Disturbing Video Shows Player Homophobia At Work On Xbox LIVE
WARNING: This video is extremely NSFW (audio) as well as very disturbing. This article does not imply any wrong doing on Microsoft or Xbox Live's part, but merely those players involved.
I have had this video in my possession since last Friday and have been trying to figure exactly how to handle it. But the fact of the matter is, there is no way to present it other way than to just show it like it is.
One of our readers went on to Xbox LIVE with the Gamertag "xxx GayBoy xxx." He went on to play some Halo 3 and recorded the whole experience. The reactions he got from other players may not be surprising, but it is still appalling behavior and very upsetting. I emailed xxx GayBoy xxx and asked him a few questions and this is what he had to say about the making of the video:
Other than maybe a quick "hello" to the chat room or a request to "veto", I didn't ever say anything first or taunt anyone. What was said by these players was initiated by them with no provocation on my part. The vast majority of the times I wouldn't even respond back so the audio would be clear.I had a lot more footage but the movie would have been a lot longer and I don’t have the time to edit all that. One thing you don’t see are the betrayals, I was shot by my own teammates. Most don’t want to party up with me, they even say "gayboy don’t party up", some even leave mid-game so they don’t have to play with me.
Back when we were hacked, the story got around to various websites and the one question that many uninformed readers asked was "Why does there need to be a gay gaming website? Can't we all just be gamers? Why do they have to segregate themselves?" I think one viewing of this video will explain exactly why. While xxx Gay Boy xxx's Gamertag may not conform to the Xbox LIVE TOS and may soon get yanked, it was an incredibly eye opening experiment.
Fruit Brute
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games, Videos on 26 November 2007
· Comments (138)
Other stuff like this: gamertag, halo, homophobia, xbox live
It seems odd that the video spends so much time focusing on people calling him "gay boy" even to the point that it repeats the name several times in rapid succession. Given that that's his handle, it seems like a natural thing to call him.
Not to diminish the rest of the video. It is a frightening look into a world I rather gladly avoid.
That's phedged up, I mean, seriously, I actually didn't get an xbox just because of all the homophobia I came across while on xbox live at a friend's house. Not to be biased, but playing on the sony online program, I came across very little homophobia. Or maybe delta force online just has a lot more gay tolerant people.
I don't genuinely think that there was any personal vendetta against him.
It does stink of pack mentality though.
It's behavior like this that demonstrates why Blizzard has such strict policies on names of characters and guilds.
Not Cool.
"the video spends so much time focusing on people calling him 'gay boy'... Given that that's his handle, it seems like a natural thing to call him."
Exactly my thoughts for a lot of the video.
And also, some of the comments didn't seem hate-based, if I ever hear things that are funny stereotype comments, I laugh because they're meant to be a joke, not because they assume I am the stereotype. Joke back.
Some of that stuff was really out of line, and even a tag GayBoy shouldn't deserve it. There's comments you expect from getting a tag that describes a game, movie, gender, style, etc. because these names are chosen to start a discourse. If you don't want a civil discourse, choose an ambiguous name. If you don't want hateful discourse, get off XBox live?
I can't view the video for it is disabled @ work, but you have to expect that there are people who will behave ignorantly like this over xbox live, but behaviors like these should not be tolerated and yes choose an ambigous name to be safe...
So it's some anonymous morons running their mouths while shooting other guys in the face. Immaturity and group dynamics, we've all been there, the butt end (seriously, this is not a pun!) of a stupid joke or being made fun of for a (worngly perceived) flaw. We react to the nagging which in turn fuels the flames. The whole thing spins out of control.
This time, it was clear intent to provoke these people. I'm sorry, but I don't see the point of this. Sure, the trashtalk sometimes went from idiotic to hateful, but that doesen't mean there was any kind of intent behind all of this. Heck, some of these kids may have been gay themselves, and really insecure about that. Not everyone has the courage to stand up to this kind of group dynamic, especially among peers and under age (i.e. Halo gamers).
Sure it's a vicious circle. People try to fit in by chiming into the hate, thereby making it harder and harder for themselves to come out with who or what they really are. And the harder they think it is to open up, the stronger the need to fit in and not be found out.
Now I haven't met enough USAliens to be certain, but if it's anything like here in Europe, chances are 10 to 1 close up and personal these people would clap you one the back and say "Good on ya!"...
As to the reason why we need a gay gaming site: Because it is absolutely (fabulously) awesome, and I'm not even gay!
If anyone would ask me why we need our own site, I'd say "It's a gay-thing...you wouldn't understand".
Ironic that many game-players often get pushed around at school (as many geeks do). Even the straight ones get homophobic insults hurled at them. You'd think they'd remember how insulting and hurtful it is, and refrain from such behavior, yet they turn around and do the same thing on Xbox (with the courage being anonymous gives all such cowards).
"Hey, GayBoy, are you a fag or what?"
Even having to type something out involves a little more thought that just saying whatever malformed thought comes to you for all to hear. Oh, aren't headsets wonderful?
Some of it was nasty, but overall i have to agree with the user's comments so far.
there are several comments in there i'm sure are taken out of context.... ie. 'hey gay boy, stop sucking **** and play!' ... i personally wouldn't take this as anything but friendly joking.
but then you have the guy who wants to hang all gay people... wow. nice.
i experienced quite some homophobia when i sometimes went online to play ghost recon or rainbow six 3 on xbox live (still don't have a 360 yet) - i was never attacked personally since my nickname (hanjo) doesn't really show my sexual preferences but i expect most people would have reacted like this if i would.
met some very tolerant and nice guys on pgr2, links 2004 and also tenchu - should mention that these were mostly europeans and i suppose homophobia might be a bigger problem in the states.
XBox Live and the rampant homophobia therein is also part of why I chose a PS3 over Xbox360.
This (among dozens of other reasons) is why I sold Halo 3.
I mean, of course it's not completely the fault of the game specifically, and I'm not anti-Halo (me and my neighbor racked up over 10000 games of Halo 2, and were past 1000 of Halo 3, and managed to actually get our degrees at the same time), but I think Halo 3 is as mainstream as a multiplayer game as you'll ever find amongst a cross-section of humanity more concerned about their percieved heterosexuality than any other. Heaven forbid someone walk into the room and see them playing with xxx GayBoy xxx? What would they think? I'm not defending their actions, I'm just sayin'. Even without "provocation," pubbie Halo 3 players are amongst the worst, generally speaking, you'll ever come across.
Not to say Call of Duty 4, or Team Fortress 2 is full of nothing but socially-minded, kind-hearted people, but personally speaking, I catch a lot less shit playing anything but Halo 3.
