Blizzard Questioned Over Recent Gay Controversy in World of Warcraft

Lambda Legal has officially contacted Blizzard concerning their policies toward GLBT players.

Gaming blog Kotaku is reporting that Lambda Legal--a civil rights group that fights for "full recognition" of gays, lesbians, and transgendered individuals--has officially contacted Blizzard regarding the recent controversy surrounding a World of Warcraft player who was cited for advertising a GLBT guild.

The official letter from Lambda Legal declares that "Blizzard is well within its rights" to ban offensive language from its service. But the letter warns that the company "cannot issue a blanket ban on any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity."

Of particular interest is the fact that Blizzard seems to be quickly softening its hardline stance on the matter. The letter apparently contains an e-mail from a high-level community manager who expresses regret that Blizzard had made an "unfortunate interpretation" of the game's rules. World of Warcraft's terms of service agreement expressly prohibit any mention of sexuality, politics, religion, or other "sensitive real-world subjects."

Lambda's letter concludes that GLBT guilds should be permitted to practice the same recruiting techniques practiced by other guilds, and asks Blizzard to adopt a "nondiscriminatory clarification" in the game's terms of service.

The Lambda letter concludes that Blizzard should respond within thirty days to avoid "further action."

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