Is Xbox Live Homophobic?
Is Xbox Live homophobic or is the banhammer being wielded too liberally in the name of keeping everything inoffensive and family safe? Those who have been banned or suspended for having “gay” in their name or listing their sexual orientation in their profile say that the Xbox Live service is downright insensitive and homophobic.
According to a story on Consumerist, one player who mentioned that she was a lesbian found herself in hot water with Microsoft, despite the fact that she complained about being harassed in games for being a lesbian.
The woman, who calls herself “Teresa,” said that her account was suspended for having the word “lesbian” in her profile. Theresa said that this happened after she complained to Microsoft about harassment from other players who chased her out of maps and followed her into games to pick on her about being a lesbian and telling other Xbox Live members that they should complain about her.
Teresa’s final thoughts on Microsoft’s policy towards gays and lesbians? “Microsoft does nothing to stop this or prevent it, but instead sides with the homophobes. No one will help me get the word out about Microsoft’s anti-gay policy. Not even the HRC who says Microsoft has a positive image with them. Not to me it doesn’t!”
Microsoft has had its share of controversy when it comes to gamertags with terms in them it doesn’t approve of: in May of 2008 it banned the gamertag “TheGAYERgamer” because, according to the company, “the Xbox Live community” at large found it offensive (see this story). In another case, “Richard Gaywood” was asked to change his profile because the term “gay” was in his username (see this story). The funny part? “Richard Gaywood” was his real name.
My thoughts? Microsoft needs to publicly state what its policy really is on gays and lesbians. Is having the term gay or lesbian in your profile or in your name a grievous sin? Are people allowed to be who they are in real life? Yeah we know that sexual orientation is apparently offensive; a giant flaccid penis in Lost & The Damned is okay but the words “gay” and “lesbian” send the Xbox Live community insane.
One thing is for sure - there is no disclaimer on any Xbox 360 retail SKU or any Xbox Live Gold Card that says you have to be a heterosexual to play Xbox 360 games online.
If you’ve been banned or suspended from Xbox Live for having a “gay” or “lesbian: gamertag or info in your profile, we want to hear from you - emails us: tips@crispygamer.com
