Not sure what happened but my last post got deleted.
Within minutes of starting a new character called Gaymen, I was immediately suspended for 48 hours with a forced name change. I’ve had multiple characters with Gay in the name to express myself in-game and never had a problem with this.
Since when did Blizzard allow automated bans for use of the word “Gay” in player names? Why is Blizzard enabling bigotry and discrimination in their game?
Suspension email:
Action(s) Taken:
Account Suspended
Gaymen was permanently renamed, or is going to be renamed.
Violation: Inappropriate Name
Your fellow players reported your in-game name as inappropriate multiple times.
Suspension expires on: 2024 November 30 02:52 UTC
After a thorough investigation of the evidence, we have Suspended your World of Warcraft account.
There is no such thing, as you see player reports will get validated by a GM before action is taken.
Edit:
GM has commented that such names are considered neutral/positive and that it was put on a list of inappropriate names. A secondary review for similar names will be done.
It is still there, if you didn’t do it intentionally you accidentally clicked the trash icon and reposted on a different character.
If you are receiving suspensions almost immediately it is because you have a history of breaking this rule and it has been noted as such on your account.
While you feel you must express yourself in that manner, you must also ensure it is appropriate for the game. Gay by itself is not an issue that I can see, whatever follows was likely the compounding factor.
There is no discrimination at all. Mentioning that you have a plethora of similar names following the same theme but this is the only one with issues would only reinforce that. Or you just aren’t on them frequently enough for other people to report, I suppose.
My main question is whether this character is on an RP server or not? As those servers have an additional ruleset that must be adhered to.
You got reported because the name is not appropriate for the game. It can be considered to be an insult to persons of a particular orientation, or at the very least - disruptive. Intent does not matter, it matters how other players would view the name. Your suspension is because you have had past naming infractions - probably two.
You will need to select a name that does not violate the rules when you can log in again.
Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:
Insultingly refer to any aspect of sexual/romantic orientation or gender identity/expression (male, female, trans-gender, bi-gender, pangender, genderfluid, agender or any non-binary identity not listed) pertaining to themselves or other players
Inappropriate Language
This category includes language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:
Are a mildly inappropriate reference to human anatomy or bodily functions
Are otherwise considered objectionable
Bypass the Mature Language filter
For the record, sexual innuendo is also not appropriate for the game in player names/chat.
I refuse to believe that the name “Gaymen” violates the naming rules when “Gayboys” does not. Simply do a /who gay on the realm to see the dozen plus character names that are able to express their orientation without fear of account bans.
If reported “gayboys” would also be changed by the GMs. Is it not appropriate for the game.
You can self report your names that are not appropriate via a ticket and the GMs are usually pretty lenient in letting you rename them without a penalty. Future reports are going to result in longer suspensions.
Here are a few more of the rule to read over
Communication
When participating in communication of any kind (chat, voice communication, group finder), you are responsible for how you express yourself. You may not use language that could be offensive or vulgar to others.
Hate speech and discriminatory language is inappropriate, as is any obscene or disruptive language. Threatening or harassing another player is always unacceptable, regardless of language used. Violating any of these expectations will result in account restrictions. More serious and repeated violations will result in greater restrictions.
Naming
Names are subject to the same rules established above. Any name the player has the ability to customize—such as player names, BattleTags, and guild names—must be appropriate and inoffensive. Any name that violates our standards or disrupts the community will be changed, and additional limitations may be placed on the offending account per our discretion.
Take note that acceptable names are determined by player reports and Blizzard’s decision, and role-playing servers may have distinct standards for using game-appropriate names.
Straight people can’t go around calling themselves sexual terms without getting reported either. This is not the place to put your orientation in the name of a character. The game is not about sex.
Now Blizz can change their rules at any time. But generally sexual/sex related stuff is deamed inappropriate for the game, and if reported gets actioned.
If you see another name that violates the rules, do report it. And the suggestion for self reports was a good one, esp as you are already at the suspension stage for inappropriate names. It only stacks from there.
We have a spam detection system in place and since you’ve not posted before it likely was quarantined for a moderator to check it out so they can approve it.
I’m not seeing it in that queue though, so not sure what may have happened to it.
You normally shouldn’t. Our policies on these names is as long as they are Neutral/Positive they are permitted. We try to keep an eye out for those who are using those names to be insulting or used in conjunction with other things, such as titles, to make them inappropriate, etc… but on the surface, the name should have been fine.
That usually indicates a mistake may have been made and that somehow got on a list of bad names. That can be fixed, but given the holiday it may take several days so while your appeal can get the penalty removed if you use the name again there is a high risk that the name will be struck down again if reported.
So. I’d say, wait for your appeal to be reviewed but select a different name for now. Once we can get the issue with the name looked at it should be safe again.
That was my understanding, so thank you for verifying my suspicions.
I’m 20 or so hours into the suspension. My initial appeal received the following canned response:
Your ticket has received the following response:
Greetings,
This action has been taken in accordance with our Terms of Use and our In-game Policies ( https://blizzard.com/support/article/42673 ), which all players acknowledge and agree to prior to playing. These policies and conditions allow us to maintain a fun and safe game environment for all of our players.
I’ll be frank with ya. Vrak says the other name is allowed and so it is, I guess. I don’t see how the one you are posting is, though. Not my call, alas. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving whatever happens.
