Microsoft have came under fire a lot from the gay community over the last few years following the policies they impose on Xbox Live. However it seems like the company are trying to make amends and are now in talks with a gay rights group, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), in order to solve the issues as detailed in this new article from Kotaku.In Larry Hryb's (aka Major Nelson) most recent podcast, he and Stephen Toulouse gave some more detail on the situation:
"I can't talk about what we discussed specifically except to say that we provided them with a lot of information about what we do today, why we do what we do and how we do it. And then we asked them the question, 'How can we do this better?' And we have some ideas. Here are some ideas. That dialog was super, super helpful. I think it was a great engagement. Justin and Jeffrey who came out from GLAAD really appreciated the effort that we're putting into it - and had great ideas, like they brought up some stuff we hadn't thought of."
The talks follow after gamers who provided details on their sexual preference in their profile or used an inappropriate gametag, which breaks the terms of service of Xbox Live, were banned. The policies detail that you cannot have a sexual term in your gamertag, regardless of sexual orientation.
More recently, Microsoft's first party studio Lionhead have made the headlines after Jamie Durrant, a former employee, sued the company for £45,000 in "hurt feelings" and lost pay claiming he was discriminated against over his sexual orientation. Earlier this month Microsoft settled the tribunal and made the following statement:
"We are pleased to have reached an amicable resolution to this matter with Mr. Durrant. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but we can confirm that Mr. Durrant will not continue his employment at Lionhead as part of the agreement. Microsoft has a longstanding commitment to diversity. We attract, recruit and respect diverse talent and we have included sexual orientation in our anti-discrimination policies for 20 years. Our efforts have been recognised by a wide range of groups, including the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in its 2009 Corporate Equality Index. We do not tolerate breaches of our code of business conduct and take any complaints extremely seriously. Throughout this process, those to whom Mr. Durrant brought his concerns have taken them seriously and concrete actions have been taken to address them. Neither Mr. Durrant's sexual orientation nor the nature of his complaint had any bearing on the way it was handled."
Larry Hryb also detailed a fourth coming announcement of the Xbox Live policy and their work with GLAAD during the podcast:
"I would recommend to any business who's tackling these issues, they're a great group to work with. The GLAAD folk totally understand a variety of things; they're really great to work with. They want to enable communities to be safer. They just want to enable communities to be safer - that's what my team tries to do as well, so it was a great thing.
We'll plan to say something about [GLAAD and Xbox LIVE policy] in the future."
i lol'd there
This same thing happens in WoW and just about anything else (Amazon's lol"glitch"
Super.
Is the problem that they said they were gay in their profile or that you aren't allowed to state your orientation in any way ?
So straight people talking about their other half is ok but when when someone who is gay or lesbian puts it on their profile - its apparently wrong? why do you instantly assume gay and lesbian there is a automatic jump to 'sex' - as if it were the only thing that we talk about.
That's not quite the issue here. The issue on xbox live is users INTENTIONALLY posting info regarding sexual preference & activities in profiles/gamer tags. Those postings are clearly going against the xbox live usage agreement, questionable or not, period. So far, from what i've heard & read about this issue, it comes down to certain homosexual xbox live users "flaming" (not a pun seriously) their orientation/experiences/day2day activities continuously on live. Sure, some heteros occassionally post info about their lives, relationships, & what not, but usually they're communicating w/ fellow gamer-friends. They're often not lighting up their profiles, gamer tags, comments, etc., with sexuality-tied comments for the hell of it. I'm all for sexual/gender equality in the public forum, media outlets, & life in general. However, it's not right to challenge MS on a medium like xbox live were only gaming & gaming-related communication should be taking place. If MS is singling out LGBT live members, of course that's dead wrong. But otherwise, if LGBT gamers need further mediums to discuss their social lives & activities, that's what the social networking sites & real life are for. Like i said before, xbox live is for gaming interaction, let's keep other forms not tied to it out.
It was funny because there were some people at my house and we were drunk. We laugh a lot. But I think if we were sober we wouldn't like it.
It was funny because there were some people at my house and we were drunk. We laugh a lot. But I think if we were sober we wouldn't like it.
