Not the first time Microsoft and gay have appeared in the same sentence, Eurogamer have picked up on a story from the Associated Press regarding an Xbox 360 user banned for having the word gay in his profile. The problem? He’s from Gay, Fort Gay in fact, a happy little hamlet of 800 well-dressed folk in West Virginia.
Explaining it’s a place and nothing to do with his sexual preference, Josh Moore’s declarations of heterosexuality fell on deaf ears when speaking with Microsoft customer service. He was promptly banhammered. Even the Mayor of Fort Gay got involved.
Eventually Stephen Toulouse, chief of Xbox Live police (not an ominous title at all), was contacted and reversed the ludicrous suspension. Toulouse apologised and said:
“Someone took the phrase ‘fort gay WV’ and believed that the individual who had that was trying to offend, or trying to use it in a pejorative manner. Unfortunately, one of my people agreed with that. When it was brought to my attention, we did revoke the suspension. In this very, very specific case, a mistake was made and we’re going to make it right.”
Fair warning to the inhabitants of Balls Town, Shitville (where I live) and Cape Cock. Microsoft (probably) does not like where you live.
Source: Eurogamer
maneorix
We have a place in Denmark called “Lem”, that translates into ‘cock’. Means the same in Danish :>
Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio
but that isn’t the scieniftic term :D
Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio
looks like they’re need to get some edivence first before banning a innocent citizen..
Anyway lolz
MegaBonez
*cough* homophobic *cough*
Gay means merry or bright or fun. MICROSOFT-IN-THE-HEAD!
3shirts
Did you actually read the story? They didn’t ban him because they thought he WAS gay, they did it because they thought he was being offensive about gays.
lewis815
How is using the word gay in a profile being offensive may I ask?
Tuffcub
Well that’s he point. It’s not.. unless you happen to be Microsoft who think it is.
cc_star
On Microsoft’s network, and in many online communities the word gay is used in sentences either abusing gay people or meant in a derogatory way as a term of abuse to randoms. The word is one of many which throws a red flag up in monitoring centres, and as they said they got this wrong.
hazelam
being offensive about gay people by what? calling them gay?
i can’t speak for anybody else but i don’t find the word gay offensive, i like it actually, it makes it seem like other than being attracted to the same sex you’re really happy, not necessarily the case but it’s a nice illusion :) the only people that seem to be bothered are religious zealots and homophobes, and to be blunt, who gives a fuck if it bothers them?
besides, upsetting them is a plus point in anybody’s book surely?
cc_star
Of course calling gay people (or anyone) gay isn’t offensive, but it is a word which may be in a sentence which does abuse someone who happens to be gay. Or the word itself could be used in a derogatory fashion
hazelam
but banning it like that reinforces the attitude that there’s something wrong with being gay and legitimises those who use the word as such.
maybe ms have a different opinion but i don’t believe banning any use of the word is going stop people using it that way, you make something illicit and it automatically becomes more attractive, the use of the word in that way not the sexual orientation.
is there corporate homophobia at ms?
well you can post a word like nazi on the official forums but gay is banned.
that is a fucking joke.
scavenga
There’s a place here in Norway called Hell.
It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I get an Xbox.
Mike
Cape Cock – hahahaha. Brightened up my morning =]
seedaripper1973
Well i live in Bristol…er..Bristols? ah screw it…
STILLCANTTHINKOFAGOODPSNNAME
i live in a shit hole but alas i will never own a box or post where i live
Hoppers77
I grew up in a village called Prickwillow
hazelam
there’s this place called chelmsford, ha, chelmsford. :)
wait….. what was the joke again?
david
this story is relevant if the guy was in fact gay…was he?
Kovacs
He was not. As the article states: he declared his non-gay feelings to the customer service rep.
mcphatty
Sounds like a bit of a weirdo if he rings up to complain about his subscription being chopped and ends up trying to get a date with the callcentre girl