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Being a lesbian is a bannable offense on XBL

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Was she permenantly banned or was it temporary? I think that would help to deduce whether she had "I'm a lesbian" in her profile or something which could actually be deemed genuinely offensive to anybody. The original story seems to be pretty light on details so while I would condemn Microsoft's actions if the story is as it appears, I'm hesitant to do so until the facts emerge.
 
"Online experience may change during online play."

That's the cop out that gaming has used to cover their asses when it comes to online moderation. But it seems, to me, to be protecting bigots more than it protects people that want to go online and have fun without being assaulted by hate.

It's also a great way to totally do an end-run around games ratings.

Online play immediately makes every game worse than an M. That's the reality. But the reality would be way too damaging to business to ever admit to.
 
Bumblebeetuna said:
"I'm married" doesn't imply anything sexual.
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Well in most states homosexuals aren't allowed to marry so saying I'm married is at the very least a statement of your sexual orientation.
 
TheGreatDave said:
You keep pretending it's that black and white. It's not a question of "it's wrong to say you're a lesbian", it's a question of what kind of audience can be presented with that information and whether or not society deems it appropriate for them. That's not a question with a simple answer, and it's a question Microsoft have to consider on a worldwide network.
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Sometimes society needs to be told what is appropriate, even if everyone doesn't agree. This is one of those times.

And if they're just worried about their bottom line, which no doubt they are, what they are doing here will cost them big if it gets out on networks and news sites.
 
TheGreatDave said:
You keep pretending it's that black and white. It's not a question of "it's wrong to say you're a lesbian", it's a question of what kind of audience can be presented with that information and whether or not society deems it appropriate for them. That's not a question with a simple answer, and it's a question Microsoft have to consider on a worldwide network.
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I'm an atheist. If I put it on my profile I should get banned because the idiotic society we live in doesn't like atheists? Are you serious?
 
fortified_concept said:
I'm an atheist. If I put it on my profile I should get banned because the idiotic society we live in doesn't like atheists? Are you serious?
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I'm into dildos. If I put it in my profile should I get banned because the idotic society we live in doesn't like dildos?
 
milkham said:
Well in most states homosexuals aren't allowed to marry so saying I'm married is at the very least a statement of your sexual orientation.
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Homosexuals aren't allowed to marry others of the same gender, but they're still allowed to marry. Perhaps there's a good tax reason for a gay man and a lesbian woman to marry.

xabre said:
You wouldn't need more than 50 megs anyway.
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I suppose post-NXE it's not a big deal.
 
Steam doesn't give a shit.
omgoffensive!!!11.png
 
What happens to people who state they are "heterosexual" in their XBL profile?
If those people also get banned, I see no problem with this because XBL is for people of all ages to play video games together, it's not for advertising one's sexual preferences.
 
JonathanEx said:
Unfair terms of service?
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Oh, I wouldn't argue against that. Just like I'd argue that marijuana shouldn't be illegal, that doesn't mean I don't expect someone to not be punished under current laws.

Damn negatives.

All things considered, it's likely a flub of a mistake. Yelling discrimination seems to be getting ahead of ourselves until everything is laid out.
 
TheGreatDave said:
You keep pretending it's that black and white. It's not a question of "it's wrong to say you're a lesbian", it's a question of what kind of audience can be presented with that information and whether or not society deems it appropriate for them. That's not a question with a simple answer, and it's a question Microsoft have to consider on a worldwide network.
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Yeah. There's the whole thing of 'being heated' and then cooling down a bit, so I'm changing my views a bit, and it is a hard line to drive: context is key. Simplifying it a bit maybe, but the reason for the ban was 'offensive'. What did she do, and what is not allowed? Stating sexual orientation, as some may be offended. It seems like it's pandering to the bigots and racists that make XBL stereotypically an unpleasant place for some.
 
xbhaskarx said:
What happens to people who state they are "heterosexual" in their XBL profile?
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We'll find out soon enough. JonathanEx put his gamertag up on the sacrificial altar and I reported him so we'll see in due time.
 
saunderez said:
We'll find out soon enough. JonathanEx put his gamertag up on the sacrificial altar and I reported him so we'll see in due time.
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It'll happen. I've done a switch of the offensive line to be in JonExUSA, but Stepto has stated that stuff like that will go. I'll probably lose both.
 
saunderez said:
We'll find out soon enough. JonathanEx put his gamertag up on the sacrificial altar and I reported him so we'll see in due time.
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Now wait, you reported him for offensive content? Wouldn't it take a lot of people reporting him, then? Do Microsoft actually check into these claims or do they just ban if enough reports come in?