I'm a little shocked to see people defending this.
Seems like the general feeling towards this guy is that he was asking for it by making his name. Granted, it should be expected but still. Maybe he truly didn't know the kinda hate filled world he was stepping into? I don't know anything about the guy who made the video so who knows what his prior experiences were.
I'd like to see this taken a step further and have someone make similar names based on race or sexual orientation and see what kind of responses they generate.
We'd see if he gets half as much insulting hate speech spit at him.
It'd make a pretty good social experiment I think.
The most shocking part is how some of the youngest players have some of the most disturbing hateful phrases shooting out of their mouths. We can really see how some of the people in this country are raising their kids.
Looking forward to the future.
I didn't get a sense of any "good fun" joking around. It all seemed pretty brutal to me.
If I called myself "DaggerDyke" should I be surprised if everyone on the server started calling me a dyke?
Yeah, these 13 to 16 year old males are homophobes; and somewhere around 8% of them will someday come out and feel kinda bad about the way they treated gay people when they were teenagers (another 2% will get married, join the Republican Party and have sex with men in public bathrooms).
Honestly, I've been called a "nigger" more times than I've been called a "fag" online; and despite having a female sounding name, I have never been sexually harassed or called a dyke.
Helps that most of the time, I have chat set to "friends only"... I love Halo, but I'm not a masochist ;)
Well, with the name xxxx gayboy xxxx you were kind of asking for negative attention. The s/n seemed like more of a "HEY IM GAY! THESE Xs ATTRACT ATTENTION TOO!" Maybe if it was a better screenname like "Fragfag" (dont take this s/n from me >_>
or something mildly humorous then people would be less mean. Also, people on x-box live will do almost anything for jokes. ANYTHING, thats just what geeks do. I was trying to start a Gsa club and this one kid (who I thought was my friend) starting saying all of this homophobic slander.
I ran into similar problems years ago when City of Heroes first came out. I created a character called "The Manhandler" who was a big muscle-bear wearing a back tank top with a pink triangle on it, and had flame-based powers.
I could get past all the gay jokes and insults, but not when it affected gameplay. People would invite me to join their team, teleport me to a dangerous area filled with tons of high-level enemies, then boot me off the team and run away. I'd get killed ina matter of seconds, and have to regenerate back at the hospital. After this happened 15 times, I was in so much debt I'd never get out, and I just gave up.
I ran into similar problems years ago when City of Heroes first came out. I created a character called "The Manhandler" who was a big muscle-bear wearing a back tank top with a pink triangle on it, and had flame-based powers.
I could get past all the gay jokes and insults, but not when it affected gameplay. People would invite me to join their team, teleport me to a dangerous area filled with tons of high-level enemies, then boot me off the team and run away. I'd get killed ina matter of seconds, and have to regenerate back at the hospital. After this happened 15 times, I was in so much debt I'd never get out, and I just gave up.
I ran into similar problems years ago when City of Heroes first came out. I created a character called "The Manhandler" who was a big muscle-bear wearing a back tank top with a pink triangle on it, and had flame-based powers.
I could get past all the gay jokes and insults, but not when it affected gameplay. People would invite me to join their team, teleport me to a dangerous area filled with tons of high-level enemies, then boot me off the team and run away. I'd get killed ina matter of seconds, and have to regenerate back at the hospital. After this happened 15 times, I was in so much debt I'd never get out, and I just gave up.
(If you want to jump to a more concise little tidbit, I've summed it up quite clearly at the bottom in one little snippet!)
I didn't watch the video. I didn't feel the need to. The reason?
He freakin' ADVERTISES the gayness!
Now granted, as a gay guy, I feel no shame in who I am, and if asked -- unless there is strict reasoning otherwise -- I will gladly tell people that I am just that. But I don't announce it to the world. Nothing irks me more than trying to shove something in someone's face. Sexuality, religion, etc. Not everyone wants to hear about it. And 'ya know, if you're gonna try and tell someone, some people WILL respond in a negative way. That's how it is.
My boyfriend is ALWAYS on XBOX Live, and most of his good friends he plays with know he's gay because he'll carry on a conversation with me while he has his headset on, they'll ask who he's talking to, he'll tell them his boyfriend. They're jerks about it? He tells 'em to f*** off, and takes his toys elsewhere.
Again, I did NOT watch this video, because I don't feel as though I need to. Yes, I wouldn't doubt that some of the comments made are very idiotic/close-mided/hurtful, but what do you REALLY expect? I might as well give myself the tag MuslimBoi4EVA and jump into a Southern Baptist chatroom, then record that for everyone to hear.
The long-story-short version? People are idiots, they will continue to hate for NO valid reason, and there is little to nothing we can do about it. Deal with it, live your life, and be proud of who you are, casting aside whatever Random A**hole #1-100 has to say. Just don't expect everyone to welcome you with open arms when you're busy throwing your personal business in their face.
/endrant
My boyfriend has that homophobia bug in him too. Even got mad when I was writing for this site for a while.
"Why are you writing for gay gamer? You're not gay. People are going to think you are."
Some people just need to grow up and get a life. There's no reason to pick on the openly gay people out there.
My Mom is gay and I would personally beat anyone who ever talked to her like the way they do on Xbox Live to other gay people.
Baron von Garon said "Seems like the general feeling towards this guy is that he was asking for it by making his name."
Just to clarify my statement, I don't think he was asking for anything by using a name like that, except, perhaps to be called by that name.
Which is why it's odd to me that the video portrays people calling him "gay boy" as a slur on par with faggot or some of the other, more lewd or offensive comments thrown his way. I mean, "gay boy" said with enough hate could surely be a slur, but if that's what you choose for your online handle, you pretty much have to expect people to call you by that.
I just picked this one up at Towleroad and I find it very disturbing that people look at this and find it normal. Seriously. This guy was unable to have a good online game just because his gamertag was GayBoy.
So he was asking for it when he put that name up? How's that? What's wrong with that name anyway? We should just pretend and closet ourselves when playing online to be able to have fun? That's just retarded and miles away from where we should be at.
And what I find utterly hurtful is the real colors people show when they are protected by a screen. The lack of respect is overwhelming. If this guy was on a schoolyard and people was saying this stuff i doubt that any of you would find it normal.
As a gamer and as a gay man, I felt saddened by this. This makes me see how far away we are from peace and this makes me lose a little faith in today's youth.
Sad. Sad. Sad.
Why does the type of people who say these things say shit like "I hope your get but rapped by a black guy?" Now that is paraphrasing but still it always a "black guy." As a black gentleman I would find this as a kudos. But I assume it has negative connotation. Heres another question. Did majority of this banter happen when gayboy was winning or lossing?