For some reason guys and girls think it is funny to pick on guys who don't exactly have the most manly of voices; really shows the immaturity of the individuals. There is nothing wrong with laughing with them but to laugh at them shows something particularly mean about the individuals doing it.
Is there a spot to have sexual orientation on your profile ?
Is there a spot to have sexual orientation on your profile ?
Why are heterosexuals allowed to talk openly about their 'relationships' versus when someone like me wishes to talk about my boyfriend it is apparently 'pushing a lifestyle'.
Meet Pot, apparently he is calling the kettle black.
lol
Very true - but perhaps parents with 6 year olds who are allowed to play XBLA games don't want to answer questions on sexuality stemmed from the gamertag of another player. As you say, XBL is for playing games and has nothing to do with sexual orientation so why make it a problem? Why not just follow the rules about having nothing relating to sex on your handle?
But its ok for heterosexuals to talk about their personal life with players and their relationships?
Ok, so when a heterosexual talks about a relationship - its acceptable. When a gay or lesbian does the same thing apparently its 'talking about sex'.
Thanks for the double standards - then again, why aren't I surprised. For you, gay and lesbian scream 'sex' because the concept of two people of the same sex having a relationship that goes beyond it is somewhat foreign to you.
Ok, so when a heterosexual talks about a relationship - its acceptable. When a gay or lesbian does the same thing apparently its 'talking about sex'.
Thanks for the double standards - then again, why aren't I surprised. For you, gay and lesbian scream 'sex' because the concept of two people of the same sex having a relationship that goes beyond it is somewhat foreign to you.
Its really any persons sexual orientation is unacceptable for xbox live... Its just that gay people like to make it known to the whole world that they are into the same sex gender.
As i said previously, people shouldn't be allowed to have their sexual preferences to be on xbox live Gamertags or Profiles as its for the gaming community, its not made for hooking up with other people. its not a dating service.
Ok, so when a heterosexual talks about a relationship - its acceptable. When a gay or lesbian does the same thing apparently its 'talking about sex'.
Thanks for the double standards - then again, why aren't I surprised. For you, gay and lesbian scream 'sex' because the concept of two people of the same sex having a relationship that goes beyond it is somewhat foreign to you.
Its really any persons sexual orientation is unacceptable for xbox live... Its just that gay people like to make it known to the whole world that they are into the same sex gender.
As i said previously, people shouldn't be allowed to have their sexual preferences to be on xbox live Gamertags or Profiles as its for the gaming community, its not made for hooking up with other people. its not a dating service.
So I assume you're also against people talking about their girlfriends or any non-game related topic?
Gamertags or profiles, people just shouldn't need to post their sexual orientations on there, who really needs to know if someones gay or not, its just not interesting and its irrelevant.
if by 'talking' you mean 'chatting' over xbox live then no, i'm not against it, i talk random crap as much as the next person. I really don't know what your arguments about.
if by 'talking' you mean 'chatting' over xbox live then no, i'm not against it, i talk random crap as much as the next person. I really don't know what your arguments about.
Ever thought the reason why they put their sexual orientation in their profile is so that if they are chatting to someone that when the issue of 'relationships' come up - that they can tip toe around the issue if the person they're chatting to doesn't want to hear about their relationship?
There are lots of reasons why people might put their sexual orientation in their profile - and surprisingly enough it'll have nothing to do with wanting to hook up.
Personally I couldn't careless if someone's handle is "ButchyLesbo", "CampGay" "Straight4eva" or "BiGamer" - although I do wonder about people's self-esteem and mental state if they feel they need to share their sexual orientation do random strangers in a virtual environment without even saying hello.
Usual crap about a minority kicking off as it'll get them some press coverage, followed by MS pretending to listen to the minority and then have a good long think about it till the heat dies off. Nothing will get done, the BNP and homophobes get more charged up, the pro-gay liberators think it's some kind of victory and I get p*ssed that it even get the title of news.
People - grow up!
That's just super.
That's just super.
Considered people get banned for having gay in their username or profile... they are getting discriminated against. Special treament in the fact that they are getting treated wrong.
Apparently, equality for all is beyond your grasp. That's too bad.
Yes, a larger portion is the twats. I'm sure Microsoft cares plenty for your group.
yea. i thought so
I doubt it, considering it's not a crime to "hurt feelings". But let's downplay the case some more shall we?
