Is Blizzard Discouraging Openly Gay Players in World of Warcraft?

Why is Blizzard cracking down on players who use the politically-correct term "GLBT"?

It seems that Blizzard has taken action against a World of Warcraft player for recruiting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) players for a GLBT-friendly player guild.

According to In Newsweekly, Blizzard has cited player Sara Andrews for "Harassment - Sexual Orientation," even though the player didn't use the politically-correct term "GLBT" in an offensive way. Blizzard included an excerpt from its Terms of Service on the matter: "This category includes both clear and masked language which insultingly refers to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to themselves or other players."

The offending remark? Andrews left a guild recruitment post saying, in part, "We are not 'GLBT only,' but we are 'GLBT friendly'!"

Andrews apparently believed that the citation was made in error. But even after she explained her intent to Blizzard's game masters, it appears that Blizzard has upheld the initial decision. Blizzard's response read, in part, "While we appreciate and understand your point of view, we do feel that the advertisement of a 'GLBT friendly' guild is very likely to result in harassment for players that may not have existed otherwise."

Rather than suspend Andrews from the game, however, Blizzard instead chose to let her go--with a warning.

The real question, why is Blizzard fighting this battle now? Many gay/GLBT guilds already exist in World of Warcraft, some comprised of several hundred members. Does Blizzard plan to discourage other players from expressing their sexuality in World of Warcraft?

We've contacted Blizzard for a more official statement on the matter; we'll update this story when we receive clarification.

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