The Consumerist printed a letter from a reader, Grant, who claims his Xbox Live gamertag, "theGAYERgamer," was banned from Xbox Live. When he called Microsoft customer support, a rep reportedly told him that while she wasn't offended by his gamertag, "the greater Xbox community" had found his it offensive, thereby warranting a ban.
"Consumerist,
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
From Grant, thegayergamer"
Microsoft, when contacted, referred us to Xbox Live team member Stephen Toulouse's personal site which explains the Live terms of use in detail. Toulouse writes that the gamertag is in violation of implied "sexual innuendo", one of the many forms of disallowed "content of a sexual nature...
full article
at the end of the article it poses these following questions:
What do Kotaku Wiiloaded readers think?
Is this an extension of what many people discuss as a culture of intolerance on Xbox Live?
Should users be able to express themselves on Live in any way they see fit?
Or does sexuality simply not belong in gamertags, regardless of orientation?
The people that probably filed complaints about his gamertag probably doesn't like Gay people. I don't really care, if he tried to add me as a friend i'd probably file a complaint ;p joking I have nothing against gays
Maybe XBL doesn't want people knownig gay people play there games? ;p
I guess this is what happens when the majority of the gamers for 360 are American rednecks, haha.. i'm just kidding.
but really, alot of people don't like that dont ask dont tell policy, but when it comes down to it whats the point either way?
I don't think they should of banned his gamer tag for being gay. But I don't see any point in him putting his sexuality in his gamertag in the first place. I havn't seen any gamertags saying "TheStraighterGamer". Sexuality shouldn't be brought into gaming, there is no need for it.
It's funny how the people who would be offended by such a gametag are the same people who always talk about how they raped this guy in this game or use some other sexually explicit term to tell how they beat someone other guy at a game. Ironic world we live in
Congrats on getting banned?
im sure at one point and time he KNEW he was going to get banned.
it was only a matter of time :/
Congrats on getting banned?
im sure at one point and time he KNEW he was going to get banned.
it was only a matter of time :/
I don't agree, would someone be banned for having a gamertag that referred to them being straight? No. I doubt he was doing any harm, and the word 'gay' is hardly offensive.
Well I'm sure if the "greater Xbox community" found a straight gamertag to be offensive then he'd be banned.
It's funny how the people who would be offended by such a gametag are the same people who always talk about how they raped this guy in this game or use some other sexually explicit term to tell how they beat someone other guy at a game. Ironic world we live in
But when people say rape they doesn't mean that. :l
Either he has to change his name to "theg@yergamer" or the majority of people who play XBL are homophobic.
It's funny how the people who would be offended by such a gametag are the same people who always talk about how they raped this guy in this game or use some other sexually explicit term to tell how they beat someone other guy at a game. Ironic world we live in
But when people say rape they doesn't mean that. :l
All about context, huh? At the very least use of such language helps identify the twats of Xbox Live.
Still, don't listen to what this kind of guy is saying, look at what he's doing; running around tea bagging corpses while letting everyone know how unwieldy the girth of his penis is. Alpha man, ALPHA!
Anyway, this topic was up at GAF and they already went through this song and dance. Nothing to get riled up over, if you were to make a gamertag like "HETEROSEXUAL_TYRANNOSAURUS" you'd also get banned or whatever.
But when people say rape they doesn't mean that. :l
About that thing that just flew over your head...
It doesn't matter, it's still inappropriate and vulgar language. There's still the difference between context used and the actual meaning of such a word; still a fine line between the definitions of "gay", "queer"(despite it not being mentioned in this article at all, I'm just putting it here for effect) and "homosexuality" - in my opinion - no matter what our twisted society thinks it means nowadays. I don't see what any difference banning somebody with a minor thing as a gamer tag will do to a community. They're still going to swear, be prejudice, etc., etc.
It's all pointless, honestly.
the guy wsnt banned from xbl. his gamertag was banned and he was asked to change it.
Sorry, misread.
Even so, it still seems pointless.
Sodomy by any other name will be just as sweet! Or wait... no, I got that one wrong.
Well is the guy gay? If so, then I don't see the point of his tag. He sounds like he was just trying to be some smart@$$...
Yeah but if you are straight you should be allowed to be the StraightGamer.
This is just ridiculous.
The people that probably filed complaints about his gamertag probably doesn't like Gay people. I don't really care, if he tried to add me as a friend i'd probably file a complaint ;p joking I have nothing against gays
Maybe XBL doesn't want people knownig gay people play there games? ;p
Me and Cloud has seen far more waorse gamertags that were racially discriminating throughout XBL and those players are still playing and everything
REGGINKILLER
c'mon thats some bs, ive seen others but that one sticks in my head the most.
O yea theres much more worse things than gay in names as JM said.
I've faced a lot of people that have kkk/N'word in there name. I find it funny when they swear after the game when they get staketaculared. ( beat by more than 20 points )
REGGINKILLER FTW XD
One time I saw a guy named XxxWhitepowerxxX or something like that, and he has his Halo 3 emblem looking like a Ku Klux hood.
Pretty much anyone who makes a themed gamertag is a douchebag.