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Anti-trans hate is ‘widespread’ on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, report warns
Meta is failing to enforce its own rules against anti-trans hate speech on its platform, a new report from GLAAD warns.
GLAAD's first annual gaming report is here to tell us how gay games are
“The game industry is out of step with contemporary media in terms of LGBTQ representation, and it is failing its LGBTQ customers,” according to GLAAD's first annual gaming report.
GLAAD: Social media platforms don't do enough to protect LGBTQ users
GLAAD's latest social media report condemns Facebook, Twitter and TikTok over their alleged lack of LGBTQ protections.
'The Sims 4' players can now customize their characters' pronouns
EA and Maxis say it's a step toward making the game more inclusive.
Ads on Facebook are spreading misinformation about anti-HIV drugs
While many are focused on Facebook's unwillingness to curb false political ads, there appears to be another misinformation campaign going unchecked. The Guardian and GLAAD have noted that personal injury law firms continue to run Facebook ads making false claims about the risks of Truvada, a drug meant to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission. Some float the specters of bone loss and kidney damage despite evidence that the risks of either are "not clinically significant," according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
'Life is Strange' dev's upcoming game centers on twins and trans identity
Dontnod Entertainment has more than Twin Mirror on its slate for next year. At X019, Xbox Games Studios announced the Life is Strange developer is working on another narrative adventure title for 2020 called Tell Me Why. You'll play as twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan, who try to untangle their childhood memories while a mystery plays out in small-town Alaska.
Tinder adds trans-inclusive gender options
Starting today, Tinder users in the US, UK and Canada will have the option to define their own gender. Where previously, users could only choose between male or female, now they can pick transgender, trans man, trans woman, or whatever term they identify with. Additionally, they can opt to appear in male or female searches, and decide to not disclose their gender at all.
Dragon Age: Inquisition gets special recognition from GLAAD
GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has given a special recognition award to Dragon Age: Inquisition. The 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which has a laundry list of award categories, including comics, singled out the BioWare RPG from the video game pack. David Gaider, lead writer for the Dragon Age series at BioWare has spoken in the past about the "hump of assumptions" involved in creating and including lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters in video games. Inquisition featured the first "fully gay" characters in the series. Straight and bisexual characters have been a BioWare standard for over a decade. Bioware parent company, Electronic Arts, has also repeated received a 100 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. The publisher earned the achievement again in 2015. [Image: C. Felichidá]
Xbox Live Code of Conduct updated: sexual orientation terms now permitted in Gamertags and profiles
The times, they are a-changin'. In an open letter to Xbox Live members, Microsoft's Marc Whitten has announced that the Xbox Live Code of Conduct has been altered to allow members to "more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles." Looking over the updated code, it appears that the major change directly affects references to sexual orientation. Specifically, the terms "lesbian," "gay," "bi," "transgender" and "straight" are now allowed in both Gamertags and user profiles. According to Whitten, the change has been made as the result of customer feedback. Early last year, something of a controversy erupted when an Xbox Live user was allegedly banned from Xbox Live for identifying herself as a lesbian in her Xbox Live profile. The report brought to light an ongoing conversation on the matter between the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Microsoft. At the time, Microsoft claimed that it didn't allow users to express any form of sexual orientation -- including heterosexuality -- in an effort to prevent player harassment. Obviously, Microsoft's stance on the matter has changed, though the company is still wary of possible harassment. Whitten states as much in his letter, noting that the new Code of Conduct also includes "increased stringency and enforcement to prevent misuse" of the newly allowed terms. Whitten concludes his letter by stating, "I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community."
GLAAD fights homophobia in online communities like WoW
We've talked here on the site before about this issue -- the anonymity in online communities like World of Warcraft often leads to people throwing out offensive statements that they usually wouldn't in normal company. Most people shrug these off as just what happens in online games ("kids will be kids, and idiots will be idiots"), but this type of undercurrent behavior still signifies and perpetuates prejudices and hatreds that affect society at large. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has recently started up a campaign to try and stamp out hatred and homophobia in communities like World of Warcraft, and they've published an op-ed on exactly why this is such a problem and what we can do to stop it. They don't mention WoW specifically, but we're one of the biggest online communities out there, and if nothing else, here's a chance to show just how tolerant we as a community can be.The good news is that as the practice of online gaming grows, both players and policymakers are becoming more and more aware of the problem -- Microsoft met earlier this year with representatives from GLAAD to determine how better to combat offensive statements on Xbox Live, and the organization held a panel recently to discuss exactly this issue.Thanks, Joshua!
EA and GLAAD to host a panel against homophobia in online games
Tomorrow marks an interesting event in Redwood City, CA as Electronic Arts teams up with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) to host a panel regarding homophobia in online games.The panel will be featuring some major industry players, including GayGamer founder Flynn DeMarco (AKA Fruit Brute), senior director of communications and industry affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Dan Hewitt, senior producer Caryl Shaw from Maxis Studio, Linden Lab's vice president of customer relations Cyn Skyberg, and Xbox Live's program manager Stephen Toulouse (Gamertag: Stepto.)Stephen Toulouse's presence at the panel is especially interesting, as Microsoft has come under fire for some rather inflammatory anti-gay policies.The panel will be moderated by GLAAD's Justin Cole, their director of digital and online media. The panel will take place tomorrow, July 18th, from 11 AM to 1 PM Pacific time.
EA GLAAD to host panel addressing homophobia in online gaming
Entitled "Homophobia in Virtual Communities," a new panel, initiated by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and hosted at EA's Redwood City headquarters, will delve into methods of combating hateful language and discriminatory behavior encountered and propagated by online game players. According to Gamasutra, those contributing to the discussion this Saturday, July 18th, will include GayGamer founder Flynn de Marco, Maxis senior producer Caryl Shaw, and Stephen Toulouse, program manager and virtual bouncer for Xbox Live. Those with clear recollections or inexplicable mastery of our terrible in-site search will recognize Toulouse as one of the voices heard in a recent debate regarding Xbox Live's GLBT policies. Unless you're under the impression that GLBT is a kind of sandwich, it may be worth your while to gain further details on the panel over at the GLAAD website.
Microsoft talks to GLAAD about GLBT policy issues
Stephen Toulouse, handler of Xbox Live Terms of Service policing, appeared on last Sunday's Major Nelson podcast to speak about how Microsoft is handling the concerns of the GLBT community. He recently sat down with two representatives from GLAAD to speak about the policy and what Microsoft could be doing better. Speaking about the meeting, Toulouse said, "We asked them the question, 'How can we do this better?' ... That dialog was super, super helpful. I think it was a great engagement."Problems arose in late February when an Xbox Live user named "Teresa" identified her sexual preference in her profile and was subsequently suspended from the service, seemingly due to self-identifying as a lesbian. Microsoft told us at the time that it suspends accounts that identify "any form of sexual orientation" and it seems as though Mr. Toulouse and GLAAD are working toward a more hospitable situation for everyone involved (be they from the GLBT community or not). We reached out to GLAAD for comment on the meeting and spoke with Justin Cole, the Director of Digital & Online Media, who told us, "They [Microsoft] were very, very receptive and welcoming with all the suggestions. They even admitted that their policy isn't the best in the world. What we, at the end of the meeting, decided is that we're going to have quarterly meetings with them. They're going to be heading out to a panel on homophobia and online gaming in Silicon Valley that we're putting together later this year." We'll be speaking with Mr. Cole in the upcoming days and finding out more about the future of GLAAD's involvement with Xbox Live and, in general, online gaming.[Via GayGamer.net]
