If you’re a proud Lesbian, Gay, Transgender or BI gamer, chances are you heard of Microsoft’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on Xbox Live that came under fire last year. A round of suspensions and bannings spurred from people identifying their sexual orientation within Gamertags and personal bios sparked a bit of controversy, and the LBGT community was all up in arms (as I think they should be…) about the policy.
Today it’s no more. Microsoft has announced that a change to the Xbox Live Code of Conduct allows gamers to express their sexual orientation in Xbox Live profiles or Gamertags.
The new policy states:
“You may use the following terms to express your relationship orientation in your profile or Gamertag: Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender, Straight. Other terms regarding relationship orientation are not allowed. In addition you may not use these terms or any other terms regarding relationship orientation to insult, harass, or any other pejorative use against other users.”
So using any of those in a demeaning or insulting fashion is grounds for a banning.
This morning the head of Xbox Live policy and enforcement Stephen Toulouse wrote on Twitter that he was “proud to announce” the worldwide changes made live today with a “Special thanks to GLAAD and Microsoft’s LGBT community for guidance on the terms.”