There's so much going on so fast so forgive me if I missed something that should be obvious.
 
The problem is Xbox Live does have kids on it. And I'm not talking about your Halo kids, I'm talking about say a little kid playing worms or Uno on XBLA or playing online on Banjo Kazooie. MS has to protect themselves from the Fox News "Sexbox" outburst when a little kid clicks the profile of the person he just played against and sees the word "Lesbian".

"Mommy whats a lesbian?"

Fox News: SEXBOX PUTS CHILDREN WITHIN REACH OF SEXUAL DEVIANTS

blah blah. As far as I'm concerned any sexual preference has nothing to do with Xbox Live, be it being gay, straight, bi, transgender, or having a bondage fetish; it's all just not relevant. Hopefully Microsoft at least validate this theory by ensuring people listing themselves as 'heterosexual' have that information removed, too.
 
KuwabaraTheMan said:
It implies a lot more sexual than "I'm a lesbian".

"I'm a lesbian" = I'm a female who is attracted to other females

"I'm married" = I'm a person who is living with my partner, likely sharing the same bed, and in most cases enjoying an active sex life, or have had one in the past.
Click to expand...


She has made a statement about her sexual preference. If that doesn't connote having an active sex life with other lesbians then why even mention it? Could it be...she's just another spazz looking for attention? Yeah, I think that's highly likely.
 
JonathanEx said:
It'll happen. I've done a switch of the offensive line to be in JonExUSA, but Stepto has stated that stuff like that will go. I'll probably lose both.
Click to expand...

What exactly is the "offensive line"?

APZonerunner said:
blah blah. As far as I'm concerned any sexual preference has nothing to do with Xbox Live, be it being gay, straight, bi, transgender, or having a bondage fetish; it's all just not relevant. Hopefully Microsoft at least validate this theory by ensuring people listing themselves as 'heterosexual' have that information removed, too.
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Exactly. Sorry JonathanEx, but I hope you get banned, it's only fair. :lol
 
APZonerunner said:
The problem is Xbox Live does have kids on it. And I'm not talking about your Halo kids, I'm talking about say a little kid playing worms or Uno on XBLA or playing online on Banjo Kazooie. MS has to protect themselves from the Fox News "Sexbox" outburst when a little kid clicks the profile of the person he just played against and sees the word "Lesbian".

"Mommy whats a lesbian?"

Fox News: SEXBOX PUTS CHILDREN WITHIN REACH OF SEXUAL DEVIANTS

blah blah. As far as I'm concerned any sexual preference has nothing to do with Xbox Live, be it being gay, straight, bi, transgender, or having a bondage fetish; it's all just not relevant. Hopefully Microsoft at least validate this theory by ensuring people listing themselves as 'heterosexual' have that information removed, too.
Click to expand...

"Have that information removed", fine. Ban? Yeah, that's over the top.

However, closing your eyes and hoping it goes away, it's not the best solution.
 
Flyguy said:
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."
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It's only offensive if she's physically attractive.

Edit:
You know, when I think about it, why does she feel she needs to go around saying that she's a lesbian? What does she want, a cookie or something?

She sounds like she needs to be slapped in the face.
 
xbhaskarx said:
What exactly is the "offensive line"?
Click to expand...
the word "Hetrosexual". It's referencing sexuality, which is not allowed in the GT or bio. However, "If someone is faking offense, such as with the number 2, we do not take action." Ignore the number 2 bit, I asked if I could get everyone banned with 2 in the name. So I may have a loophole, as no-one was technically offended, just faking it, as I told them to. :P

Ah well, I'll atleast have some fun with this: I'll forward it to some people in the mainstream media...
 
sprocket said:
you dont even know what happen.

see this is what i am against being way too pc with out knowing why you are doing it.
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pc? :lol Have you seen my posts in the Offtopic forum? No I'm not pc, I'm genuinely pissed off. I'm sick and tired of homophobes or idiots who think that being gay is somehow offensive.

