Pride Month may have ended, but pride (lowercase) is all year round — and that includes video games. Fortnite has added a new event called Rainbow Royale to the game, celebrating diversity, community, and its many LGBTQ+ players with rainbow items, new songs by LGBTQ+ artists, and massive pride flags.
The rainbow items include:
- Four new rainbow sprays (llama, heart, disco ball grenade, and star)
- A "Sunshine & Rainbows" wrap
- The "Take a'Bow" emote
There is also a new rainbow flag prop in Fortnite Creative.
There will also be new music in the Battle Royale, borrowed from Rocket League's Love ISLV playlist last month, and celebrating specifically LGBTQ+ musicians:
Love Izlv Radio
BEATBOX
- Big Freedia - Platinum
- Lil Nas X - Montero
RADIO UNDERGROUND
- King Princess - Pain
- Troye Sivan - STUD
- Ben Platt - Imagine
POWER PLAY
- Daya - Bad Girl
- Hayley Kiyoko - Found My Friends
- Kim Petras - Malibu
The Rainbow Royale event runs from today, July 20th, through to July 27th at 8pm ET (July 28th, 1am BST).
[source epicgames.com]
Comments 112
I may be the only person who has never played even 1 second of this game.
I like that you said pride is year round. I wish more people approached their lives by taking pride in who they are.
This is pretty cool, but you know, I don't play fotnite anymore so, I still care that this kind of stuff is in games tho.
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I’m glad that EPIC Games is recognizing the LGBTQ community. I’m bisexual myself, but I wonder if this is just a PR ploy to attract even more players. There have been reports of an extreme “bro” culture at EPIC games (which is normally not a very accepting culture), and “bro” culture is extremely apparent in the players. Most Fortnite players I’ve met were extremely homophobic, transphobic, and biphobic. The devs may have added LGBTQ celebrations to Fortnite, but I doubt it will change players for the better and it sure won’t convince me to play the game.
At least the stuff is free! And Kim Petras and Big Freedia in Fortnite is just plain bonkers.
@BloodNinja we need less ‘pride’ and more humility, imho.
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Brilliant! Absolutely no downside to this, 100% positive
I don't think Fortnite even had music last time I played it, lol. There's so much random stuff in the game now I think I'd find it too overwhelming to redownload it at this point (unless they add Samus, then I would) but it's a fun game and I'm glad to see things like this in it.
@JSDude1 There is an appropriate level of self pride that is tempered with humility. The sad fact is we live in a world where some people are in desperate need of self pride. I agree that some folks, regardless of background, become boastful. It all needs to balanced with several virtues.
@MrPavoPeacock You know what I hate more then anything, is company's that pay no head to the LGBTQ, only when they need to suck up to them for some money, Disney Cough.
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@Snatcher You do realise that Disney literally don’t suck up to us, right? The entire problem is that China and the Middle East are a larger market and so they make a lot more money if they do the exact opposite of pandering. You always bring this up, what exactly is your problem?
@JSDude1 Wow. Not many people seem to realise this these days
You're a little late honestly...
I come from a religious background with what some might call a "traditional" view on things like marriage and gender. I'm not about forcing my views upon others though and strive to treat everyone equally and pay due respect. There's no place for hateful slurs, violence, or harassment in civilized society, and anyone who does so fails to embody the teachings of Jesus.
I generally don't share my views on social media in fear of being dehumanized as homophobic and subsequently "cancelled." But I'm stepping outside my comfort zone to express where I stand in hopes of being proven wrong. I would love to see a world where we can all happily coexist in spite of differing viewpoints. Much love to everyone, regardless of who you are.
Play fortnite with voice chat and the last thing you will find is respect with homosexual people.
It is awesome initiative, don't get me wrong, but if they really care with the well being of LGBTQ+ players, they need to start to take action against those awful homophobic players.
Raise a flag is cool, but concrete actions is what really protect people.
@BloodNinja definitely, there needs to be a balance - Domo
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@nessisonett Ok one, I think this is the first time I'm talking about it but if I did I can't remember, so i'm sorry, and two, I'm talking about the time Disney put a pride month poster on twitter, this year I think, but the issue with people was that disney has not always shown support for the LGBTQ, I think people was bringing up the time disney got rid of a gay relationship.
Look I'm really just going on based on what I remember so I can be completely wrong, also I really can't remember be bringing this up before.
