More Controversy Over “Gay” on Xbox Live
So maybe Microsoft aren’t racists, but maybe they do have a problem with homosexuals. There have been a few reports of people having their Xbox Live accounts banned for describing their sexual orientation in their Xbox gamer profiles. A lot of people defend Microsoft’s actions on account that “gay” is so commonly used as an insult… of course that doesn’t make much sense because one of the girls banned directly identified herself as a lesbian.
That can of worms was reopened due to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV addon, “The Ballad of Gay Tony.” Some people find it to be a bit of a double standard that a game can be titled with the world gay, yet one Xbox Live user whose name was actually “Gaywood” was also banned. The whole thing is certainly a sticky situation for Microsoft – on the one hand they have angry, if ignorant, parents and others complaining about people “flaunting” their sexuality. On the other they have gay gamers looking to identify themselves to others and feeling persecuted because they can’t.
Microsoft has remained staunch in their position, and noted that any discussion of sexuality (including straight) in gamer profiles is forbidden. They view the game title “Gay Tony” as a completely different issue from sexuality in gamer profiles, and have indicated no intent to change it.
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another reason to love Playstation!