Very sad. I play on Live a lot, and I don't think I've ever told anyone there I was gay (can't imagine how that could come up), but I've heard a lot of hate. There is a certain style of humor that a lot of adolescent boys on Live think is hilarious in which they try to come up with the most hateful sounding thing they can, be it racist, homophobic, sexist, ethnocentrist, or what have you. Combine that with the very real homophobia and need to assert one's own straightness that a lot of insecure young men feel, and you end up with this.
As for how we should react to it, if we're gay, we need to decide whether we really want to put ourselves in that social situation. If we do, we can choose not to participate in the prevailing dialog. And rather than arguing against those remarks (which is extremely difficult to pull off effectively), we can create a generally positive, sportsmanlike dialog. It's very easy to fall into the trap of being afraid to be positive when everyone else is creating the opposite atmosphere. But the more people who ignore that and stay mature, the more others will feel comfortable following suit, and the effect snowballs. The fundamental thing to remember is never to allow the hateful dialog to wield any power over you.
Im as straight as can be but that was still really offensive. Even if he was a bad player, and had a somewhat provocative tag what was said is still wrong outright.
Yes, not everything in this video was said with hate. And I can take a joke, and I never took offense to what was said in it. My purpose for this video was only to raise awareness. So next time Str8s are interacting with a gay person, even an obvious one that has gay written all over him/her, that they be sensible. They're not asking for it, that's just who they are, and unlike me, they may in fact be hurt by the comments.
All I can say to anyone that would say this person "deserved what he got" or "asked for it" by using the name GayBoy: Snuff out that internalized homophobia, it's not helping.
We do not have to hide who we are. Ever. We do not have to accommodate the ignorant mass of humanity to make their lives easier. We do not have to change any part of who we are so that someone else will feel better about themselves. It is they, the bigots, that need to change, not us, not ever.
We cannot hide in the shadows and hope one day people will stop this behavior! Stop justifying it! We must be able to stand tall behind each other and support each other, not run away like roaches as soon as a light is shined on our hide-out.
It is completely irrelevant whether or not this person was trying to illicit a response. The point here is that the response happened. We need to start there. Knowing the response is coming by no means justifies it.
Papa Jesse James will step down from the pulpit now...
First, a little bit about me: Straight, but not narrow, son of two gay woman (hosted their 30th anniversary dinner last year).
I find this article really interesting. I was thinking about writing an editorial piece on the use of the word "gay" as an insult in games. Every time I see another player say "that's so gay!", it really bothers me. When I approached my mom, however, to discuss my idea for the article she basically said "So?". That particular phenomenon doesn't bother her in the least.
I have mixed feelings about this issue. I hate both explicit ("I hate fags") and implicit ("That's so gay") intolerance, but I also have issues with "advertising" who you are. My mom, for example, has rainbow stickers and a rainbow license plate holder on her car. Years ago, I borrowed her car for something and during the one day I drove it, I was subjected to name calling, mockery and even threats, all of it due to the rainbow emblems on her car. Based on that experience, advertising who you are seems both dangerous and, possibly, antagonistic. I agree with Jesse James to the extent that you shouldn't have to hide who you are, but by the same token should you advertise who you are? Both are opposite extremes. Wouldn't it be better to "lead by example"? Be a good player, be a good friend, show others how much you rock, etc... If you share that you're gay and it doesn't matter to anybody, great! If it does, then it sucks to be them.
Another comment - If I were to come across a character named "gayboy" in a game, my first assumption would be that it was some ignorant, immature jerk trying to be funny, not that it was a gay player.
~Ripper
I agree, Jesse James, that things need to change. I don't see it happening any time soon, but what's wrong with hoping?
As for hiding who we are, tell me this: When was the last time you saw someone with the gamertag "xxxStr8Manxxx". Whether you want to agree or not, it's stupid to shove crap like your sexual orientation in someone's face and NOT expect to have something hateful said. We don't need to hide: Agreed. We don't necessarily need to flaunt it, either.
I don't condone bigotry, and I'm quite sure some of the stuff said was WAY out of line. He may not have DESERVED it, but it was extremely naive of him to create such a gamertag and not expect criticism.
S'all I'm sayin'.
P.S. Ripper McGee, I agree 107%.
This has got to be the single most disgusting piece of evidence that proves Xbox Live has overtaken the internet as the most disturbing place for anonymity to breed ignorance.
Heh, sorry, this is why I chose to drop off Xbox Live. I just dislike the mentality that most players have. Sure, the name was chosen to attract this sort of thing, but that alone doesn't make it fitting. I've always been uneasy about voice in games, mainly console games, but this just makes me less likely to "jump in."
Sincerely,
Gay and offended.
You can't let it bother you guys! I have that happen to me ALL the time but microsoft gave us this awesome thing called private chat! I use it to get away from all the twinks who have yet come out of the closet! Love you guys:) rock on
That makes me really sad.
what disturbs me even more than the video are most of the comments here.
there's a lot of "blame the victim" B.S. going on here. When people say "well, what do you expect when you flaunt it like that", that's the SAME argument that was used years ago against women who were raped. It stopped because women finally refused to take it any more, and demanded to be treated with respect.
As long as we continue to condone this behavior and make excuses for it, it will continue. If i was one of the idiots who was saying those vile things on the video, i would look at these comments and think "well, if THOSE guys don't mind, then i guess it's okay".
Is that the message you want to put forward?
I'm on this site only because of the link from destructoid. I honestly do not like gays and I think that the lifestyle is immoral. I generally keep my mouth shut about it but what the hell did this guy think was gonna happen. What the hell is the point of flaunting homosexuality. You have nothing to be proud of. Be ashamed and don't try to make people feel sorry for you by posting a video that portrays you as a victim. You've done it to yourself and I hope that somewhere along the way other gamers have made you feel ashamed of yourself and you keep your sexuality more of a secret from now on.
Obvious GamerTag or not, those comments are F**king terrible and just hurtfull..
How can you say that 'he had it coming for having a gamer tag like that'? Honestly, I'm absolutely shocked and disappointed and disgusted. You want to stop homophobia;however ,you sit there and say he had it coming. Oh yea because siting there and taking it is SO going to help.
Sure, the people that have been out for quite a while can handle the homophobia and apparently gay boy has developed a hard shell for these insults. But, do you want to see or hear a 12-13 year old boy go that just came out, that wants to feel normal, go through with that kind a verbal abuse.
I sure couldn't handle it when I was 13. My ex-boyfriend couldn't handle it when he came out and ended up ruining our relationship.
