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[Flyguy]

http://consumerist.com/5160187/identifying-yourself-as-a-lesbian-gets-you-banned-on-xbox-live

Teresa says that she was harassed by other players and later suspended from XBOX Live because she identified herself as a lesbian in her profile. When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation "offensive."

I imagine this won't sit well with the gaymers on gaf, of which there are legion. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Edit: yes, the thread title is misleading. It originally should have read "Identifying oneself as lesbian is a bannable offense on XBL." Arguably it should have read, "Identifying oneself as lesbian is a bannable offense on XBL according to an unsubstantiated claim." And thanks to JonathanEx's self-sacrificing fact-finding mission, a more accurate thread title at this juncture should read, "Identifying one's sexual orientation, whether straight or gay, is a bannable offense on XBL." I apologize for the sensationalism.

 

[Esch]

this will end great

 

[krypt0nian]

HOLY FUCK.

 

[Skittleguy]

Ugh, just...facepalm.

 

[LouieGeetoo]

Aren't there, like, laws against this sort of thing?

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

this again, eh?

 

[sprocket]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around screaming... im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

 

[titiklabingapat]

Nothing a good lawsuit can't fix.

Maybe.

 

[Haunted]

America fuck yeah

 

[Keylime]

http://consumerist.com/5160187/identifying-yourself-as-a-lesbian-gets-you-banned-on-xbox-live



I imagine this won't sit well with the gaymers on gaf, of which there are legion. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Hmm...got nothing with this one. That's just not good.

 

[krypt0nian]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around scream. im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

Coming out is still an important thing for gay people. It helps young kids that aren't out see there is nothing wrong with it.

You are already assumed to be straight.

 

[Zeliard]

When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation "offensive."

Microsoft really does do its part to harness and amplify XBL hatred.

 

[titiklabingapat]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around scream. im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

That's the problem. Noone is stopping you from saying you're straight and love being straight.

But Ms won't ban you specifically because of it.

Don't see the problem?

 

[RBH]

Well, this should be a fun thread.

 

[OokieSpookie]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around screaming... im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

...

 

[Yagharek]

So it offends the people usually found screaming words like 'n*****', f**' and 'jew' as insults? Becuase they sure as hell arent getting banned often enough.

Things like this are reasons why I dont use voicechat anymore.

 

[Davey Cakes]

One of my friends was banned for naming himself GayGayGay69. Then he was banned for being GayGayGay68. Then he was banned for being FairyPrincess69.

Damnit, Microsoft.

 

[sprocket]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

 

[Doc Evils]

lol xbox live

 

[Orlics]

Jump in...to the closet.

 

[Femmeworth]

Well, that's fucked up.

Though, I can kind of understand Microsoft's position. It's a lot easier to ban one gay person than it is to ban a thousand homophobes. :\

 

[tokkun]

Personally I think it's alright for Microsoft to have rules that you may not include information about your sexuality, religion, etc in your profile. If the rule specifically bans statements about homosexuality only, then thats discrimination, but if they similarly ban statements about heterosexuality or any other sexual definition, then it's reasonable. There is no need for that information to be on XBL.

 

[bryehn]

Coming out is still an important thing for gay people. It helps young kids that aren't out see there is nothing wrong with it.

You are already assumed to be straight.

Truth and common sense.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

A girl on xbox live that's 100% uninterested in the guys is a very bad thing to the xbox guys. That's why they're offended. No matter how hard they lay down the game they will fail to get her digits. :lol

Please don't ban me, I'm not saying that it's bad she's a lesbian, just looking at another angle of the girl on the internet game thing.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

It is not remotely a kids console, it is not marketed as a kids console and the whole "video games are for kids" thing is a bit out of date.

 

[Stoney Mason]

While I'm all for gay rights and there should be a check to see if user initiated complaints are legit before someone is banned or forced to change something so Xbox Live isn't just a tyranny of the majority thing, it is arguable that advertising your sexuality in any matter is gonna cause issues. I've never read the TOS for Xbox Live so I can't comment on their specific rules though.

 

[TunaLover]

It´s is a bannable offense by the average macho 360 gamer, so yes.

 

[sneaky77]

If she got banned because people found it offensive is kinda stupid, then again.. why are you advertising that on your xbox live profile, is not a dating site, who cares if you're gay or straight

 

[Cosmonaut X]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around screaming... im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

...and if you did identify yourself as "straight" in your profile, should you be banned for it?

 

[teiresias]

Shooting an email to the ACLU about it.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

As usual in circumstances like these, we don't have the whole story and will probably never get it.

But continue on...

 

[krypt0nian]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

There is nothing non-PG about self-identifying as gay.

Shooting an email to the ACLU about it.

Same. I hit the top 5 gay news blogs as well.

