds of chatrooms on that service considering that there are more suited avenues on the internet for that kind of chatroom?

Pretty much this.

Do I agree with the ban? Kind of. She wasn't banned for being a lesbian, I guarantee you that. She was banned by her reputation falling because people were reporting her as offensive. Who checks user profiles until you're already friends with them? Not I, and I'd wager not 99% of the XBox Live community. In all likelihood she was vocal about it without being prompted. Should she have to hide that fact? No. Does common sense say if it only is going to cause you grief should you maybe just not mention it? Yes.

Much like any other service where players can report other players, the powers that be DO NOT CARE until someone reports you. You can name yourself "I Raip Orphans" (yes I've seen that XBox Live tag) and no one will care as long as no one reports you.

And yes, the majority wins in this case. She is one openly gay gamer. But she was reported (to get to ban level) by dozens of players. She could've curbed the situation at any time by removing one word from her profile, and then not talking about it in game.

Some people truly are offended by the concept of homosexuality. These people need a nice smack in the head with their God's peace and love for all people thing, and to calmly enjoy a nice cup of shut the fuck up. But until that happens, they are a significant minority, and a vocal one at that. It's easier to just pray to your god that they die in a fire than to deal with the ramifications of riling them up.

 

[Sir_Montague]

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

Semi agreed... Not that you shouldn't be proud of who you are, but if it is more difficult to enjoy your hobby while openly expressing who you are, why not just be discreet about it?

 

[reaper_2k9]

Thats so messed up.. I dont know I have never ran into a lesbian admitting it online, i dont really see how that changes how they play, they should just grow up. And Btw i use homophobe as an insult lol

We should start a boycott of Xbox Live

Here now you've met one, this whole thing is ate up she put it in the about me section, it wasn't hurting anyone maybe she put it there because she was trying to meet other gay gamers so they could play together.

This is why I don't talk with other people on live I'd be more apt to among people I know who are going to be rude racist a-holes.

 

[goatzilla8463]

hmmm so now mr bill gates is homophobic.... this is going on my list

 

[Phat_Frank]

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.

As much as this seems wrong, that's the only thing that sort of bothers me, I mean, I could go into detail about my lizard fetish on my account, but it may upset a few people

I understand it's an 'About Me' column, but you have to be a little realistic when you're on a network like Xbox Live. I'm not saying it's right they banned her, I'm just saying one has to wonder 'why'.

Because it's a part of her life! I have that I'm a Christian on my profile, because it's a big part of my life! Both her, I, and anyone else shouldn't have to apologize or change our profiles because someone else thought something as simple as faith or sexual orientation is 'offensive'. It isn't promoting hate, it isn't saying 'convert to lesbianism!', it's just talking about her and who she is.

This isn't her fault in any way or form, and the people who did this to her (If I dare call them 'people') should be nothing short of ashamed for it, and they should be the ones who are banned.

Microsoft: Because bigots pay more than you do.

Root, I wuv you.

I couldn't agree with you more, be careful with expressing any kind of love though, Bill Gates may be watching!!!!!