No one has to go through anything like this. No one. Doesn't matter if you have a hard shell or not, it's just not right.
As for the flaunting debate. I wouldn't consider it flaunting, as you say. It's more of a statement to tell you who you are playing with. Ok, xxxGayboyxxx. He's gay and is a boy. Simple. xxxSt8boyxxx He's straight and is a boy. Nothing really flaunting about that except for what you are. How can you be ashame of flaunting what you are?
Look at my name, Ms.Michael. Apparently I'm a male drag queen named Michael. Haha I fooled you. I'm a drag queen in training.
Same thing with "xxxIlikepenorzintheanalxxx" I would automatically assume this person like penorz in the anal.
or
"Zurica" Apparently he/she likes that name or had a really sweet first name.
OR "box full of STDS" apparently the thought that was clever and it was.
Or "S P 1 L D M 1 L K" They like old sayings.
or "I.Cant.Think.Of.A.Name.Yo" Apparently they couldn't think of a name yo.
Would you consider gay pride parades flaunting your sexuality? Would you consider someone telling a bunch of people on the internetz that they had sex with you girlfriend flaunting your sexuality? Would you consider having rainbows and unicorns on your myspace as flaunting your sexuality? Would you consider having half naked women on your myspace as flaunting your sexuality? Do you think having gay bars as flaunting your sexuality? Do you think having straight bars as flaunting your sexuality? Would you consider a shirt saying "I'm not gay but my boyfriend is" flaunting your sexuality? Would you consider a pink shirt saying "Don't laugh it's your girlfriends shirt" flaunting your sexuality?
"I ran into similar problems years ago when City of Heroes first came out. I created a character called "The Manhandler" "
Heh, i made and still have (although i don't play it as much) a character named "A Transvestite" a nod to Eddie Izzard, a tank who would have been called Action Transvestite if it would have fit. I got almost no insults, only whispers asking if i was one or not, followed by "cool" when i would say yes.
It's not that they call him "gay boy" when his name is that, it's the tone. You might mind and be able to tell the violence in the voices if you had also been jumped and beaten by the same types of people. These aren't geeks, these are bigots, and the mob mentality online would also take over if they were physically attacking someone in a group. Geek used to be a tag of pride, but now is being taken over by brain dead bigots who before would beat up geeks.
As deplorable as this was, it also proves that people on XBL really aren't that original or bright when it comes to insults.
i love ms.michael
I just wanted to say when they say things not relating to his name and the betrayals etc that is out of line. But if you are calling someone Gay Boy when there gamer tag is Gayboy then there is no problem. If I had a handle called f*ckingmoron And everyone went around screaming that should I get offended? You chose it as your name.
Now if I have done nothing wrong and because of my name they start harassing me now that's wrong.
I just wanted to say when they say things not relating to his name and the betrayals etc that is out of line. But if you are calling someone Gay Boy when there gamer tag is Gayboy then there is no problem. If I had a handle called f*ckingmoron And everyone went around screaming that should I get offended? You chose it as your name.
Now if I have done nothing wrong and because of my name they start harassing me now that's wrong.
.Would you consider gay pride parades flaunting your sexuality? -- Yes, Pride parades are the only things that actually DO make me ashamed to be gay.
.Would you consider someone telling a bunch of people on the internetz that they had sex with you girlfriend flaunting your sexuality? -- Kind of a stupid question.
.Would you consider having rainbows and unicorns on your myspace as flaunting your sexuality? -- Sure would, if their intent is to show that you're a flamin' queen.
.Would you consider having half naked women on your myspace as flaunting your sexuality? -- Yeah, it is.
.Do you think having gay bars as flaunting your sexuality? -- Nope, it's a communal place for similar people to hang out, not unlike a church being for religious groups.
.Do you think having straight bars as flaunting your sexuality? -- Again, a stupid question.
.Would you consider a shirt saying "I'm not gay but my boyfriend is" flaunting your sexuality? -- Yes, because it is.
.Would you consider a pink shirt saying "Don't laugh it's your girlfriends shirt" flaunting your sexuality? -- Yet ANOTHER stupid question.
I know I seem anti-gay, but in truth, it's kinda because I am. People with tags like "GayBoi" or "In2Men", flaming little faeries prancing around in pink shirts that say "I kiss boys" at parades, etc. etc. Yeah, it all makes me ashamed to be gay. All people like that are doing is causing people to believe the negative stereotypes put out. So why the hell WOULD I be proud of something like that?
Why should you be proud when nearly one out of three gay men speaks with an exaggerated lisp/girly tone, why should you be proud of them flouncing around like a bunch of idiotic queers? Honestly, it's the same thing as any OTHER negative stereotype out there. And people like THIS moron keep the hate going!
To all of the people who sit here and defend this idiot, you really need to just quit whining about other people's ignorance. They don't like you, TOUGH. Get over it. They say hurtful things? TOUGH, get over it. YOU are comfortable with who you are. That does NOT mean that everyone ELSE has to be. We SHOULDN'T be treated the way that we are, but we ARE treated harshly. It's common knowledge. So shut up, quit whining, be happy with who you are, and quit SHOVING YOUR PERSONAL BUSINESS DOWN PEOPLE'S THROATS. MAYBE, when people like GayBoy stop pulling crap like this, the world will stop seeing us as inferiors and actually start treating us with a bit of respect.
I was linked to this from another forum (www.neo-geo.com) . While I am not gay myself, my wife and I have a few gay friends. We all agreed that most of what these kids are saying is exactly what they are hearing in the home. I have heard parents say some of the most outlandish things around their children. Who cares who's gay/straight/black/white/rich/poor. Life is too short to waste time discriminating against people.
You don't need a reason to hate anyone. You don't need a reason to be kind to people as well. I for one am tired of gay and straight people putting such a high priority on sexuality in general.
That's a bummer, but you have to expect that immaturity will be even more horrifying on the internet, especially in a game that's based around aggression. I've never played the game, but I assume it's about trying to kill everyone before they kill you. So I wouldn't expect anything resembling compassion. STILL, it's a bummer to think about the thousands of kids who behave like that on a daily basis without any consequences, because it's happening in imaginary internet land. But then that's the parents' fault for not paying attention, or even worse, for encouraging bad behavior. It's a big mess, but what are ya gonna do, right? Ignore the rat-bastards, I say.
This is why geeks shouldn't comment on social issues. Their brains are too full of information regarding Dungeons and Dragons, RAID Arrays, and HDTV to know what the fuck they are talking about.
What's with all this "Personal Business" "He was asking for it" bullshit?! So if he talked with a natural lisp it would be ok to shout obscenities at him? Tough cookies?