I doubt it, considering it's not a crime to "hurt feelings". But let's downplay the case some more shall we?
Yeah, I am wondering what those quotes refer to. I don't think I've ever seen "hurt feelings" in a legal context.
As for the matter at hand, I see no problem with strictly enforcing a zero-sexuality policy for profiles. A gaming community isn't necessarily a dating site, and being strict about it helps prevent any of that myspace crap drama from becoming a problem for Microsoft next. If the site, however, has a place in your profile for something like interests, it shouldn't be an issue to write "girls" or "boys" in that look-at-me-i'm-being-cute way people put stuff like that down as an 'interest'. It's not sexual, and being attracted to someone isn't inherently a sexual matter either.
So I guess it comes down to what was written and where. But really, Microsoft is hardly anti-gay. They're actually pretty darn decent when it comes to that sort of thing. At least, decent enough that conservative extremists boycott them and accuse them of being part of the Gay Agenda (ONOEZ).
Ah, conservative extremists. The more extremely conservative, the more likely you are to kill someone. The more extremely liberal, the more likely you are to join a commune. Weird how one extreme is harmless, yet the other is barbaric. Ah well. People is people.
As far as the the discrimination is concerned, this is one of those stories that just makes me shake my head and sigh. Within any group, you always have the loud ones that just want to make mountains out of molehills. Most of us (I'm gay) are sensible enough to understand the policy and not get up in arms over it.
And I acknowledge that there are violent liberal extremists out there. I guess when I try to pull examples up in my mind, though, right extreme is your Phelps and KKK types, while left extreme is...uh...Whoopi? I dunno, it's hard to think of examples.
And environmental/animal rights groups are about as violent as bookends. They just, you know, stand in front of things.
But if you want to turn it into a personal attack with this "lib shades" business, go for it. It's great practice if you ever want to host your own AM radio show some day.
I know I've seen similar things about how hot/cute/etc their girlfriend is in a heterosexual context.
Actually, look into some of the more radical groups like parts of the PETA, and you will see people who do a lot more than stand around with signs.
People who burn buildings down, destroy property and threaten the lives of people who work in animal shelters, because they have to put animals that none want to sleep. These are people who put the lives of animals before humans.
That just an example. With ideology, we always have people who take it to the extreme, on either side of a given issue.
Now, Back on topic:
I think the reason this is an issue for parts of the gay community, is that being a minority, and being exposed to all the stigma associated with this sexual orientation, it becomes a part of their identity. If we liken this to the struggle of the black community, you start to see that its more political or identity related, rather than just "Hey everyone! guess what? I'm GAY!!!"
Personally I don't care whether a tag is like this, but I can see why any company would try to be careful about these things. I'm just concerned that this could become a real issue of where to draw the line. Should Political tags be banned? And what if your name seems to go against those rules (like the "gaywood" example..)
Oh well... i don't even have an XBox so i don't really care that much...
What proves it is that you think environmental/animal rights groups are passive and non violent.We had a group of people where I live go to prison for a long time for burning several car lots.They didnt like SUV's. Anarchist are very liberal but anti establishment, they want the hand out but they dont want to be controlled. Oregon has enough of both groups to make a good basis.
1. For the people concerned about kids...kids shouldn't be on XBL, period. Any parent who lets their kids game on XBL I consider irresponsible. You know the language and the way people talk on that.
2. What defines a "gay gamertag"? Something like Gamer123[GAY] ? Why is that necessary to announce? I don't use XBL really that much, but is there a large group of people who do something like Gamer123[HETERO] or something? IF there isn't, this is requesting a special service.
3. Anyone suing for "hurt feelings" must have forgotten the rhyme we are taught AS CHILDREN. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me". Some people forget this rhyme as adults and I can't seem to figure out why. Words hurt you? Honestly?
2. I think that's a bit skewed because being heterosexual is almost always assumed thus no need to have such an obvious tag while being homosexual is a bit more a special interest group. This happened on World of Warcraft too, they wanted a clan specifically for gay people and having that in the name makes it easier to find potential members.
3. "Hurt feelings" is the softening of what actually happened, a bit of damage control. Sounds better than suing for harassment and discrimination when his complaints were ignored by his boss.
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