I want the pricks responsible for this mess fired.
 
Well, that's one side of the claim. How did the banned person actually word herself? The article is fairly vague regarding that.
 
xbhaskarx said:
Exactly. Sorry JonathanEx, but I hope you get banned, it's only fair. :lol
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I hope so, as it means they're not homophobic. Though I do have a faking offence loophole. :P

And if I get banned, it makes it easier to argue that the TOS/COC is unfair.

However, I like my account.
 
JonathanEx said:
the word "Hetrosexual". It's referencing sexuality, which is not allowed in the GT or bio. However, "If someone is faking offense, such as with the number 2, we do not take action." Ignore the number 2 bit, I asked if I could get everyone banned with 2 in the name. So I may have a loophole, as no-one was technically offended, just faking it, as I told them to. :P

Ah well, I'll atleast have some fun with this: I'll forward it to some people in the mainstream media...
Click to expand...
Sample Size: 1?
 
HokieJoe said:
She has made a statement about her sexual preference. If that doesn't connote having an active sex life with other lesbians then why even mention it? Could it be...she's just another spazz looking for attention? Yeah, I think that's highly likely.
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sexual abstinence is exclusive to heterosexual relationships...?
 
Great news if true. After all, I can't fathom the horror of having to explain to my kids what this provocative female was implying by identifying herself as a lesbian.

Mind you, I don't have kids. But I might one day. And as they get older, they might be allowed to have Xbox Live accounts. And then, it would be theoretically possible that they encounter said person or someone else of her ilk and clicked their profile. Oh, the horror that would unleash.

Thankfully, there are heroes out there fighting the good fight.
 
I don't know what's worse, that this happened or that people here actually defended MS about it...

APZonerunner said:
blah blah. As far as I'm concerned any sexual preference has nothing to do with Xbox Live, be it being gay, straight, bi, transgender, or having a bondage fetish; it's all just not relevant. Hopefully Microsoft at least validate this theory by ensuring people listing themselves as 'heterosexual' have that information removed, too.
Click to expand...
What does someone being from Louisiana have to do with XBL? Or anything else that's presented in your profile? It's a sort of social network, usually these allow you to present your identity to an extent, which being a lesbian is part of her's.

I usdetstand it's problematic when it comes to sexual orientation because some people are offended by the fact people that are not heterosexual exist, I agree that if they don't ban someone who identifies themselves as Heterosexual it's discrimination, but I think it's still horrible that one can't identify their sexual orientation.
 
HokieJoe said:
She has made a statement about her sexual preference. If that doesn't connote having an active sex life with other lesbians then why even mention it? Could it be...she's just another spazz looking for attention? Yeah, I think that's highly likely.
Click to expand...

Because...she is a lesbian? Maybe she just felt like mentioning it.

Plenty of people don't lead active sex lives, and I'd guess the vast majority of them know what sexuality they are (although there are obviously some exceptions to this).

Stating ones sexual preference is not being a 'spazz looking for attention'. It's stating information about yourself, which is kind of the point of a profile. And for many homosexual and bisexual people, being forward about their sexual preferences is a huge deal, because of the way that society treats them.
 
From the Twitter-masses:

zenhob
Updating my Xbox Live profile to say "I'm a lesbian." Fuck Microsoft, let them ban us all

pimpbaa
Saying you are a lesbian on xbox live can get you banned?! WTF?!

larenceswiader
Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live. What? Are they serious? Sad.

LGBTtweets
queerunity: XBOX Live Bans Words 'Gay' and 'Lesbian': There have been a number of reports that Microsoft is bann..

sparkatito
A Lesbian was harrassed and kicked off Xbox Live for identifying herself as such in her profile

ainimerion
Quite a shitstorm happening on Kotaku tonight about a lesbian gamer who got banned from Xbox Live


If MS PR don't try and explain it and give a slightly reasonable 'reason', this could explode in to a PR disaster.
 
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