Gamertell

While Microsoft may preach tolerance throughout its Xbox Live service, that message must not have applied to Teresa, an Xbox Live player who, according to Kotaku, had her account canceled based on her admission that she was a lesbian.

A disrespectful action, to be sure, and one that she did not take lying down. Teresa expressed her anger in a letter to Consumerist.

Microsoft, for its part, has taken similar actions for individuals with questionable XBL names. It is truly disappointing that when someone chooses to express something about themselves that is not universally accepted by all, that person is rewarded by being hit with the ban hammer.

One would think that these actions would be severely mitigated considering the fact that the United States is supposedly a nation of tolerance for individuals whom are all different from one another in terms of race, gender or sexual orientation.

In describing her experiences to Consumerist, Teresa made it apparent in her letter that the exclusion she faced was due to her alternate lifestyle.

“I was harassed by several players, ‘chased’ to different maps/games to get away from their harassment. They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn’t want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap.”

In addressing this policy, Microsoft admits that yes, they do have a policy against “Gay Gamertags.” They explained their reasoning behind it to MTV News, noting that “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.”

They did say, however, that they are looking into ways that this policy can be modified, calling the current standard “inelegant.”

It seems like Microsoft has a long way to go before it accepts everyone fairly; here is hoping Teresa can rejoin the ranks of Live players and frag all of those who disrespected her.

Read [Kotaku] via [Consumerist]