# Lesbian banned from Xbox live



## Part 2 (Feb 26, 2009)

Just read this:

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

Come to think I may have read before about the fella banned for having gay in his gamertag even though it's part of his real name.

Way to go Microsoft


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## jayeola (Feb 26, 2009)

> A guy I know is half jewish, and his xbox live handle was "DirtyWhiteJew". They told him he couldn't have the word 'jew' in his name and made him change it.



Pretty much sums it up. Sterile, Disneyfied, clean-cut, wholesome image of MS.


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## geminisnake (Feb 26, 2009)

Mmmm, isn't that illegal?? Should be covered by discriminatory legislation, or don't they have that in the US??


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## 5t3IIa (Feb 26, 2009)

geminisnake said:


> Mmmm, isn't that illegal?? Should be covered by discriminatory legislation, or don't they have that in the US??



Possibly they got a zillion spurious 'Report this user' clicks about the lesbian so automatically closed her account, rather than singled her out.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 26, 2009)

People are obviously free to express themselves but really why on earth would you want to tell people your sexual orientation on Xbox Liver??


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 26, 2009)

It's a combination of a few things imo. Firstly that XBL is full of homophobic pre-teens by all reports, which isn't a good start - if you ever wanted a place to go on the internet where you could be called a fag by a twelve-year-old it's a good bet, though I'm told Barrens chat is also good for that. Secondly, an attitude by MS that there's no way they can possibly set any standards or enforce anything, and they don't really care anyway. And thirdly, a broader social attitude that any mention of orientation is basically a mention of sex and thus Inappropriate.

In this case I suspect the woman also encountered some out and out homophobes in Microsoft, but even if she hadn't, given the above, she would likely still have had her profile changed or been banned. You can't say you're gay because "gay" means "gay sex" and sex is bad. You don't _need_ to say you're straight because that's the default in the context of heteronormativity.


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 26, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> People are obviously free to express themselves but really why on earth would you want to tell people your sexual orientation on Xbox Liver??



Why would you not? People tell each other personal details all the time, or post in their profiles that they're fifteen or male or from Jersey.


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## Part 2 (Feb 26, 2009)

A viral video in the form of an "I'm a PC" ad might be a good response.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 26, 2009)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Why would you not? People tell each other personal details all the time, or post in their profiles that they're fifteen or male or from Jersey.



It's not Facebook though, it's a gaming environment where the gig is to have an avatar and a cool handle, you create a gaming personality for it. 

Telling people in your biog your sexual orientation just seems a little too much reality for that context. Plus, who really cares. I want people to know the games I like, the consoles I own because it's that context. I'd think it very odd if I suddenly felt the need to tell anyone on there I'm hetro (or mixed race or atheist for e.g.)...


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 26, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> It's not Facebook though, it's a gaming environment where the gig is to have an avatar and a cool handle, you create a gaming personality for it.
> 
> Telling people in your biog your sexual orientation just seems a little too much reality for that context. Plus, who really cares. I want people to know the games I like, the consoles I own because it's that context. I'd think it very odd if I suddenly felt the need to tell anyone on there I'm hetro (or mixed race or atheist for e.g.)...



If you have a profile field, people are going to put things about themselves in it - that's what it's for. And you can bet nobody ever got banned for posting that they were married.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 26, 2009)

FridgeMagnet said:


> If you have a profile field, people are going to put things about themselves in it - that's what it's for. And you can bet nobody ever got banned for posting that they were married.



Yes technically that's true but as I said this is a particular context, in this context I wouldn't put anything about my marital status. In over 20 years of gaming, not one gamer I've known would do something like that. The culture (as I described about avatars and gaming handles) would make it a bit out there to suddenly find personal details about someone. 

I don't agree with the action MS took, and think the way she was treated was appalling (I really should be posting that disclaimer but there you go)...


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## FridgeMagnet (Feb 26, 2009)

Well, you might not want to, but lots of people do. Furthermore, MS are encouraging this by introducing avatars and profiles and so on, because they know that "community" features lead to people getting more attached to a service. They don't want you to be just a pseudonymous gamer tag with maybe a list of stats behind it, they want you to get interacting, almost as much as Sony have shown they want you to by releasing Home.

Personally I try to avoid the Facebookisation of every damn online service out there as much as I can, but I know that many many people don't.


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## XR75 (Feb 26, 2009)

> This is a non gamer related issue, almost as if the person is looking for a problem. And yes, the statement holds true about an appropriate place for kids, but then again, knowing that it is MOSTLY kids that play this...why did she feel the need to express her "gayness" ?



I wonder just what it was that got her banned.


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## scifisam (Feb 26, 2009)

Wow. And some people say that the battle against homophobia has been won. 



XR75 said:


> I wonder just what it was that got her banned.



Why?


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## Kanda (Feb 27, 2009)

Thank god, lots of kids on Live, they may be corrupted!! Gotta think of the kids.


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## fogbat (Feb 27, 2009)

I bet she was flaunting her gayness, sticking it right in people's faces.


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## kained&able (Feb 27, 2009)

This stoiry is being reported wrongly.

Miscrosft live profiles thingies state in the terms and conditions that the sexualiy of gamers is not to be mentioned in the profile and that any persons in violation of this will will reuslt in a suspension untill the deatils have ben changed.

So its not the lesbainism thats an issue merely mentioning sexuality at all.


Obviously the peopl following he about and abusing her are beng twats and should be banned outright, but not the greatest reproting ever(suprise suprise)

story


dave


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## In Bloom (Feb 27, 2009)

kained&able said:


> This stoiry is being reported wrongly.
> 
> Miscrosft live profiles thingies state in the terms and conditions that the sexualiy of gamers is not to be mentioned in the profile and that any persons in violation of this will will reuslt in a suspension untill the deatils have ben changed.
> 
> So its not the lesbainism thats an issue merely mentioning sexuality at all.


Here's a hypothetical scenario for you, one woman mentions her girlfriend in her profile, another woman mentions her boyfriend, which do you think is likely to be taken as "mentioning sexuality"?

That particular part of the T+Cs is de facto discrimination against LGBTQs.  It's an example of a company being more concerned with keeping homophobes happy than defending the victims of homophobia, hardly unexpected, since homophobes are a bigger part of their largest target market (wealthy America adolescents and their parents), but that doesn't make it right.


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## Awesome Wells (Feb 27, 2009)

They actually ban people?

Must take a lot for them to do this given the average level of behaviour on XBL is about as appropriate as a Nazi theme park.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 27, 2009)

Here's one LGBT groups work with MS on the issue...


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## phildwyer (Feb 27, 2009)

I for one will have nothing further to do with the scoundrels.


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## Mooncat (Feb 27, 2009)

phildwyer said:


> I for one will have nothing further to do with the scoundrels.



Lesbians?  With your track record I find that very hard to beleive


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## phildwyer (Feb 27, 2009)

Mooncat said:


> Lesbians?  With your track record I find that very hard to beleive



No not Lesbians: anti-Lesbians.  Any foe to the Lesbians earns my undying enmity.


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## Fedayn (Feb 27, 2009)

Phil dwyer on a thread about lesbians... Nooooo surely not!


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