Thu, May 15, 2008 | 11:30 BST
Gay gamer has GamerTag banned from Live
Update: Microsoft’s explained the reasoning behind the ban here. The company deemed the name in breech of Live’s terms, apparently.
According to Destructoid, a gay gamer with a GamerTag “thegayergamer” has had his moniker banned from Live by Microsoft because other players found it offensive. Said the chap in question:
I have had a bad morning. Last night when i tried to sign into my xbox live account “thegayergamer” I was told that it had to be changed. I figured that it was just from people reporting it as an offensive name being that the greater Xbox live community isn’t exactly welcome to gay people, i spend a lot of time muting people on Halo3. I assumed that once i called Microsoft they would straighten things out.
I talked to a supervisor there, Roxy, who told me that she didn’t personally find the fact that my gamer tag had gay in the name offensive, but that the greater Xbox community did, so i would have to change it. I hope I’m not the only person who finds this don’t ask, don’t tell policy disgusting… eek.
That’s really great, Microsoft. Would you ban someone called “thestraightergamer” if someone complained about it? We’re completely shocked, to be honest, and hope someone revises this for being the pathetic, sad example of mini-Hitlerism it so obviously is. Grow some common fucking sense, why don’t you.
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19 
Posted in: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Tags: thegayergamer
19 comments
#1
ecu
14/05/08, 6:50 pm
The irony is that most Xbox gamers are closet bummers anyway.
#2
Panipal2005
14/05/08, 6:54 pm
They might have thought that the person in question picked his username in order to be disparaging towards gays…
#3
deanimate
14/05/08, 6:57 pm
obviously this is pathetic but what gets me is the whole “the greater xbox community found it offensive”. yeah – fucking – RIGHT. im just sure there were teenagers up and down the country crying their eyes out and thinking about swallowing a hedgehog to try and make sense of such a nickname.
It is, i would guess, the homophobic retards out there trying to inflict as much pain as possible on this guy.
very sad.
#4
patlike
14/05/08, 7:03 pm
That’s the thing that really riles me. It’s the banning, yeah, but it’s the fact that people are actually stupid enough to care enough to complain about the fact the guy has the word “gayer” in his GamerTag. Surely life’s too short.
#5
Psychotext
14/05/08, 7:13 pm
What Panipa2005 said. Most tags like these are used to insult others.
#6
morriss
14/05/08, 7:18 pm
It’s what happens when your main demographic is 14 years old.
#7
kasai
14/05/08, 7:26 pm
Stupid gamertag he obviously choose the gamertag on purpose to bring attention to himself. Fair enough he got flamed by halo 3 players because of his gamertag. If he seriously thought such a gamertag would not draw attention to himself then hes as daft as a brush. The internet and gaming is fueled with people wanting to get a rise out of anyone that stands out.
#8
O Monarca
14/05/08, 7:31 pm
Maybe he got negative reports from both straight and homosexual players. Afterall, he could be perceived as being ironic or serious about his posture – nothing in his gamertag made sure what his position was about.
Furthermore, I know there’s something like freedom of speech, but there has to be a measure of good sense thrown into it. Afterall, being the player base so immature, he pratically painted a bullseye on himself. Like diving in a pool of sharks painted with blood. Sure you’re free to dive, but the sharks are also tempted to bite.
Microsoft maybe forced him to change his gamertag not because it stands beside homophobic players, but because it just wanted to keep things quiet.
#9
ecu
14/05/08, 9:19 pm
Extremely relevant video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alOnuN-wCY
#10
Shatner
14/05/08, 9:30 pm
I feel kind of bad for Microsoft as it’s a no win situation for them regardless of the action they take.
#11
el Croux
14/05/08, 9:38 pm
Well, they could politely insist that ‘the greater Xbox community’ be quiet, let the guy keep his gamertag and let that be that.
Videogaming, every now and then you’re reminded what a genuinely infantile and regressed hobby it’s capable, and very often guilty, of being.
What an embarrassing mess.
#12
Shawk
15/05/08, 12:20 am
the op of this article is a moron..
There is obvious reasons why someone should not have, Gay, in their names..
If I’m a Nigger, nigger isnt a bad word per say, but it is offensive.. According to this jackass people should be aloud to run around with the names Thenigger and Thefag, because in reality, these words should not be offensive. BUT THEY ARE.
Get real jackass, there is a reason the name was banned..
#13
morriss
15/05/08, 12:33 am
But gay isn’t as offensive as nigger or ‘fag’ though is it? Gay is a perfectly acceptable social term for homosexuals it’s just 12 year old on XBox Live don’t know how to deal with it and Microsoft hide behind the phone.
#14
Enkeixpress
15/05/08, 1:46 am
Why didn’t he name himself “TheGayGamer” instead…
Calling yourself “TheGayerGamer” means something.. It means that you are calling everyone else a Gay Gamer…
#15
Tonka
15/05/08, 3:55 am
No it doesn’t. If Icalled myself theMostSedishGamer it wouldn’t mean that everyoneon XBL turned Swedish.
Any hoo. It’s Microsoft’s playground and they set the rules. They should have the balls to say thats how it is instead of blaming it on some unseen majority.
#16
Michael
15/05/08, 7:05 am
Microsoft could have just as easily chosen to ignore the complaints.
This reminds of the time Blizzard disbanded a World of Warcraft guild because other players complained about the fact that it was openly promoted a guild for gay people. That one ended up damaging Blizzard big time, and even saw the rules changed to be far more acceptable of sexual preference expression.
I won’t be surprised if this ends up coming back to bite Microsoft as well.
“If I’m a Nigger, nigger isnt a bad word per say, but it is offensive.. According to this jackass people should be aloud to run around with the names Thenigger and Thefag, because in reality, these words should not be offensive. BUT THEY ARE.”
That logic makes no sense.
“Nigger” IS a derogatory term used to describe a negro person. It always has been. Gay isn’t a derogatory terms, and you’d have to be one hell of a closed minded bigot to consider it such.
#17
Daniel Plainview
15/05/08, 7:30 am
My gamer tag is: IhavealargepenisandimdefintlynotgayseriouslywhywouldIlieabout thatkindastuff
feel free to add me and we can hang out* together
*Rough anal sex
#18
pjmaybe
15/05/08, 7:52 am
Poor old Hairyarse, that’ll be three name changes he’s been through on LIVE now
#19
SveXo
15/05/08, 10:50 am
I’m still stuck of the not liking women part.