Now if what I say is indeed not fact I will take back what I said.
@MrPavoPeacock so they’re dammed if they do, dammed if they don’t….
@MrPavoPeacock definitely a PR move imo. The game is actually dying and they need something to get more players
At this point the questions we should be asking is what isn't in fortnite, imo every new addition seems less special than the last due to this.
All in all this is good for those that actually care about these kind of stuff. But meh, I never saw the appeal of this game.
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As a member of the LGBTQ, I was very excited until I saw it was the generic rainbow flag. No trans flag, no non binary, just the corporate rainbow as per usual. They could also, yknow, donate to LGBTQ charities and groups, but gotta pander for those publicity points I guess
@Snatcher Who cares about a poster? Is that pandering? What money were they making off the back of a poster? Regardless of Disney as a corporation, there will be rather a lot of people working for them that are a part of that community, not just consumers. Pandering makes it sound as if they’re changing artistic visions to suck up to the big bad gays when in fact the absolute opposite is happening and extremely mild ‘representation’ is being cut out of movies to sell them to Russia, China and the Middle East.
""Everyone is welcome on the Battle Bus" where they're on their way to start shooting the crap out of one another! \(^o^)// Wait, what?
Not to denounce the thought or the event, but talk about unintentionally surreal contexts.😅
@nessisonett Well It seemed like a lot of people did, They were complaining about it.
@Snatcher As you can see from the removed comments in this comment section here, people complain whenever anything is even slightly related to LGBTQ+.
@nessisonett Ok I agree with all of your points, I still think Disney tries to get in on some of that LGBTQ action only when they need it.
You can only have a positive opinion about this.
I have never played even a second of the game but representation IS always a good thing.
I remember the rainbow colored car in Beetle Adventure Racing… you had to work to unlock that one haha. “Back in my day, we had to work for our pride! Now they just give it away for free!”
Hope this stuff stays around for good.
IMPORTANT EDIT: I just saw that I made a typo in my original post and it said “representation ISN’T always a good thing.”
I mean to say IS always a good thing — SORRY YA’LL!
I'm sure nobody cares or needs to know what type of girls I like. That being the case it might be easier for some people to understand the fact that I don't give an ***** who they like, how they like to dress or what they do in their bedrooms. They wanted respect and normalization and they got just that. Can you all now just let us focus on the real problems we face as individuals and as a society? Please?
@Kevember should've just left it at the first sentence tbh
@Darlinfan touché, I guess.😆
@nessisonett That happens in literally every article. But maybe it feels more meaningful when its a social topic? Also important to note that the controversial comments are about whether or not the corporate move or the article is a good idea; no one here ever has an issue with LGBTQIA+ people themselves.
Maybe that doesn't comfort you, but it comforts me so I thought I'd share.
Came here to view the beautiful ban hammer swinging mightily through the peasants. Not disappointed. Kind of wonder if this was just to see who stuck their head up.
@PBandSmelly - It's more likely they made it where they can just call them "rainbows" without backlash in their new owner's home country.
@Chocobo_Shepherd You might have missed the removed comments but I got the emails from them tagging me and their motives were rather plainly laid out 😂
@nessisonett Ah well, different interpretations from different perspectives.
@Nontendo_4DS It definitely can be tough. And then another layer is who gets the benefit of those doubts and who doesn't, ya know? Certainly can be complex.
@Darlinfan I’d kill for a ‘your mum’ counter in Call of Duty. Maybe they can give you a special reward when the counter reaches 69. That would take, what, half a day?
@Restryder Can't even say that I stayed away from Fortnite. I played it for the total of one second, then deleted it. Didn't even get into a match, and only used it to try and communicate with someone I met over Animal Crossing New Leaf.
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@JSDude1 dude what
@somebread You realize you're agreeing with my comment, right?
I knew someone would come here to try to make this article controversial.
@somebread it’s all related to self pride/love or pride in some aspect of who a person is (such as sexuality) in furtherance of a political cause when we really need to humble ourselves and ask ‘what’s wrong with me!?’. Ultimately, imho we need humility before God.
FYI, you guys know this is a UK site, right? So all of my fellow Americans need to simmer it down out there. There is no "this country" when you are trying to refer to the US on a UK site.
@JSDude1 You got an issue.
