Microsoft bans Fort Gay Xbox Live gamer
A gamer from Fort Gay, WV, was booted off Xbox Live simply for stating his location. Because Microsoft is clearly homophobic.
For a long time Microsoft discriminated against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were. Microsoft fortunately realized this wasn’t the Victorian era, and changed this policy earlier in the year. But if you live somewhere with a name that could be considered offensive then you still may be screwed.
According to the Associated Press, 26-year-old Josh Moore found himself suspended from Xbox Live for accurately stating that he’s from Fort Gay, West Virginia. He contacted Microsoft to try and explain, but the employee he spoke to refused to reinstate his account and actually stated that it would be canceled and he’d lose the fees he had paid in advance if he put Fort Gay back on his profile.
Moore has now been given a reprieve, with Microsoft admitting this was a mistake. But not before the town’s mayor and a local TV station got involved on his behalf.
I know Microsoft has a duty to prevent anyone being offended on Xbox Live but this was clearly over the top. Especially as gamers continue to get away with verbally calling other players all the names under the sun.
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27 Responses to “Microsoft bans Fort Gay Xbox Live gamer”
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September 8th, 2010
ahahahahahah….Fort Gay.. Priceless.
September 8th, 2010
The decision was reversed & the policy has been reversed.
Typical damned if you do damned if you don’t situation.
They tried to keep the adolescent idiots with their purient sex obsessions quiet and got caught with unintended consequences.
Just out of interest & for the sake of balance Dave, does Sony “discriminate against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were” on PSN?
September 8th, 2010
Wahh wahhh. What does Sony do. Typical fanboy response. The power of the fanboy misdirection lies with happy.
September 8th, 2010
Nothing “wahh wahhh” about it phranc.
Just asking the obvious question if there’s a double standard at work here, again.
So, why don’t you tell us, can you post details about your sexuality on PSN?
Microsoft can at least point to changing their policy (and making an apology to the town of Fort Gay).
September 8th, 2010
HH is back at whining….
PSN has a “freedom of speech” policy….can’t get any better than that.
September 8th, 2010
No HH you ‘needed’ confirmation that Microsoft ain’t the only company who will discriminate against some ones sexual orientation, just to make yourself feel better about your beloved company.
September 9th, 2010
Hey that’s one state under me
September 9th, 2010
Sheesh.. How about all the gamers here in Pa? Sooner or later gamers here will get banned lol. We have some some special town names such as Intercourse, and Bird in hand lmao.
“Where you from?”
“Intercourse, Pa”
Yeah thats going to go over really well lol
@Happy
“Microsoft can at least point to changing their policy (and making an apology to the town of Fort Gay).”
Maybe Major Nelson should do some major’s Minute segments from Fort Gay?
September 9th, 2010
i wouldnt be suprised if MS banned multi-console owners off live. . . .this is microshaft were talking about.
September 9th, 2010
I originally took this story as a joke with a “who cares” attitude attached to that joke, then I saw the guy contacted MS and they still didn’t fix this after an explanation. The damn Mayor had to get involved too?
They deserve the pie in their face they got over this.
Microsoft is on a roll lately.
-Offending their core userbase,
http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/News/230934,microsofts-kinect-launch-laughs-at-sweaty-gamers.aspx
-Charging $10 more for XBL in some regions.
-Forced to pay for the charge kit if you want the new and improved controller….$65
oh and Happy. to answer your question
“The Xbox Live player’s contract says users cannot “create a gamertag, avatar or use text in other profile fields that may offend other members,” and lists potentially dangerous topics such as drug use, hate speech and racial, ethnic or religious slurs.”
I can’t say what Sony’s stance is but I have a friend on my list that is boytoucher and another that is fecal matter.
September 9th, 2010
^This.
September 9th, 2010
LMAO happy just got O-W-N-E-D!!!
September 9th, 2010
@Fahkin,
Which is better, Bird in Hand or Two in bush?
September 9th, 2010
@phranc
I’m not really sure how I should comment to that lol
September 9th, 2010
“owned” by what?
