The gamer, identified as Teresa, listed her sexual orientation on her [Xbox Live] profile, and says that she began to receive threats and ridicule from other gamers while playing online. After filing her own complaint to Microsoft over the harassment she received, Microsoft promptly banned her gamertag accusing her of violating its terms [of service] by listing her sexual orientation and expressing it while using its service.
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Whether someone’s sexual orientation can offend another in such a manner that the user should be banned under this contract clause is an interesting question. However, considering the relative cutthroat nature of Xbox Live in general, coupled with the fact that Microsoft released a game last year that contained a lesbian love scene, you have to wonder just how double sided Microsoft’s position is on this issue.
Any minute now, all the little mongoloid teenagers that put "I like da gurlz" in their profiles will have their accounts banned. Aaaany minute now ...
FULL ARTICLE AT GAMESLAW.NET
UPDATE: Microsoft apologizes, and promises to reevaluate the policy:
"It is true that as a matter of policy, the expression of relationship preference in Gamertag profiles and tags is not allowed across the board, whether that's heterosexual or other," Stephen Toulouse, program manager for policy and enforcement on Xbox Live, told MTV News in a phone interview. "But as we saw when we ran into an issue with this [last year,] we started looking into that policy."
He acknowledged that the current policy could use improving: "It's inelegant. And it's inelegant because the text-box field is freeform."
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