@Darlinfan kids don’t need to know about tweaking and sex. Don’t even with me as someone who’s been sexually assaulted as a kid I don’t want to hear it
@Snatcher I hate to fan the flames, but Disney are the absolute worst when it comes to inclusivity. Of all the giant corporations no one does hypocrisy like Disney. They will literally do press releases talking up their "representation" in a new Star Wars or Marvel movie and mention that it's a "series first" for Star Wars, and then when the movie comes out you find that the representation is two unnamed characters kissing in the back of a crowd, a two-second snippet of a scene that carefully includes no dialogue so Disney can edit it out for the Chinese market, or another unnamed background character mentioning his boyfriend one time in the middle of a group therapy session which, again, can and will be deleted from the Chinese version of the movie.
They have erased canonical bisexuals and lesbians in Avengers and Black Panther - after intentionally including a hint about the latter case in one of the first teasers for the movie. So they don't just ignore LGBTQ+ fans like some companies do, they go out of their way to pretend they are going to be supportive until you buy the tickets to the movie, see it and find out you've been swindled by a corporation that absolutely does not give a **** about LGBTQ+ people.
But yeah, come Pride month they're all too happy to put up some rainbow banners on social media and talk about how supportive they are, until July 1st rolls around and they go back to pretending queer people don't exist.
I'm sorry, I'm actually a pretty big Marvel fan from back in the days when that meant you read comic books, and yes I have seen almost all of the MCU movies. But there's no way around it, Disney is an awful corporation and they are the absolute worst at representation and inclusivity.
@JasmineDragon Ya man its ok I respect you.
@Snatcher I could care less if you think so.
@Nontendo_4DS nah, I’m fine.
@JSDude1 I don't agree. As an atheist myself, I think we need a lot less "god". It's coming though. Atheism and the irreligious are almost 30% of the population here in the United States at present. I have no problem with people having their own beliefs, but to say everybody needs more "god" is like pushing your beliefs onto others. Try to respect the fact that not everyone believes what you believe. It'll do you some good.
@PoliticallyIncorrect I do believe that all need Christ, but you’re right I can’t force Him onto you, and I never tried to either. Having an opinion on a website-one in which we’re both able to freely state and discuss out opinions even talk of God (or not) isn’t doing that at all. Just because you dislike my opinion isn’t a reason which I can’t say it nor hold certain beliefs.
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@JSDude1 Once again, I never said you weren't allowed to hold certain beliefs. I said "I have no problems with people holding different beliefs". Get the story straight.
@PoliticallyIncorrect but I’m not forcing (which I interpret you saying I’m “pushing”) God onto everyone else by saying all need Him. That’s factually incorrect.
@JSDude1 Saying "all need him" is also factually incorrect.
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@PoliticallyIncorrect in your opinion, which obviously I disagree with.
@JSDude1 As a believer myself I still can't agree with you, you just get so much wrong, You can still care about gay people, and should care, even if you agree or don't.
@Darlinfan I'll certainly take that into consideration. I do agree with the "obnoxious" part though! LOL! Have a great night man!
@PoliticallyIncorrect yes them saying all need him, and an opinion of there's. and its not forcing it on you.
@Snatcher Yes, he should care about gay people. Good call! Peace!
@PoliticallyIncorrect Have a good night man.
@Masterchicken I'm pretty sure they actually said some messed up stuff.
@Darlinfan They tend to tell you you're going to burn in hell, and then end it with "god bless you"! I'm not saying this person is doing that, but I've seen a lot of it in my 52 years.
@JSDude1 I have no problem with you disagreeing with me. That's how conversations are built. You have a good night.
This is great and all … but it stinks of the usual disingenuous corporate PR and marketing when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community or most causes. Lip service for a feel good photo-op with little substance.
As a community member, first, we don’t all like rainbows. In fact, they are missing several color combinations if they really were supportive of the community….just saying. Don’t think they did their homework.
And instead of just providing us rainbows and music by LGBTQ+ artists, they could have made a better contribution by donating Fortnite profits during this time to worthy LGBTQ+ community organizations or causes.
@Snatcher where did I say I don’t care about gay PPL? I did criticize their ‘pride’ movement (indirectly), but I never attacked gay ppl let alone said I don’t care about them.(otherwise the mods would already have deleted my comment-and a possible ‘ban’ if I had, doncha think?)
@PoliticallyIncorrect you too, I’ve tried to keep the conversation cordial.
@JSDude1 Too extreme for me, mate. I'm trying to find a more balanced attitude. The problem occurs when we pendulum between extremes world views. Less spooky stuff, please.