Sexuality is not personal business. We are all sexual beings who have a right to be who we are and just because it isn't the semi-closeted self-hating, self-righteous douche doesn't make it ok to attack, belittle, or shame.
Christ, you guys sound like a Log Cabin convention.
All this business about "flaunting your sexuality blah blah" is silly.
xxxGayBoyxxx is saying that you're Gay and a Boy. And what does the XXX say about you?
Ok. Well... Is there anything else about you? If those are the two most interesting things about you, than I'm sad.
As a gay guy, I can honestly say that I hope to god the fact that I'm gay isn't my most defining feature.
I'm in a relationship with a guy for going on two years, I own a videogame store, and I work at a preschool. I like to game, I like to help out in my community, and I like to play violin and do theater and all this other stuff.
If you're making a gamertag like xxxGayBoyxxx, you have to expect reactions. It's not about flaunting who you are, it's about forcing people to know about your sexuality. Can't we just be people who are gay instead of defining ourselves as just "gays"? That fact in and of itself should NOT be the singular defining feature.
I would like to add that there should never EVER be any shame in being gay. That's not the issue. The issue is about live and let live. You don't see people with tags like xxxStraightBoyxxx, because, in general, that's not how people define themselves.
That, I think, is the biggest issue people have with the perceived "gay culture".
I don't mean to post a million times, but I have to say that I agree with Ry-Guy. Maybe not so much with the harsh wording, but the general idea is the same.
BTW, Ry-Guy... This is Trespasser. :)
...assuming you're *that* ry-guy. Silent Hill 4 LIFEZZZ.
Like others before, I think that a lot of the many "gayboy" callings were taken out of context but the other stuff such as calling him a fag and the hanging bit were out of line, its so pathetic to see these kind of people on this Earth.
I guess I'm not "that" Ry-guy, Nate, 'cause I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. o_O But thank you, none-the-less! Perhaps my wording was a bit harsh, I just can't stand being put in the same boat as stereotypical gay guys. Makes me wanna punch someone in the ovaries. =/
As for Brandon H., I really don't feel like I can say anything else to get my point across. People with natural lisps, other "oddities/defects", deformations, the list goes on.....no, they shouldn't be yelled at and belittled, 'cause it isn't something they can help, and they aren't trying to press the issue that they have whatever wrong with them. People can't help being gay, either, but they can DAMN sure keep it to themselves and quit rubbing it in people's faces. In short, you're an idiot for taking what I said in the context that you did, but it's okay! We forgive you. :)
I'm surprised about all the comments along the lines of "it's okay to be gay, but don't flaunt it." What seems to be getting forgotten is that people often "advertise" who they are in a lot ways, as a way of expressing oneself. It's why so many people are actually proud of the music they listen to or the clothes they wear or their family or their race or... their sexual orientation. We wear t-shirts with our favorite band on them because we want to tell other people who we are. We make blogs and myspace pages to express who we are to the world. It's communication, a way of being heard in a big world. It's natural. Having a username like "GayBoy" is a simple example of this. Being gay, like any identifier, represents a life experience. Every gay person's experience with being gay is different, but most can relate to one another. As a gay guy, I feel a certain uniqueness and a certain connection to other gay people because of all the experiences I have gone through because of my place in society. It's part of who I am, and I am proud of who I am and of the worldwide gay community that I am a part of. It really is that simple. To those that disagree, I ask you to try to take a step back and look at what's really at the core of your disapproval, what it is exactly inside yourself that makes you recoil. Because that's where the core of our opinions lie, and that's what we should be thinking and talking about.
Ry-Guy,
Your posts are full of internalized homophobia. Your hatred towards those outside your given idea of the norm is disturbing, to say the least.
Do you get this upset at people with a Southern accent, who are "advertising" that they're from the South? Oh no, because it's "natural/cultural," right? Let's ignore the reality that the brain chemistry of gay men is likely a bit different than that of straight men, and so different traits are to be expected. More importantly, what is it about someone's proclivity towards or choice to use speech that has a more feminine accent that so enrages? Are you that afraid of those who are outside cultural gender norms that you have to express such hatred towards them?
I just can't understand this obsession that some gays have with internalizing the language of the oppressors about "flaunting it." The fact of the matter is that regardless of what you want to think our sexuality does set us apart. It makes all of us different than the other 90% of the population, and it is an important distinction because our actions stand in direct opposition to long-held cultural norms about sex.
The only way to really affect change is to let people know that we're everywhere, and we're not just some fringe group that can be pushed aside. We're peoples' friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances. Because many of us don't have inherently obvious traits that people notice that would make them realize that we're around them, many of us choose to use public symbols that distinguish us, and that show our pride towards who we are. Outside of anti-Semites are people offended when an Orthodox Jew wears religious garb in public? Do we get up in arms because they're "flaunting" their religion? How is a public proclamation of a part of who you are as a person invite ridicule upon you? What about our dear GameJew? Should he "expect" anti-Semitic comments if he uses that as a gamertag?
Stop blaming the victim and start blaming the perpetrator. The kind of things that were said were unacceptable regardless of what the man's gamertag, and we should work towards a world in which it isn't "expected" that declaring a part of who you are in a game should invite such ridicule. Perhaps, Ry-Guy, you should think a bit about why someone's diversion from gender norms makes you so upset. The flaming fags and drag queens of this world have done more to make people realize that we're unafraid of declaring that we're out there than I suspect you ever will if you continue to espouse such hatred towards your community.
jesus christ, reading this made me want to vomit.
some of you people have no appreciation for those that have come before you...
Ry-Guy...sure, today it's easy to be pseudo-homo and not have to put yourself out there in society, but a lot of people haven't had it so easy. i'm not being over dramatic when i point out that many people have literally died so you can keep your foot halfway in the closet and skulk for ass online. that's what the parades are a reaction against. you should really educate yourself and get to know some of these "lisping prancing queens" before you condemn them like a cowardly bitch. why do you think expressing yourself is "shoving your beliefs down other people's throats"? seriously what the fuck? so when 40 year old Mindy puts a jesus fish on her car, that's acceptable...but when some gay guy puts a rainbow bumper sticker on his, it makes you ashamed to be gay? that is such utter bullshit. you can't expect tolerance from others when you yourself are an intolerant ass.
being gay doesn't define me, but it does express a big part of my point of view. i am thankful that i am gay, i don't have the gender role/stereotype issues that many straight guys have. i'm more accepting, open, understanding, and educated. these aren't bad things that i should feel ashamed to possess.
i thought the whole point of this website was to find a place where you could avoid this kind of bullshit.