Microsoft recognised there was a problem with how they were doing things, they changed policy & they publicly apologised.
Once again they have done the right thing.
Naturally instead of being applauded for this they get childish brickbats from the Pbot gang.
I’m just wondering how the other lot square up in this.
It seems a glaringly obvious question – but not one Dave seems to want to ask or comment on.
My bet (in view of the vague comments & lack of concrete info) is that PSN is exactly the same as Microsoft was
(in Dave’s words they “discriminate against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were)
but they don’t actually come out and say it.
In otherwords, if true, then once again it’s a clear & obvious hypocritical position for the Pbot gang to throw sh!t at Xbox/Microsoft when their preferred system is no different……
…..well, in fact (if this is true) the PSN situation is worse, they have neither changed policy nor apologised to anyone.
September 9th, 2010
This was current news about XBL, not PSN. While you make a interesting inquiry, and one I don’t have an answer to, this incident is current events and news that revolves around XBL. Trying to prove Dave is some sort of hypocrite when the current news is not about PSN makes you appear a bit DEFENSIVE.
If you know of a similar incident that happened with PSN, and one that made the news and the Mayor had to get involved, please feel free to share.
You don’t have to defend MS at every position. They should have fixed this incident on the first phone call.
September 9th, 2010
phranc
Actually I did not try “to prove Dave is some sort of hypocrite”.
(although from the headline and tone of much of the article you’d not know things have changed…..and there’s no mention of the public apology
http://www.inquisitr.com/84287/microsoft-apologizes-for-banning-of-gamer-from-fort-gay/)
We had the initial story, it turns out that Microsoft has now changed policy & they have publicly apologised.
The fact is that the initial story is over & done with.
So, that being the case
(and it is, they did change policy & publicly apologise),
it seems to me to be perfectly reasonable to move on & enquire what the situation is elsewhere.
(……or do you think it’s reasonable to continue throwing sh!t at Microsoft for a situation which is now a thing of the past, has been left behind, out-dated & no longer applies?)
You know as well as I do that PSN is where Microsoft was, except nobody has publicly asked or been told.
This is just the usual double-standard BS, added to by the hypocrites who love to point out the mote in Microsoft’s eye & prefer not to address the beam in their own eye.
September 10th, 2010
I love scrolling past HH’s posts. I always catch words like ‘laughably’ ‘double standard’ pbot’ ‘hypocrites’
This guy uses the same words again and again. Crack a dictionary some time HH.
September 10th, 2010
@Happy,
What was it that you disliked about Sony and/or the Playstation brand?
September 10th, 2010
HH is back at whining….
PSN has a “freedom of speech” policy….can’t get any better than that.
September 10th, 2010
not the same as “My bet (in view of the vague comments & lack of concrete info) is that PSN is exactly the same as Microsoft (XBL) was”
if anything PSN bleep out the words (rare case) but that certainly won’t get you banned.
September 10th, 2010
Is that where HH is from?
September 11th, 2010
LMAO
Wriggle wriggle.
Microsoft have changed policy & apologised.
That story is dead.
The point regarding PSN (and PSN+ for that matter) is straight from Dave’s own text –
Do they “discriminate against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were”?
The fact that the usual suspects here want to avoid this and waffle on their usual pointless fanboy stupidity speaks volumes.
Hypocrites.
September 11th, 2010
LOL he was paying for Live and he still got banned, that doesn’t happen on PSN.
MS apologized after the major got involved lol
pathetic
September 13th, 2010
Try answering the question
Do they “discriminate against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were”?
September 13th, 2010
PSN has a “freedom of speech” policy – there is your answer.
do you need me to break it down for you?
September 18th, 2010
Typical.
That does not actuially answer the questyion.
So do they ““discriminate against anyone who wasn’t straight; not allowing gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals to state what they were”?
The issue is not what they claim, the issue is how many people are on PSN stating they are gay, bisexual or transgender.
My bet is not one is there saying such a thing on PSN because there is nowhere for them to and/or it is not allowed.