@JSDude1 As have I. I wish you no ill and hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends.
@PBandSmelly
How curious - is that why people felt the need to make a new pride flag with the trans, NB, black, and brown colors? Because the old rainbow flag was too corporate? I’m not involved much in the community lately so I’m honestly curious.
The old flag was supposed to represent the full spectrum of colors, and I liked its all-encompassing message.
I’m trans but never once felt excluded by it!
Maybe I’m just old and behind the times though...
On topic: the bus seems to be pulling into the station late on this one, but it seems like a nice show of support that lots of players will appreciate.
@Snatcher Judging by the fact one had the username "Cucktendo", I'm inclined to agree.
@JSDude1 Isn't there pride movement for gay people?
@Teksetter
I mean it's better than nothing, I'm glad this takes place AFTER pride month so we know it's not out of "obligation"
Cool that they did this after Pride Month. I'm not in the demographic that this event is marketing to, but free cosmetics are always nice.
Cool story; I was just playing the game and some rando without a weapon walked up to me. I started attacking them, but they used the pride emote and didn't retaliate. I decided to stop attacking and respond with the same emote, and I gave them a heal to make up for attacking. We teabagged to show we were cool and went our separate ways. Never had that kind of in-game experience before, it was surreal and so awesome.
@Not_Soos 100% agree with you, especially about people failing to be Christlike when spreading LGTBQ+ hatred. It's so depressing to see so many Christians be so spiteful.
@JSDude1 100% - I find that people who claim to be "inclusive" are only inclusive to others to the point that they all stand for the same things-
Be truly inclusive of all people because they are people and not because of who they sleep with. Brainwashing kids to think someone's sexuality is the important part is icky. Just be a good human.
@Snatcher
It's not super inclusive if it is just for gay people - shrugs
Very nice. It is great to see more and more video games become accepting of the LGBTQ community.
@tntswitchfan68
Nice sentiment but kind of weirdly said-
It creates the assumption that games aren't accepting if they don't create content to pander to an identity group - I don't think it is fair to assume such things-
None the less- It is nice to see.
@Teksetter That's part of it, I think, but more importantly a lot of people feel we should be promoting intersectionality and highlighting support for LGBTQ+ POC, who often feel excluded from the culture and arguably have an even harder time than your average white LGBTQ+ person. Same basic idea regarding the trans colors.
Personally I don't really care for this new flag, I think it's too busy. But I'm all for supporting intersectionality. My favorite "inclusion" flag is the Philadelphia pride flag, which is just the six-stripe rainbow with added brown and black stripes at the top.
Can we go one comment section without some nutter going on some religious extremist rant. Like honestly, going to Catholic school didn’t make me straight lmao
@nessisonett Haha, nope. The nutters are always lurking with their "keep your politics out of my games" and "pride isn't inclusive for hetero people". As if being LGBTQ+ is a political statement and society was ever actually accommodating for LGBTQ+ folks. Society hasn't even achieved racial or gender equality. The more complexity is added, the more it hurts their little brains.
Hey thank you for the comment and I certainly understand what you mean - more obvious inclusivity can’t hurt at all. The extra stripes seem redundant to me, but then I’m seeing things from a very privileged (white) vantage. Then too, maybe not everyone is aware of the classic rainbow flag’s symbolism.
Either way, I think adding the POC colors is a nice show of solidarity for people that have been through a lot, especially lately.
@nessisonett Hey, it's like a tradition, the comment section wouldn't be the same without that. It would probably reflect a healthier community but... I don't know, I like to read creepy stuff before going to sleep.
@marktornits yes games are but alot of gamers are not . I have a transgender sister and she is constantly harassed by many gamers. So many Sony fans trashed the last of us games because there was a transgender character and yes that is the reason they trashed those games. Some developers were afraid to put transgender people in games because of this. So that is what I was referring to. Trust me. Ask my sister the majority of the male population that she deals with online when she beats some one in smash are very toxic. The problem is bigger than what people think it is.and just read some of the comments on this article.
@PBandSmelly 99 percent of time when a company does it's for publicity. Slap a couple of rainbows on your product and call it a day. ''Look how good we are! Look how supportive we are! Now let's order some more stock from Uyghur camps.'' It's the same nonsense as when they stick a rainbow filter over their logo during pride month, but refuse to do it for their accounts in Russia, Egypt, Middle East, etc. It's all promotion and marketing.