Baton down your hatches, Microsoft.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

There's nothing "child unfriendly" about being gay.

Holy cow, Microsoft. I'm not going to support a company that takes this kind of stance.

 

[Kinitari]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

Online Interactions not rated.

Also - it's frustrating that people feel the need to shield their children from different sexual orientations. Oh noes, he might catch the gays.

 

[Keikoku]

lol xbox live

lol america*

 

[Mama Robotnik]

I know that XBox Live community, there are some wonderful players and lots of fun to be had, from what I've read.

In my only experience on the online system (admittedly, this was a few years ago, at a friends house on a copy of Halo 2), the amount of younger men on it, hurling abuse and in-particular racially-offensive and homophobic language was shocking.

I was amazed at the time to see videos on youtube cementing that this experience was not an isolated one. I know that its probably loudmouths and jerks, making a bad impression and experience for the majority of good guys, but still: If people can use such language and persist in playing, yet bans can be handed out for this...

There has to be something missing, some information I'm not aware of. Can Microsoft be this stupid?

 

[shintoki]

Probably got banned for something else and decided to bitch about that,

 

[Gomu Gomu]

hehe lesbian.

 

[neverknowsbest]

Personally I think it's alright for Microsoft to have rules that you may not include information about your sexuality, religion, etc in your profile. If the rule specifically bans statements about homosexuality only, then thats discrimination, but if they similarly ban statements about heterosexuality or any other sexual definition, then it's reasonable. There is no need for that information to be on XBL.

Someone made a good point in the Consumerist comments that MS probably wouldn't ban someone using "LadiesMan" as their gamertag. Why is homosexuality offensive but no heterosexuality? I'm gonna guess putting something expressing heterosexuality in your profile wouldn't get you banned either...

I'm normally of the attitude "don't ask, don't tell" but the fact that MS will ban someone for expressing their actual sexual orientation on Live when it's full of racial and homophobic slurs is absolutely ludicrous.

 

[sprocket]

you guys have no idea what could have been in her comments. it could have been very vulgar.

im just playing devils advocate here.

 

[Calcaneus]

Will some people ever fucking grow up? This is pretty stupid, if true.

 

[Y2Kev]

Pretty sad.

 

[BeeDog]

:lol If it's true, MS have some amending to do.

 

[Mamesj]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

ummm, the top selling games on the console are rated M.

Is there something wrong with kids being aware of the existence of sexual orientation? mommy and daddy didn't buy them at wal-mart.

 

[JonathanEx]

The same Microsoft that believes you can't say your surname is 'Gaywood' because it's offensive.

Fecking regulation cockwanks.

 

[Stoney Mason]

I know that XBox Live community, there are some wonderful players and lots of fun to be had, from what I've read.

In my only experience on the online system (admittedly, this was a few years ago, at a friends house on a copy of Halo 2), the amount of younger men on it, hurling abuse and in-particular racially-offensive language was rather shocking.

I was amazed at the time to see videos on youtube cementing that this experience was not an isolated one. I know that its loudmouths and jerks, making a bad impression and experience for the majority of good guys, but still: If people can use such language and persist in playing, yet bans can be handed out for this...

There has to be something missing, some information I'm not aware of. Can Microsoft be this stupid?

The problem is someone has to report those people and no one ever does because it takes a fair amount of effort to do so.

And if you are looking at youtube videos all you have to do is go to the youtube comments to see the same sort of mentality.

For what its worth its never been a stopping factor for me as long as I can mute people.

Edit: The more annoying issue for me is that some games have good systems for muting people and some games don't or non-existent ones. I think Microsoft could tighten up on this on their side with their standards.

 

[titiklabingapat]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

Are you suggesting being gay is akin to nudity and bad language?

 

[fernoca]

i just find it annoying because i dont going around screaming... im straight. hey hey look at me I am straight!!

She wanted attention and she got it.

It depends on the wording I guess...and since that wasn't mentioned in the article it's hard to tell.
I've seen numerous profiles of Xbox Live (and PSN) games talking about how they "love girls", and "bang women"..in their profiles..

Also see this:

...and even one case of a guy whose name was actually "Richard Gaywood" but his tag was suspended anyway because apparently the word "gay" is so offensive that it doesn't matter if its actually your name.

A recommendation would be to manage to way to put that information in other language..japanese? spanish? french? (A friend of mine's gamertag is "I got a hard on" in another language.. )
I know quite a good amount of people that have in their profiles that they "are gay and proud of it" in spanish and japanese..and they've been with those gamertags since the original Xbox.

 

[Redd]

Well really it is a kids gaming console and online has to be a certain level of PGness.

though i think a lot more names and comments should be banned also.

Xbox LIVE is anything but PG. Sometimes I just have to mute everyone on there.

 

[DevilWillcry]

I hate our current society. Why does shit like this still happen?