Personally, I thought it was a pretty funny video besides the hanging guy... but I would simply ignore said person. I've had a few people use one of the lines("Get the di*k out of your mouth") while I've been playing Halo 3 as well. They would use it when I was say things I really didn't need to mostly just to get reactions from people, I enjoy hearing peoples odd comments personally. I don't have a "Gay-Related" gamertag but if I would get o experience these comments in every game without having to tempt people into using them, and it gets people talking instead of playing in silence, then hey maybe I'll be making one this weekend for my halo 3 action :).
Well, coming from someone whose master chief is totally pink, as well as my icon thingie in game being a unicorn with a lavender horn on a pink triangle background, I've heard my fair share of homophobic banter. When people usually call me a faggot, I respond immediately that I am. I'd say it's about a 25/75 split of nice people to random assholes. But hey...when you have a little like 15 year old calling you faggot....to eventually admitting you're the first gay person he's ever talked to...to friending you and being a good gaming partner....it's pretty much priceless.
I think we can also take advantage of the safe space provided by the anonymity of xbox live to maybe bridge some gaps. but there will always be assholes wherever you go.
You went on there with the gamertag "xxxGayboyxxx". Of course you're going to get fucking called out, you cry baby faggot.
Watching that was frustrating pack mentality-. I hope that GayBoy got a wicked gamerscore!
If your gamertag is gayboy, what else are they going to call you?
I've never seen homophobia like that on Half Life Deathmatch, or Team Fortress games. Perhaps Halo is played most commonly by conservative college freshmen boys.
non story
sad really... I'm not gay and have a few gay friends... they are nice people.... I mean why would anyone just go out of the way to take a hand out of people, just because they are gay. It is just not nice....
^_^
The only thing that this proves is that Scott Kurtz is prophetic.
http://www.pvponline.com/2007/11/09/nov-9-2007/
Uh, what do you expect? It's a video game, people don't NEED to know you're gay.
Well, durrr.
You chose GAYBOY as a handle.
Why the fuck would anyone want a handle like that?
It's like the fucking Gay pride parades. I can understand you want to teach tolerance and such for gays, but dressing up in assless leather chaps while riding a big black dildo float isn't exactly "nonthreatening."
"Well, durrr.
You chose GAYBOY as a handle.
Why the fuck would anyone want a handle like that?
It's like the fucking Gay pride parades. I can understand you want to teach tolerance and such for gays, but dressing up in assless leather chaps while riding a big black dildo float isn't exactly "nonthreatening.""
I find these comments really disturbing.
Ok, so it's fine to be gay, aslong as you never mention it, don't 'flaunt' it in public, (by flaunt i mean hold hands like the billion straight couples rolling around doing the same thing and much more so) or reference it - you should be 'normal', neutral, unbiased and not make a point of focusing on your sexuality. Fine.
What people seem to forget is how heterosexual normal life is; it isn't this sort of blank unsexualised canvas where sexuality isn't an issue unless you mention it - every bloody thing in western society is painted with the sexualised, heteronormative brush. Go to a movie, it has a straight love interest, buy a copy of PC format, it has a hot girl on the cover (obviously intended for guys), first meet some new people, 'do you have a girlfriend?', change in the locker rooms, hear fearful homophobic preventative banter, etc etc etc.
It makes me laugh (read as, weep with frustration) the level by which people are indoctrinated by dominant society - they not only feed you all this crap, and you buy it wholesale, but you then police yourself too to hold yourself in check. Lol, seriously, this isn't interanlised homophobia, this is internalised heteronormative policing.
Seriously - get a grip folks and start to question who is pulling your strings.
I had a great comment written when my browser crashed.
So, here's the short of it:
There is a difference between gay, the lifestyle, which most people are actually OK with (even rednecks and christians need hairdressers, actors and graphic designers ^^) as opposed to gay, the taking it up the arse sexual practice.
Unfortunately, if you pick a gamertag such as GayBoy you don't get to pick which of the two people perceive. Chances are, that more people will get an image in their head of you boning another guy in the bum (esp. inscure teenagers, i.E. halo mainstream) rather than of you being a totally fabulous, gorgeous, kickass gamer type of person. And they think that is disgusting, and they have right to feel that way, just like you wouldn't condone anything and everything that happens between two people in bed. That is what doors are for.
I wouldn't expect you to take kindly to the handle xxx CuntSuckula xxx (yeah, I know that's clever and no, I don't use it) in a gay-only session, either. Or some even more bizarre sex practices, that make you go "urgh"...
Sexual orientation, preferences and fetishes are part of your identity but it is important to leave the things that belong in the bedroom in there, and to remember that perception is likely to be different between messenger and receiver.
Just to clarify, I'm not gay, but I love the gay lifestyle, which, being an actor , I am exposed to on a regular basis. Gaygamer is my absolute number 1 gaming site of all time. But most of my gay friends seem to have had their sexual innuendo filter surgically removed, with every other sentence implying something sexual, the total opposite of pretty much all of my straight friends when they're sober...
Sometimes you need to remember that different people react differently to sexual context, and they have every right to get red ears regardless of it being straight or gay sex. A video game is absolutely the wrong place to try and preach tolerance.
That's a really good point Tek, but again it works on the premis that everyday normal life isn't sexualised in any way.
Think of every advert, game, movie, book, tv program that has a connotation or reference to heterosexual intercourse, now change that all to gay sexual references, albeit how discrete, and imagine the widespread horror.
It's highlighted quite well by the fact that even the mention of the word gay, in your example, draws a parrallel to the act - let alone something more explicit.
Just like to note here that this is the reason Nintendo will *never* have an online play structure similar to XBL/PSN. Forget child molesters, show this to any non-hardcore gamer and they'll tell you they have no interest in being virtually surrounded by homophobic and racist idiots.
With my gamer tag I sometimes get the same type of reaction from Halo/Live players. I would like to think that my tag combined with my emblem of a pink unicorn sorta work like an asshole detector. 90% of the people that are going to say something stupid will say it within the first ten seconds of seeing the name.
I definitely don't think anybody should be condemned for being who they are...
...but people need to realize that a lot of people aren't gonna be ok with it right now. Yes, it's their problem, but holding them down and screaming "I HAVE SEX WITH MEN" in their faces is not going to convince them.
Interesting to note how marking yourself as gay (with the literal, simple reference of a gay boy, nothing more) then silently playing a game with such an idenity (when i supposed normally its assumed your straight) = "holding them down and screaming "I HAVE SEX WITH MEN" in their faces"
A few comments (more than I had expected) seem to centre around thoughts such as:
"With a tag like 'xxx gayboy xxx' comments like this are to be expected... and he shouldn't be 'baiting' them"
Surely the point is, reactions like that *shouldn't* be expected. It is wrong for preconceived expectations to justify unacceptable behaviour.