@MH4 Exactly. In communicating biblical right from wrong, it should never come from a place of hatred, but love. The scripture is clear on what constitutes sin, and as a person of faith, it puts me in a bit of a conundrum. If I really believe what the Bible says about sexual morality, and if I also really care about the welfare of people who are in the LGBT community, I feel it would be a disservice to them if I didn't express it. Not because I hate them and want to tear them down, but because I care about their soul, which is just as valuable as mine.
But I know that speaking on this matter runs the risk of causing offense and being perceived by others as spewing self-righteousness, hatred, and hypocritical judgment. Whether or not a person ultimately chooses to accept the gospel in full is their prerogative, but I will love them all the same and would gladly sit at their dinner table if they would have me.
The last thing I want is to contribute negatively to someone's mental health by making them feel ashamed of themselves or worth less than other people. I fully acknowledge that I myself am far from perfect, which is why I have to be vigilant every day to ensure I'm keeping God's commandments--which isn't always easy. (In fact, it's been a tremendous struggle lately, and I don't often feel very proud of myself.) But, I'm trying to hold on. Perhaps some will think my views make me the sinner who is far from God, but that's okay; they're entitled to that opinion, and I will still respect them. All I know is that if I am a bigot, I have no desire to be one.
As I said in the beginning, I don't want to force my views on anyone, so I don't know that I will comment much more on this thread. To whomever reads this, if you happen to be gay, or trans, or anything else, I welcome you with open arms into my circle of friendship, even if your world views are already set in stone. I don't intend on compromising my faith for anyone, therefore, I don't expect anyone to change for me. I want to be an ally and a safe space regardless of where you stand.
(My comment is too long, so this is part 1 of 2, lol.)
2/2
I fully agree that people who happen to be LGBT are unfairly targeted; there are plenty of sins outlined in the Bible, like drunkenness and swearing, but people who use profane language or drink are not subjected to nearly the same amount of scrutiny in society as one who is gay. No one has ever shot up a night club because the people inside were potty-mouthed or had alcohol. Everyone deserves the right to live and the right to feel secure in public. There is no justifiable reason for a Christian to ever use prejudicial slurs or to abuse a non-conformant, whether physically or emotionally. If a person thinks he will be rewarded in Heaven for doing so, he will be in for a rude awakening on the day of judgment.
If you think religion is often used as a tool for evil, the Bible actually concurs with you, and there are several scriptures that warn of those who will abuse it to usurp others. This is what the Bible calls "wolves in sheep's clothing." But Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor, treat others as we would want to be treated, turn the other cheek, and many other proverbs of love and peace that are still common expressions today.
You don't have to agree with me for me to still love and respect you. You may feel that what you do in private that doesn't hurt anyone is none of my business, and frankly, you're right. But I hope people will find it in their hearts to still love and respect me despite my religious beliefs that until now I've largely kept in private. None of us should feel we have to hide who we are.
I was really scared about what kind of reaction I might get from sharing my views in my initial comment, but I've seen nothing negative so far and couldn't be more grateful. I hope the response to this one will be similar, but I am unsure, and I hope I communicated myself in a way that will not resonate poorly. I strongly encourage everyone to read the Bible for themselves and come to their own conclusion--you may be surprised by how much more loving and equitable it is compared to the way many so-called Christians interpret it.
I wish nothing but the absolute best for each and every person in this comments section, and I'm heartbroken by the "us vs. them" mentality that dominates so much of our thinking and keeps us divided. Not all religious people profess they "hate the gays," nor are all LGBT people anti-religion. I think of none of you as my enemy and hope none of you will think of me as one. I really think if we could take the time to listen and understand each other, the world could be a better place. God bless you all in the Name of Jesus Christ.
@BloodNinja
Love lots of your comments. Articulate, slightly comical and almost always on point!
DEW approves!
The debates around religion and sexuality will not be resolved here, but for my two pennies worth:
I have family and friends who are close to me who identify as having 'faith' and I can see how their faith is a positive influence on their lives. They have not asked me to adopt their faith. Nor have they suggest I need to read a scripture to enlighten myself. That would suggest they view me as ethically or morally "lacking" in some way.
So yes, I respect other people of faith - as long as the respect works both ways (which it can).
@dew12333 Thank you! I know I mentally arm wrestle sometimes but I try to be as honest as possible without just bulldozing people. I enjoy the community of posters on this site; the majority are great people.
