Lesbians not welcome on Xbox Live

[Ronin Storm]

Seriously, who the hell invents these stupid rules:

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

[Source: Eurogamers thread]

 

[BiG D]

Holy misleading thread titles, batman!

Microsoft has responded.

As stated in the Xbox Live Terms of Use, a member may not create a gamertag or use text in other profile fields that include comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate content of a potentially sexual nature. Profiles that do are asked to change the language and suspended until changes are made. In regards to sexual orientation, for gamertags or profiles we do not allow expression of any type of orientation, be that hetero or other. Players can, however, self identify in voice communication where context is more easily explained to all players involved.

That is a reasonable position, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Nanor]

Seems perfectly reasonable. The last thing I care about on the interwebs is someone's sexual orientation.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Feh, that's why it's Link Hive material.

Still, I contend that the declaration of being a lesbian isn't offensive in the slightest. It may, of course, be against the Terms of Use, which seems a little pants but then that's my feeling for much of the over-legalising around these services.

 

[Nanor]

Well it's their product and theyn can decide what you have to do to use it.

Frankly, X-Box live is the last place to declare your life style choices.

 

[Wol]

What about a persons name name though rather than lifestyle. Read through the "Richard Gaywood" one, and his *surname* is apparently sexually offensive as it has "gay" in it...

er..... what now?

 

[thatbloke]

I read this a couple of nights ago.

At first I thought "WTF are Microsoft Homophobic???" but then I realised that the terms and conditions were designed to stop exactly the kind of harassment that the person was receiving in the first place (as described in the article).

So she should remove the stuff from her profile and be done with it. Unfortunately too many people live in their own perfect little world where no-one is homosexual and if anything threatens that they will get angry and throw abuse. A sad fact of life, but one I would rather put up with by not openly declaring my sexuality on an online gaming service and receiving abuse for it.

The whole Richard Gaywood thing is another matter entirely however... Though tbh with a name like that I would get it changed anyway but still...

 

[PsiSoldier]

Still, I contend that the declaration of being a lesbian isn't offensive to me in the slightest.

Fixed.

 

[waterproofbob]

I understand why they say what they do in their terms and conditions as it is essentially them covering every possible eventuallity and biggoted arse face that could decide to take offence to what ever happened to be said on a persons profile/in their name.

It is a shame that it has to be this way as to my mind things like this don't matter. It is in my eyes no different than say me putting my eye colour in my profile. It is a shame people are so narrow minded on both sides that sexuality is such a big deal. Personally I really don't get it.

 

[BiG D]

It is a shame that it has to be this way as to my mind things like this don't matter. It is in my eyes no different than say me putting my eye colour in my profile. It is a shame people are so narrow minded on both sides that sexuality is such a big deal. Personally I really don't get it.

It's much different than eye colour. Eye colour is public knowledge, and easily determined.

This is essentially walking down the street shouting I'M A LESBIAN at anyone who makes eye contact. That's pretty rude, to say the least.

The gamercard isn't your facebook profile. Period.

 

[waterproofbob]

It's much different than eye colour. Eye colour is public knowledge, and easily determined.

This is essentially walking down the street shouting I'M A LESBIAN at anyone who makes eye contact. That's pretty rude, to say the least.

The gamercard isn't your facebook profile. Period.

I don't see the difference, both are things that you have no control over. I didn't choose to be straight or to have weird boring gunk coloured eyes.

As far as xbox live gamer profile goes I don't see the difference or issue between me calling myself bogeyeyecolourboy or straightgamer or whatever.
I don't understand peoples massive hookups with sexuality.

Yes I'd not appreciate it on live if someone spent their entire time over voip informing me that they were gay. That would be twatish and annoying but I couldn't care less if their name was gaymcgayhat or lesbianmcdykefeatures, or if they decide to put that info in their profile.

I completely understand why MS are strict on it as it is tres controversial and people do seem to be very easily offended by just about everything these days.

Maybe I'm just not that easily offended. I get irritated very easily but there are very few things that offend me.

 

[BiG D]

I believe in this case the issue wasn't the gamertag, but in fact one of the other (very easily changed) profile fields.

I don't see the difference, both are things that you have no control over. I didn't choose to be straight or to have weird boring gunk coloured eyes.

So I should be able to have my profile inform everyone how large my penis is? It's along the same lines as announcing my sexual preference to everyone, it's not something I have any control over, and (as I'm sure was the case here) it's something I'm really quite proud of. Does that seem acceptable?

 

[waterproofbob]

I believe in this case the issue wasn't the gamertag, but in fact one of the other (very easily changed) profile fields.


So I should be able to have my profile inform everyone how large my penis is? It's along the same lines as announcing my sexual preference to everyone, it's not something I have any control over, and (as I'm sure was the case here) it's something I'm really quite proud of. Does that seem acceptable?

I'd find it pretty funny but I do take your point. I also don't really understand the obsessive gay pride thing either though. Maybe I've just been desensitised by so many years in boarding school where you come to accept that everyone is different and you live with the differences.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Holy misleading thread titles, batman!

As an OT aside, clearly the way to spark debate is to pick something contentious, then tell a little lie about it.

 

[BiG D]

I was considering following through with the penis thing, getting banned, and then making a MEN NOT WELCOME ON XBOX LIVE thread

 

[Ronin Storm]

Surely that'd be worth it just for the Internet notoriety?

 

[BiG D]

But... my gamerscore

 

[SgtFury]

It's not that big.... o wait you mean your gamer score

 

[Bradstreet]

This is essentially walking down the street shouting I'M A LESBIAN at anyone who makes eye contact.

Surely it's more like walking down the street hand in hand with your girlfriend (assuming you = a woman), especially if it was in her profile rather than her gamertag. As I understand it, she wasn't shouting 'I'm gay, look at me!', she was including that information in a profile designed to give people a little more information about her. Microsoft must be aware that there is plenty of heterosexual/ist content going around on Xbox live, which makes this clarification feel like discrimination rather than protection. If it was the latter, the rule would be that anyone who harassed, bullied, or abused someone based on their real or perceived sexual preferences would be banned. Also, I dislike the slippage in their T&C between 'sexual content' and 'sexual orientation'. Not the same thing.

 

[BiG D]

As I understand it, she wasn't shouting 'I'm gay, look at me!', she was including that information in a profile designed to give people a little more information about her.

Frankly, we will never know for sure unless we're told what exactly the profile said.

In any case, surely she has other interests besides being gay... Maybe she could talk about some of those?

If it was the latter, the rule would be that anyone who harassed, bullied, or abused someone based on their real or perceived sexual preferences would be banned.

That is the case. They won't know abuse is going on if it isn't reported, though.