UPDATE: Microsoft Disallows Public Lesbians on Xbox Live

[Pirce]

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?

1: Because you shouldn't have to be.
2: Fuck the people trying to make it difficult.
3: If it's true for sexuality it should be true for everything else. Sex, race, religion, music preferences, and drink of choice. After all, differences make it harder for people to get along. Why not just be 'discreet' about it all to make it easier?
4: No, it really isn't different.

 

[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?

1: Because you shouldn't have to be.
2: Fuck the people trying to make it difficult.
3: If it's true for sexuality it should be true for everything else. Sex, race, religion, music preferences, and drink of choice. After all, differences make it harder for people to get along. Why not just be 'discreet' about it all to make it easier?
4: No, it really isn't different.

That's why I'm semi agreed. I do believe that you should be proud of who you are and in an ideal world you shouldn't have to hide anything about yourself, everyone should be accepting, and if not accepting, at least tolerant...

 

[Phat_Frank]

Yeah you shouldn't judge people without getting to know them first. That?s what they do in Russia.

 

[Kukakkau]

It isn't exactly the smartest thing to put in your profile but a suspension is too far just for being open.

Then again Microsoft does silly things to follow it's terms and conditions - someone I played with got suspended and had a gamertag change forced on him for being called "MeatWonga" - how is that offensive?

 

[D_987]

If she finds herself being harassed then heres a brilliant idea -

Stop putting your sexual orientation on your profile!

Besides, the banning was probably just an auto-ban, a lot of complaints must have been filed on her thats all. Shes making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[Jamash]

I can understand why people are outraged at this, but bear in mind that she signed up to the X-Box Live Terms of Use and then violated one of the conditions, therefore she got banned.

Create a Gamertag , avatar or use text in other profile fields that may offend other members. This includes comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate or relate to any of the following: profane words/phrases, topics or content of a sexual nature, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities;

But putting that she was a lesbian in her profile, she related to content of a sexual nature, even though she agreed not to.

I know you can argue that there's more to being a lesbian than just women having sex with other women, but how can you define being a lesbian without mentioning content of a sexual nature?

I'm sure that if I put in my profile that I'm a man who likes having sex with women, that I'm not homosexual or that I'm a straight man, I would get banned too, but I won't do that because:

(a) It has nothing to do with gaming or X-Box Live and,
(b) I don't want to get banned for breaking the Terms of Use that I'd agreed to.

She wasn't banned because of her sexual orientation, but for breaking the Terms of Use.

 

[D_987]

Post on terms and conditions

Good point.

 

[AlisonPrime]

....messed up, Now im worried of being banned (I too am a Lesbian Live user) but I don't flaunt my orientation online. I mean sure, if a guy hits on me on live I will say "sorry, not into guys like you" and keep it vague enough to keep them wondering if I was just saying they were assholes or I am indeed lesbian. I dont put it in my live account. Still, this is just messed up, she should not have been banned just because she was a lesbian. Is Microsoft run by Dick Cheney now? This is just plain messed up and she should be immediately unbanned.

 

[Sargoto]

what about when wow banned an entire guild for being gay friendly?

they apologized and fixed the problem. Why can't Microsoft.

 

[sanzo]

I can understand why people are outraged at this, but bear in mind that she signed up to the X-Box Live Terms of Use and then violated one of the conditions, therefore she got banned.

Create a Gamertag , avatar or use text in other profile fields that may offend other members. This includes comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate or relate to any of the following: profane words/phrases, topics or content of a sexual nature, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities;

But putting that she was a lesbian in her profile, she related to content of a sexual nature, even though she agreed not to.

I know you can argue that there's more to being a lesbian than just women having sex with other women, but how can you define being a lesbian without mentioning content of a sexual nature?

I'm sure that if I put in my profile that I'm a man who likes having sex with women, that I'm not homosexual or that I'm a straight man, I would get banned too, but I won't do that because:

(a) It has nothing to do with gaming or X-Box Live and,
(b) I don't want to get banned for breaking the Terms of Use that I'd agreed to.

Good point.

Very good point.

Still, I'm sure people are getting around those rules all the time. I don't have x-box live myself, but I hear my friends talking all the time about d-bags who act like, well, the stereotypical x-box live goer, and nothing ever happens to them.

It probably wasn't the best idea for her to put it into her profile, because it violates the rules; I mean, if she had said "I'm a lesbian" in a game, it probably would've gone un-noted. Still, the people who are easy to catch shouldn't be the only ones getting caught.

I'm generalizing, I know, but I think I made my point

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Crist...What is this, the fucking 50s?! How can this shit still be happening? How can a major coroporation penalize someone for their sexual preference? Aries Split put it best. This is Fucked Up.

 

[Smashking]

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'm sorry, racial slur?
I think there's a little more to this then people are letting on, I'm well aware of how homophobic people can be, especially in America. And there are ways to stop people contacting you, it's all a little too convenient to me.
Besides, a lot of XBL players are too scared of girls. XD

 

[thisisyournamenow]

she could have just reported the message that she was sent.

 

[joystickjunki3]

I can understand why people are outraged at this, but bear in mind that she signed up to the X-Box Live Terms of Use and then violated one of the conditions, therefore she got banned.

Create a Gamertag , avatar or use text in other profile fields that may offend other members. This includes comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate or relate to any of the following: profane words/phrases, topics or content of a sexual nature, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities;

But putting that she was a lesbian in her profile, she related to content of a sexual nature, even though she agreed not to.

I know you can argue that there's more to being a lesbian than just women having sex with other women, but how can you define being a lesbian without mentioning content of a sexual nature?

I'm sure that if I put in my profile that I'm a man who likes having sex with women, that I'm not homosexual or that I'm a straight man, I would get banned too, but I won't do that because:

(a) It has nothing to do with gaming or X-Box Live and,
(b) I don't want to get banned for breaking the Terms of Use that I'd agreed to.

She wasn't banned because of her sexual orientation, but for breaking the Terms of Use.

Wow, that makes it even more of a clear cut issue than I had previously thought.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

She wasn't banned because of her sexual orientation, but for breaking the Terms of Use.

Exactly.

Look, it's a game service. There are places where asserting one's sexual preferences unprompted makes perfect sense; Xbox Live, the New York subway system, and the line up to an ice cream truck are not among them, however. From Microsoft's end it has nothing to do with homophobia, it has to do with appropriate conduct as they spelled out in the ToU and Code of Conduct for the service.

Less righteous outrage here, where it does absolutely no one any good, please; more use of the Feedback/Report-User function on Live to actually deal with the problem children would make me very, very grateful.

-- Steve

 

[sheic99]

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

With the number of players unsuccessfully hitting any girl with a mic online, she may have told them she was a lesbian to shut them the fuck up. Then the homophobes went around and kicked here out of every game she played on.

 

[Phat_Frank]

No. Not a good point at all. I bet if you did put I?m a straight man on your profile that you would not be punished in any way what so ever. The point is that this woman has been persecuted over her sexual orientation. By right wing bigots who have complained about her, yes it does look like it has been an automatic ban from Microsoft and I?m sure when they hear about it they will rectify the situation. But what is to stop this from happening again?

This isn?t about terms of use, it is about victimisation and intolerance.

 

[Lukeydoodly]

Ah I see. People get banned for putting the word lesbian in their profiles, but people can spam ****** ****** ****** during games in which players are abusing glitches and lagging their connections and get away with it.

Go M$.

 

[RAWKSTAR]

Fucking hell - I never had an xbox so I never tried live. But, isn't there some sort of person that checks the complants before a person gets banned?