@tntswitchfan68
No doubt, but everyone is trashed by gamers. Focusing in on one area to make victums is going to alienate other sectors. Be truly inclusive.
@PrioryChat I don't expect most people will agree with me (which is okay), but as a person of faith, I do believe everyone has the capacity to be gay or not. The scripture says there is no sin that is uncommon to man--meaning we are all tempted in the same ways. I identify as straight, and because of my religion I would never think of dating a person of the same sex, but I can acknowledge there are attractive people of both sexes.
If sexuality is something you're born with, I fail to see how that explains why one might identify one way for a significant portion of their life before having, say, a "lesbian awakening" much later down the line. Wouldn't the person already know from a young age, or at least by the onset of puberty? If people are born one way or another, I don't understand how concepts like becoming "bi-curious" can be a thing. Bisexuality in general is making a conscious decision about which sex you want to pursue a relationship with at a given time, so there is definitely a choice factor involved in that, at least.
Even though I believe we are all tempted with the same sins, I do think the temptations that are the strongest vary from person to person. So because of differing personalities we all have and to an extent are born with, as well as environmental factors, there may be an innate preference for one sin over another.
They say alcoholism can be genetic, for example, but the Bible still says drunkenness is a sin. It is ultimately the person's responsibility to choose whether or not they pick up the bottle, even if their father was an alcoholic and they are more susceptible to be coming one themselves. And if they do allow alcoholism to consume their life, they still have hope, because there are lots of resources they can choose to get help. Their fate doesn't have to be set in stone.
When I talk about finding resources to overcome alcoholism, I'm in no way trying to make a case for gay conversion therapy or anything, which from my understanding is pretty torturous and sounds like pseudoscience, so it's not something I condone.
Without divulging too much of my personal life, I will say that lust has always been the sin I've most struggled with. I don't believe in watching explicit material, yet it's something I often find myself easily drawn to.
So while I've never really had the desire to drink, for example, there are other sins that are way harder for me to not do, and I have to ask God for forgiveness and the strength to do a little better next time. Perhaps there is a biological reason for that, I'm not sure, but I also have to acknowledge that I am making the conscious decision to act on my desires and nothing is forcing me. So for one who likes people of their same sex, they may very well not be able to stop feeling that attraction, but they have the choice whether or not to act on it.
(Post is too long again--curse me.)
(2/2)
I also think when a person identifies with something strongly enough, it doesn't matter if that makes them a minority or not. My faith is so engrained into my concept of who I am that even if I were the only person on the planet who identified as a Christian, I would not change. In fact, a lot of my religious views would be considered unorthodox by the majority, so I wouldn't be surprised if less than 1% of people who identify as Christian are likeminded.
So a person can definitely choose to belong to a minority group, even if that means they will face scrutiny. Going against the grain takes a lot of courage and is something I can greatly applaud, even if I don't agree with the LGBT lifestyle.
Just wanted to share my perspective on this as a person of faith. If my logic sounds flawed, I'm open to hearing anything you have to say in response so I can sound like less of a babbling idiot in the future, lol. Please understand I'm not trying to condemn anyone; through sharing my personal struggles, I'm hoping to reach common ground in understanding we are all human with our own unique weaknesses. I don't think of myself as greater than anyone else.
If my comments trigger anyone, tell me and I will redact them. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.
@Not_Soos
OK, so you’re raising a lot of points and divulging a lot about your personal beliefs (on a public forum) and that is very brave and as much as we can both pick up from each other, your sentiments about being curious to understand whilst not wanting to offend anyone seem genuine.
I’m not going to try and deconstruct or answer all your points as there are no definitive answers to some things anyway. Rather, let me just try and paint some broad strokes for you.
People are not born fully understanding their own sexuality. So it’s something we all come to terms with at various stages in our life, reacting to life events and the environment around us. Still, inherently there is a biological element to it; I believe ultimately if you are 100% ‘straight’ you are unlikely to ever feel attracted to the same sex. The opposite is true.
I personally believe gay, bi, straight definitions are not adequate to describe really what people feel? We are on a spectrum somewhere. And biology imprints where we sit, and then experience, opportunity and emotion allow us to express how we might feel.
