Thu, Feb 26, 2009 | 07:36 GMT
Microsoft finally looking to stop gay bannings on Live
Is that the whiff of common sense? The stench of reason? Xbox Live mod boss Stephen Toulouse has confirmed Microsoft is looking at ways Xbox Live users can express sexual preference on the service without getting banned.
His comment came after yet another Live subscriber was banned for ‘causing offence’ by saying they were homosexual in their profile data.
“I can’t say any more at the moment, except to say I’m working right now in finding a way to safely express relationship preference,” Toulouse said on his Twitter.
He added: “Expression of any sexual orientation (straight or gay or otherswise) is not allowed in gamertags.
“However we’ve heard from the user-base they want that capability, so I am examining how we can provide it in a way that wont get misused.”
This is the first time Microsoft has even acknowledged something needs to be done about the fact gay and lesbian people can be hounded on Live then banned.
Bit of a shame the “user-base” had to fight against it instead of anyone with half a brain at Microsoft doing something about a truly disgusting situation, but there we are. We should be thankful for small mercies, hey?
Thanks, Roybott.
58 comments
Older Comments
#51
G1GAHURTZ
26/02/09, 4:51 pm
I wonder if anyone has ever put: “I’m a paedophile on a grooming mission.”
#52
Whizzo
26/02/09, 5:08 pm
Paedophilia is illegal, being gay (in most places) isn’t and they’re only comparable if you’re an idiot.
#53
SERAPHEMZ
26/02/09, 5:16 pm
I dont think that he was comparing the two.. just making a funny comment… at least i think he didnt compare them.
#54
G1GAHURTZ
26/02/09, 5:27 pm
I wasn’t comparing the two, in the way that you suggested… I was comparing the relevance to gaming that both posess.
Anyway, if I was being pedantic, I’d say that it’s not actually illegal to be a paedophile, rather, it is illegal for an adult to have sexual relationswith a minor, or possess sexual content containing minors.
So as far as I’m aware, a paedophile would have just as much of a legal right to boast about his/her sexual preference as any homosexual.
As many of them do.
#55
theevilaires
26/02/09, 5:41 pm
G1GAHURTZ said:
February 26, 2009 at 4:13 pm
It’s amusing that every time homosexuality gets mentioned, people start pretending that they are gay.
It’s quite a strange, sheep-like reaction…
trust me psychofag and morriss are not joking
#56
Mike
26/02/09, 9:54 pm
“So as far as I’m aware, a paedophile would have just as much of a legal right to boast about his/her sexual preference as any homosexual.”
No. Because it’s illegal and advertising that you fancy children is offensive 99.99% of the world’s population.
#57
G1GAHURTZ
27/02/09, 7:31 am
It’s not illegal.
That’s why you have organisations such as MANBLA.
It was only the other day that I watched Tanya Byron having a long interview with a paedophile who was openly claiming that all of his sick fantasies should be treated as ‘normal’.
So actually finding yourself sexually aroused by looking at young children in itself, sick as it is, isn’t actually illegal at all.
Acting on that arousal is.
Equally, I could argue that being homosexual is offensive to 85% of the worlds population, as it’s mostly only the west where gay rights are such a big issue. Even then it’s mostly only the media and far left that make such a big song and dance about it.
Like it or not, in most countries on the earth, homosexuality is seen as evil, so if you’re going to use the ‘majority card’ with paedophilia, then why not with homosexuality? You can live in a small city of 500,000 people where everyone agrees with you on a particular issue, but it doesn’t mean that the other near 7 billion people in the rest of the world do.
Anyway, the point is that people (I’d even go as far as to say that it’s the vast majority) don’t want to have to turn on their 360 and see people boasting about their sexuality, no matter what it is.
#58
Patrick Garratt
27/02/09, 8:37 am
When it comes to rights, though, you can’t pander to the majority. You’d end up living in a non-tolerant society. This is precisely the reason why politicians don’t hold referenda on key emotive issues, like currency policy and capital punishment.
Just because some people may find the fact that other people are gay offensive is no reason to stop gay people saying they’re gay. In fact, Microsoft created the T&Cs in the way it did precisely to stop people using illegal harassment on Live. It tried to do the right thing, basically. It’s just backfired a bit.
People are gay. Xbox Live is used by 17 million people, and some of them are gay. That’s a fact. If the only reason they’re not “allowed” to say they’re gay at the moment is because bigots use the relative anonymity of Live to behave as though they were living in the fucking Lord of the Flies, then something has to change.
And, thankfully, from the sound of it that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Older Comments