If persecuting someone based on a tag such as 'gayboy', then would it be acceptable to have to expect racist taunting if someone joins as 'blackguy'? Or discriminating someone called 'gamergirl'??
A rose by any other name...?
I have played Halo multi-player only a couple times because I couldn't believe the incredible negativity in general and lots of unsportsmanlike behavior. Sure, I hear the odd 'that is gay' comment from someone playing Gears on Live, but they're usually an ignorant kid looking for a reaction. I never acknowledge it, but when playing with a straight friend, he'll usually call them on it which is nice and noble.
With the sheer numbers of people playing Halo on Live and the number that can play at one time, there becomes a 'pack' mentality and it all just escalates. I don't think that anyone should ever have to hide what they are, but there's always going to be someone who can't get past their own insecurity and be accepting.
Ok... I know everyone is posting on this... But I wanted to give my thoughts as well
My brother plays Halo all the time on X-live, and yeah there's a lot of gay-slandery comments made. Im really not trying to defend either side here... But you have to face the facts, as gays we all know that there are times and places where our sexuality is ok, and other times we can get killed for it. The fact that he was made fun of; thats crappy, but its something that we have to deal with. I dont like being a flag-waver, personally... So I avoid tags that give hints towards my sexual preference when I feel that my reputation could be tarnished by it, I find that the Nintendo community is a relatively safe place to be out in the open, and X-Box isnt so much... I dunno, its a shame he was treated that way, but we have to use descression in some situations, Eh?
I personally think that those players, like most of the XBOX Live community (no offense to anyone here) were just trolling him either for laughs (which they were hoping gayboy would take AS a joke) or just did it for the sake of trolling and getting a reaction out of him.
Seriously, XBOX Live is the video game equivalent of 4chan. You do NOT go there expecting upscale maturity. What you will get are a bunch of people who will do anything for a laugh or a win.
Plus, the user PURPOSELY made the name gayboy to egg people on, that was the whole point of the thing.
This isn't necessarily homophobia, I see it as just plain stupidity or boredom.
After reading more of the comments here, I seem to find one annoying re-occurring theme going on here:
If person B says "people don't need to know your sexuality in a video game, since all you're doing is gaming" (which is true, by the way. If I'm playing a video game, I don't need to know whether the person is gay, bi, straight, has one leg, is covered in peanut butter and having a 15 hooker gang bang, or whatever. All I care about is "how good of a shot is he?") then what he or she says is immediately discredited as "internalized homophobia".
Right. Because the idea that we don't need to make our sexualities EVERYTHING about us is somehow homophobic.
his handle was Gayboy, hence he would have been referred to as Gayboy by the other players, considering that it's the only name they would know him by.
Secondly, this is XBOX Live we're talking about: The lowest of the gaming community roams that area like roaches in a dumpster. You couldn't BUY that kind of stupidity. It's not that surprising.
Countdown until someone else's comments are discredited as internalized homophobia in 3...2...1...
Its sad to see this, but ive experienced some of the same abuse. Some have gone as far as threaten to kill me in real life, if someone calls me gay or a fag in the game, I tell them so what. I'm also very frank about my age, cos well i don't sound old. I'm 13. Even after knowing those facts, I've still have and get death threats from people. :( I mean come on its the double 0's. Why is there still so much hate in this world.. :( im only out online, irl im not. its sorta scary sometimes. i dunno if people can find me via xbox live.
Hey guys, on behalf of the non-bigoted heterosexual population, I'd like to say this behavior is intolerable. However, you do have the option of submitting feedback about the players exhibiting homophobic behavior, and eventually this will have an impact. I make full use of this function every time I hear abusive or bigoted language.
There are lots of us out there who are not short-sighted, ignorant bigots. We just have our headsets off and our accounts set to "mute"
"Interesting to note how marking yourself as gay (with the literal, simple reference of a gay boy, nothing more) then silently playing a game with such an idenity (when i supposed normally its assumed your straight) = "holding them down and screaming "I HAVE SEX WITH MEN" in their faces""
Erm, well... Considering that the tag wasn't a literal simple reference. The entire thing was xxxGayBoyxxx.
What does XXX mean to most people? Generally, it relates to something sexual... like a XXX-rated porn or whatever. Maybe I'm old, but that's what immediately popped into my head.
Either way, you missed the point. The point had little to do with the actual video, but more with what people on this board are saying.
When you have a large group of extremely homophobic people, and you want to be accepted by them and allowed the same rights, you're not going to get it by "dressing up in assless leather chaps while riding a big black dildo float" (or in a less-extreme instance, having a gamertag like xxxGayBoyxxx). Like someone else said earlier... Lead by example. Be who you are. Don't stop being gay, don't stop loving who you love, but for FRICKSSAKE don't expect everyone to want to hear about what you're doing with them in your own private time. Most people don't care either way if you're gay or straight... but when you start telling people you're gay, then they're gonna get annoyed.
"Hi, my name is Nate. I want to teach you about God/Jehovah/Time Shares."
"Hi, my name is Nate. I'm gay/straight/bisexual."
"Hi, my name is Nate. I'm black/white/asian/unusually tall."
"Hi, my name is Nate."
Which one of those is the least obnoxious? Let people find out who you are on their own.
I can't tell you how many times I tell people that I hope that the fact that I'm gay isn't what defines me. I really do.
I fully embrace it, and if people aren't accepting of it, then I'm not particularily accepting of them either.
But it BETTER frickin' not be how people look at me. "Oh here comes Gay Nate. He's so gay. I wonder if he knows where they gays hang out or if he can do some interior decorating on my living room. I better keep him away from my kids though with his foul sextalk and over sexualized ways." is not what I want people thinking when I walk towards them. In general, I feel pretty annoyed by the way gay people are presented in the media, because it totally pushes these stereotypse.
For the record, my gamertag has to do with zombies, not my sexuality. However, if people start making homophobe comments, I generally jump in and say "hey knock it off, some of us are gay." or something like that. If it doesn't stop, I report their asses and move on. Oddly enough, it generally has never been an issue for me. In fact, I've met a lot of my XBL friends through normal conversation, and then later I learned they were gay.
Well, I can say I found the video stereotypical.
As for what Ry-Guy was saying, I agree. The issue here isn't whether it's OK to be gay, it's what it means to be gay. I agree with him in that I don't like pride parades, I don't like the idea of pride. Does that mean I say it has to stop? No, it means I will distance myself from that mentality.