It’s not really fair to expect anyone to reach ‘an awakening’ by any given point in their life, given the variables I just described? Some people find where they are and where the want to present earlier than others. Societal attitudes are an enormous influence, family, tradition, religion. It’s complex. It’s really complex. So drawing simple conclusions based on your own, or your sister or brother or friends experience doesn’t mean that will necessarily be representative of someone else’s. Doesn’t make them less valid - they are all valid.
Terms like ‘lifestyle’ can be very offensive. It applies you have a stereotype in mind, that you believe applies to a group. “LGBT Lifestyle” is a complex and varied as any other - so it’s not helpful to use this term?
Any person can choose to abstain from sex. It still doesn’t alter what you’re attracted to. A person is still part of the LGBTQ+ community if they are a ‘virgin’ just as a straight person is still straight if they choose to abstain or don’t have sex.
Last but not least; I’m not an alcoholic but I have it present in my social circle and family. I have changed my own thinking on this as I’ve got older? I do think it’s a disease now, where previously I didn’t.
I don’t pretend to know everything or talk for everyone - but I know talking to each other helps understanding and makes people connect, care and love each other. I (think) this definitely resonates with you based on your post….
@PrioryChat I appreciate the thoughtful response. To clarify, when I use the term "LGBT lifestyle," I am simply referring to the practice of sleeping with a person of the same sex. As you say, a person may be attracted to the same sex but still abstain, and so my use of the word "lifestyle" was meant to distinguish one who acts on their desires from one who doesn't. I wasn't trying to make a generalized assessment of what gay people do or enforce stereotypes like that all gay men are "effeminate" or all lesbians are "masculine," for example.
My apologies if that's how it came across; even as I was typing it, I worried if that was a poor choice of words, but when you've been proofreading something for over an hour to try to make sure your take on a sensitive topic as inoffensive as possible and you also suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder and perfectionism (to divulge a little more about my personal struggles), it can be hard to tell whether or not I'm going overboard with trying to make it just right.
I suppose another reason I found the word "lifestyle" applicable is that people make the argument that everybody sins, so we shouldn't judge other people for what they do when we aren't perfect either. Even though God doesn't expect us to live an entirely sin-free life (otherwise, we would be just as good as Jesus and make his sacrifice in vain), he does expect us to acknowledge our sin, pray for forgiveness, and make a conscious effort not to do it again. So I believe making the occasional slip-up is different from doing something consistently with no desire to stop, or what I would call making a "lifestyle" of it. Again, apologies if that isn't how it came across.
I know not everyone experiences one of these "awakenings" and I didn't mean to imply that's how it works for everyone. I just know of several examples of that, and I didn't see how it fit with the idea that people are born one way or another from birth.
You say it's a very complicated matter with a lot of ambiguity involved, and that's frankly all I want people to acknowledge. The idea that people are 100% born one way or another at birth can have the ramification of invalidating religions like mine, as it implies that if God is real, he simply makes people one way and demands something entirely different of them, which would be unreasonable and cruel by all accounts.
From my perspective, I'm really not sure there's such a thing as "100% straight," which might sound surprising to you. As I said, I think everyone has the capacity to be gay, and while I've never considered it for myself, if I didn't have my religion, I honestly don't know how I would view my sexuality.
Thanks for keeping it respectful; it really isn't easy for me to talk about this stuff, but it's been way more cordial than I expected.
If you happen to be gay and see nothing wrong with it, please don't let my opinions make you feel bad about yourself. I'm just some dummy on the internet, lol. Like @PrioryChat, I just believe in the power of talking things out and trying to understand each other a little better. I want to share what exactly my religion says about same-sex relationships in hopes of closing the widening stigma that religion is homophobic and evil. I'm not trying to force anyone to accept my views, I just want us to be able to love each other in spite of our differences.
I don't think there's much more I can say without just sounding preachy, and this isn't the right venue for that; Nintendo Life is a place for talking about games. The wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent is one I'm not sure I have. Speaking at inopportune times will only push people further away from the faith I try to be a positive witness of. I hope I haven't been a poor representative.
Removed - inappropriate; user is banned
@MrPavoPeacock For someone who doesn't like prejudices, thats a lot of prejudices in a post
@marktornits Well, being inclusive is trying to tell marginalized groups that they belong, so I get what you are saying, but the pickings of LGBTQ representation in video games is pretty slim.
@tntswitchfan68
and then there is the line between representation and promotion- and that gets hairy as eff-
@marktornits See? I can handle a thoughtful response like that.
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