I was not incorrect. This is a problem caused by the host being backwards and not the Olympic games in general.
Don't you think that in life, people who are gay run into situations that make them feel hurt, hated, alienated, physically threatened, or second-class citizens? That's why there are LBGT groups and events. To give them a safe space where they can be sure that stuff doesn't happen. These events are not closed--you can attend, provided you are a friend of the values of the organization organizing them.
It's like any other minority organization. They don't have jewish groups to hate you for your religion, they have jewish groups to have a safe space filled with friends. They don't have black history month to argue that white people suck and contribute nothing, they have black history month to call attention to some of the contributions of people of colour that went unnoticed. They don't have take back to the night to make men feel threatened, they have take back the night so that women don't have to be threatened.
The reason why I made the first post is that I'm mindboggled anyone would make a post like your first post. You have gay friends? No shit. Everyone on earth has gay friends. And it's because you have gay friends that you should momentarily stop and say "Wait a minute, what if I'm reading this the wrong way?". And ask them. Ask them what it's like to live their life. And listen to them. There's plenty of people with black friends who cross the road when they see a stranger who is a person of colour, it doesn't mean their logic becomes bulletproof because they couldn't possibly racist. Racism, homophobia, and sexism aren't cartoon villains tying people to train tracks, they're mostly very banal and everyday, they're all the small ways that we marginalize others.
Even if you're a nice guy who is friendly to everyone and makes a lot of friends and considers himself empathetic, that doesn't mean you understand in any way the minority experience.
A gay olympics exists because, although the Olympics is intended to be inclusive, there are many ways where it and all other form of sport fall short. We're seeing a wide and systemic movement in American professional sport--by the way, there are literally 0 openly gay players in most American leagues, and fewer than a dozen in all of them; either you can conclude that gays suck at sports, or you can conclude that athletes don't feel comfortable coming out--to try to fight back against the homophobia, homophobic epithets, and cruelty hurled at gays. That amateur sport would want the same sort of safe space, especially and most importantly in light of the fact that the Olympics is taking place in an openly homophobic country that is rapidly backsliding and tacitly encouraging violence against gays, is not a surprise or an exclusion.
You are welcome to join your brothers and sisters in pride. Pride about who they are. Pride about who everyone can be. Mutual love and respect, humanity, and true empathy. Those are the values that drive Gay Olympics, Pride Week, GAYMERX, and every other safe space carved out for minorities anyway.
And that's why "Boy, those minorities sure are uppity? Won't they shut up about how bad they've got it?" comes off as cruel and inconsiderate.
My thoughts exactly. There is already enough exclusionary crap in the world without segregating our hobby this way. If this is a convention to celebrate gaming why label it this way.
Because when they hold a video game convention, Johnny CoD shows up and calls them faggots because they look the wrong way or because they aren't playing enough or just because. Because they want to wear what they want to wear, be who they are, and act the way they are, without worrying about how their identity bothers people. Because they want to have their husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, and friends there with them without getting sideways glances, rude stares, or heckled.
And if you're saying "Yes, but I'd never call somebody a faggot! That's so mean!" then why don't you go to GAYMERX, have a good time being around likeminded kind people, and not worry about the fact that you're a straight man standing under a rainbow banner. You're not unwelcome. You're not segregated. Go where you please. It doesn't make you less straight. It doesn't make it less OK to be straight. You are who you are. No one minds one bit.
P.S. When you do attend, and there's a panel about gay characters in gaming, please don't show up so you can say "There aren't many gay characters because <most people aren't gay / gaming is a business and it should cater to the majority / who would want to play as a gay character / authors shouldn't be forced to be fake diverse / who cares you can have gay sex in BioWare games so what are you even complaining about?>". Have an open mind. These are people speaking their heart about the pain they feel on a daily basis. They want you to be kind and to care and to empathize. They don't want you to remind them why they don't open their mouth to begin with.