What needs to happen is to change what it means to be gay. Honestly, regardless of what everyone here thinks/knows, the stereotype for being gay is being amoral, highly sexualized, queeny, overly dramatic, etc. To be honest, my experience in the gay world has done little to disprove those stereotypes. If you want things to change, there needs to be a concerted effort to gain the public eye NOT by prancing around in pink shirts and having sex on the streets, or wearing the chaps of your favorite sexual past-time in public. That only reinforces the current negative stereotypes. To get things to change, you need to change what it means to be gay. Right now, in my mind, being gay has very little to do with liking the same sex and more to do with a series of lifestyle choices I don't agree with.
Therefore, I don't broadcast the fact that I find men attractive. If asked, I will say it, but I don't see the need to walk around like a billboard ad broadcasting to those people who don't matter what isn't really their business to begin with. I want people to know me as a "person" first, then know the fact that I find men attractive.
But just because thats why I chose to live my life, doesn't mean thats how you all have to do it. It's your choice, and your choice alone, but looking up here I see people talking about understanding, and condemning ry-guy for how he lives his life. Talk about self-loathing within a community. The mentality of, "It's my way or not at all" has got to die--preferably a quick and silent death.
Otherwise, homosexuality will always be on the outside, and we will always see responses like this video. Within the community, everyone has got to come to terms with each other. Cause right now, all I see is bickering, infighting, name calling--all the reasons I've avoided the gay community to begin with.
Heya Buncle...
"Surely the point is, reactions like that *shouldn't* be expected. It is wrong for preconceived expectations to justify unacceptable behaviour."
Feel free to point out any era in history were that wasn't the case and I'll give you a hug.
"If persecuting someone based on a tag such as 'gayboy', then would it be acceptable to have to expect racist taunting if someone joins as 'blackguy'?"
See, nobody joins as "blackguy", and being black is not necessarily a lifestyle, whereas being gay most definitely is. And you are proud of that lifestyle, and rightfully so, and that is awesome. But again, think how a tag like this is perceived before you feel affronted by the reaction.
To someone who was brought up in a strictly christian family, "I am gay" is equivalent to "I am a sinner against the lord" and "Watch me bugger this guy up the arse". And calling them homophobic bastards is very unlikely to change that, and may well serve to reinforce their negative attitude towards you.
Likewise, insecure teenagers perceive anything outside of what they consider "normal" as a threat to their evolving lifestyle. If you're gay, they call you a faggot (they'll also call you faggot if you look feminine, have any hobbies that may be considered "girly", if you get along well with girls, you dress up unusually or just for the sake of calling you something). If you're overweight, they call you fattie (which is why nobody calls themselves xxx ObeseGuy xxx). If you're socially challenged they call you a nerd (this is why nobody calls themselves xxx IHaveNoFriends xxx).
Schoolboys have been like that since before schools existed, and the internet has granted them the possibility to experience group dynamics from the comfort and anonymity of their parents basement.
"Or discriminating someone called 'gamergirl'??"
Have you seen what happens when a woman joins a chatroom? Everybody either shuts up completely or makes sexual remarks toward her in (unfounded) hopes of getting in her gaming pants. This is why the women gamers I know usually stay off voicechat and choose a nondescript handle so as not to give away their gender.
I don't give away my nationality in anonmyous forums and chats. You can bet your ass there is at least one person in there responding with "All nazis should die" or "Hail Hitler" right away (and while I'm not for martial law per se, I can sympathise). So you can say I've been a closet german for most of my time online. I am appalled that so many people are extremely ignorant about world history, but at the same time, I kind of expect it, so it's not a big deal.
Maybe you should, too. Xbox Live is not show & tell.
Children and Southerners, they give all gamers a bad name. Unreal, people are so cruel. Including me, see above comment.
Now, I just might be crazy and out of the norm, but if someone who appears to be a fairly normal, alright kinda guy tells me they're gay, I'm going to have a better disposition towards them than the lisping fellow in the assless chaps. Something you might want to keep in mind.
On an unrelated note, "drag queens" disgust me. Either make an effort to be convincing (just how I like it) and keep it in bedroom.
to the tek guy:
haha yeah, of course, being gay is a "lifestyle" and a choice... bravisimo dude, bravisimo...
grow up, your beliefs don't give you the right to call anyone a faggot. you don't have a fuckin' clue about your religion if you think that's what your god (notice the lack of caps) expects from you.
dumbass...
I just wish people would stop using the phrase "assless chaps". Chaps don't have an ass... they're designed for wearing pants under them, that's what makes them chaps and not pants. If you must use chaps as a metaphor for everything that's wrong with gay (male) culture, perhaps you should say "pantsless chaps". I know, that doesn't sound half so derogatory and shocking (to those who are afraid of... well, you know, sex), but it has the virtue of being precise.
Oh, and I too wish we lived in a perfect world without hate, but I'm realist enough to know that expressing yourself... any part of yourself... on Xbox Live is as useful and healthy as sticking your face in a fan.
Just hit mute and kill them... over and over and over... that's the Halo way.
Dear Paul,
Please read what I wrote before flaming me.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
I think the reason this video leaves a bad taste in many of our mouths is that xxxgayboyxxx, despite having the best of intentions, basically went into the game specifically to be victimized. xxxgayboyxxx was going out of his way to be provocative (via his choice of gamertag) in order to get footage, which raises the legitimate point that he was "asking for it" - he was asking for it, in order to create this video. It was an artificial situation - the vast majority of gay Live users are not going to make explicit reference to their sexuality in their gamertags, not because they are hiding anything but b/c they simply have no interest in doing so.
I personally think a more effective video would have been to simply compile anti-gay and racist comments encountered in the course of normal play that weren't prompted by a specific username - it doesn't seem like it would have been hard given how pervasive such comments are on Live. But, as xxxgayboyxxx says in his comment above, he is trying raise awareness of what a cesspool of hatespeech Live can be. His approach was gimmicky, and at first I dismissed the results because of it. But then I started to question my own presumptions about the Live community. Why should we "expect" to encounter these comments - just because its become the status quo? Why should it be tolerated? Live is a closed community that requires its users to pay for it, and also to agree to its Terms of Service/Code of Conduct. I don't think this video is a grand statement of politics or identity. Its simply saying "Hey, a lot of people on Live are violating the Terms of Service/Code of Conduct in a way that makes it hostile and even unusable to a significant number of its users." Those users are not just gays, but basically anyone who finds hatespeech offensive - which I think is a majority of Americans, though unfortunately not perhaps a majority of Live users.
The only thing that's going to stop this is stronger enforcement and monitoring from Microsoft,