silly goose. transphobia dosnt exists
2 Likes
I was trying not to single you out. Or anybody really. The thing is, on WoW, even tho I love it people are really freaking hostile to women, trans women, they still even make freaking gay men jokes. And it’s old and tiresome. And when people flag themselves as friendly to the community in general I look at that as a comfort thing. Because I’ve had my fair share of assaults and whatnot like I’m sure we all do.
When my real life is being hit or screamed at when I stay out in public then I’d like the game to make it very, very obvious who to trust. Because it isn’t that way in real life. And even with the flag bad stuff slips thru.
And fair enough I suppose about the extra letters, I just like, perceived it as disrespect combined with (what I perceived) as a flippant tone.
So, like, I felt it needed to be said that some of us like to deal with themes from our personal lives in RP and having a big “LGBT+ Friendly” flag eases my mind by making the choice of which RP guild to join or whatevs easy. Because offline I get bullied a lot as I’m sure we all do.
That’s all I wanted to say without targeting you specifically.
Oh, holy fel, “Transphobia doesn’t exist?” I thought you were a nice person. This fox has “Nope” written all over him or her.
For real? “Transphobia doesn’t exist?” I don’t really wanna talk to you now…
Yeah, like, transphobia does exist. You’re not a better human or Vulpera or whatevs because you are cisgender. Please leave me alone if you can’t be nice.
5 Likes
Once i got called trans-phobic for absolutely nothing i might aswell meme back with the troll. Obviously i dont believe that but ill take blame for not making it clear, i just responded with something blatantly crazy to respond to crazy, catch what i mean?
I have empathy for you. id like to say dont trust off of words alone tho. It can be used as camo for people.
2 Likes
If you’ve got your britches in a snit on someone declaring themselves LGBT friendly in their TRP profile, you’re exhibiting the behavior of a textbook transphobe/homophobe (You pick, one or both.)
1 Like
I understand for people who probably do not understand what LGBT+ Friendly means, it might just seem like an empty “Hey look at how woke and accepting I am”. I’ve seen people fall into the hole of saying how stupid it was to put it there, why does it need to be stated? Is it not enough to just be a decent a person, why should I HAVE to wave a flag around?
And I do get it, and sure…might someone plaster it there just for the sake of looking good? Maybe, people are not a hive mind and no two people are a like…
But even if someone is there just to be social pandering or whatever, how is that so devastating? The idea that someone knows that at least this person is decent, or doesn’t have to worry, is relief enough.
This game has a very diverse setting of races, skin tones and cultures. But one thing people do not seem to understand or accept are any form of lgbt+ type characters being roleplayed. I’ve had many friends deal with whispers putting them down, disgustingly so at times, simply for having a character who falls beneath this umbrella term. It is a much easier target, because those who have characters like this fall under that umbrella irl themselves.
So to put LGBT+ Friendly into the TRP is not about being some social woke whatever, but to let those around you know that your character concepts are not going to be harassed, bullied, ostracized and treated in a unrealistic Real World manner where people try to justify IRL Homophobia in the game (where it would not really exist how it does for us in the real world of Earth, which I hope some people understand that.)
Things are created for a reason, and this is a harmless trend that does nothing except make some people feel at ease or at the very least make you read a few extra letters. Empathy is far more powerful than ignorance, and to be ignorant only hinders connections that can be made.
Be safe everyone, stay safe, and be kind to each other.
This is exactly why I use it. It’s not for social points or clout or whatever, it’s so that LGBT+ role players know that they can engage with me safely and comfortably.
I’ve been here since Vanilla, when homophobia was pretty much the standard among the player base. I know it’s better these days, but folk are still wary of opening up around strangers when it comes to creative gameplay.
2 Likes
Hey! Just wanted to drop by and give my two cents because as someone who spends free time studying LGBTQ+ history, I find this whole discussion very interesting (and also very directly connected to the politics of the gay rights movement in the 70’s and the reason for the split between the Mattachine Society and the Gay Liberation Front).
So, here’s the thing: in LGBTQ+ history, there’s this debate called assimilation vs. liberation. I highly encourage people to read up on it (as it is a really fascinating subject and it’s always good to learn your history), but I will do my best to summarize & apply it to this conversation:
Assimilationists are people who want to see LGBTQ+ folks fully integrated into society in a seamless way, where they are viewed exactly the same as any other person & society doesn’t see them as different, weird, etc. The goal is to be “normal”—somebody’s gay, somebody’s straight, somebody’s cis, someboday’s trans? Doesn’t matter! We’re all humans! No need to draw attention to any differences.
Liberationists, however, are happy with the ways in which they are different from non-LGBTQ+ people. They want to be treated equally and to not be discriminated against, but they don’t want to just “blend in” with the rest of society. They believe that LGBTQ+ people have their own unique culture and community, and that culture & community makes up an important part of their identity. To them, it’s not a bad thing—but it is definitely different! And liberationists embrace and celebrate that difference, rather than attempt to appear “just the same” as everybody else.
I draw these distinctions because that seems to be the root of the argument here, if I may be allowed a bit of generalization. An LGBTQ+ person who doesn’t like the attention drawn by a “LGBTQ+ friendly” tag is likely leaning more toward the assimilationist side—they don’t like it being treated as anything out of the ordinary, and would prefer if people didn’t try to set themselves apart because they feel it sets a standard of LGBTQ+ness being “odd.”
Someone who writes “LGBTQ+ friendly” (or supports it being written) in their TRP would most likely lean more toward a liberationist mindset: they want to identify others who are a part of their community and to mark themselves so that others can identify them too. LGBTQ+ community and culture and pride are extremely important to liberationist LGBTQ+ people, and this is a way of identifying and bonding with others of that same community and culture in a simple, no-hassle way.
Though I tend not to write LGBTQ+ friendly in my own TRP (same way I don’t write “no ERP” even though I don’t ERP), I personally support those who choose to do so, because I too am a liberationist and I take great comfort and pride in finding my people and bonding with them over our shared culture and community. I understand that not everyone feels that way, but we do, and this is our most direct and effective method. RP isn’t always just about RP; it’s about making friends and forming OOC relationships with like-minded individuals. So we want to be able to spot each other & make friends with other members of our LGBTQ+ community!
(That’s not to say that allies can’t use this tag as well! I just find it far more common for LGBTQ+ people to use it, so it’s generally a pretty good way to find other LGBTQ+ players.)
I hope this helped clear things up a little. I always enjoy talking about LGBTQ+ history and community. And so I find it especially interesting when I see it manifest in modern discussions like this one! It’s like seeing the product of history in action. 
It’s fun to trace things back in time!
8 Likes
i never thought id learn something on the forums. 10/10
1 Like
Yes it is a red flag… but not to what you think. The fact that it is a flag at all is a symbol of how far we have yet to go.
The fact that this is an issue that raises such strong emotions is proof positive
1 Like