Homophobia in roleplay needs to cease

Argent Dawn
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Asexuality in general I believe is widely misundestood. I identified as asexual before I found gay to be a better label for myself, but even in that time it was constantly people saying that I just ‘hadn’t found my identiy yet’, or ‘there’s got to be something you’re interested in’, and other similar rhetorics. Now while true in my case, there is absolutely cases where somebody has no sexual attraction to any man, woman, or person identifiying in other ways and that’s okay.

Also asexuals can still have libido and asexuals can still have relationships, thank you for coming to my TED talk that may or may not be preaching to the choir.

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Sorry to keep using my death knight as an example, but I’d say he’s someone that’s asexual but homoromantic. He’s undead, so has zero mental receptors to feel any sort of lust, but he nonetheless reminisces and misses his lost mate from life. I think that’d be different to a character who is asexual and aromantic, interested in absolutely nothin’ and no one.

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A really good point was made earlier too that things like openly expressed homophobia is actually against the ToU/CoC for WoW in general, so just because we are roleplaying doesnt change that at all. So just…don’t do it?

In that case, we should stop RPing a lot that’s against the ToS/CoC. Drug abuse, violence in public (no more public executions!), hateful language, hateful speech, racial discriminations, et al.

One other point, being, if someone creates (a well known author, let’s say) a homophobic character. Let’s say this character is actually a young teenage boy who’s been told all his life, by his parents, ‘being gay is wrong’. I’m dispelling the fantasy and the WoW here, I’m talking an actual story based on the real life complexities of what being a teenager and youth really is.

Anyway, this boy. He idolises his father. His father was a war veteran and has his own complex scenario with his mental state, but that’s getting off topic. The boy ends up taking his fathers beliefs into his real life day to day, due to this idolisation. He begins despising gay men, despite the fact he actually is very much in love with a man. He tries to do his absolute best to push that down and keep up the hate but he simply can’t and caves.

The author who wrote this - nobody knows their real life details. They’ve written it on a pseudonym. Would anyone not read this book for the potential that the person who wrote it might be a homophobe? You don’t know what their agenda is. Maybe you skip to a segment of the story and read the boy giving slurs and put the book down as it’s tacked down to ‘just an author putting in their fantasy hate against gay men’ without getting full context of everything else surrounding the book.

Because if we’re not in RP to create a story, what are we in RP for?

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Yes, we should.

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I actually really like the idea of a pair of death knights effectively acting as a couple but without the physical intimacy – it seems like an interesting dynamic to explore.

Except we’re provided with no evidence of homophobia within Azeroth – the nods toward homosexual couples are never depicted in a less-than positive manner. There is no reason for there to be any tradition of anti-LGBT bigotry in the setting, in part because Blizzard understands that it’s not an appropriate topic for a 12+ game.

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a lot of words to say ‘I should be allowed to write stories that harm people without any repurcussion’ there

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This is an honest question from someone looking to make sure they’re clued up, but the whole “asexuals still have libido” confused me a bit? I understand the distinction between someone who is asexual but not aromantic (afaik they seek intimate relationships but without the lust/physical pull that is often experienced with them) but I would have thought someone who doesn’t feel those particular “prangs of desire” so to speak doesn’t really thusly experience libido? Unless of course it’s meant they do, but it’s never directed at anyone in particular (would it be accurate to call it A then?)

As said this is me looking to ask “how does that work?” because this concept has often confused me. I’m not trying to behold you to provide “the” answer but any illumination would be useful to help me understand that in particular. If you don’t want to answer for whatever reason that’s cool as well.

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To make it clear: The story itself that I briefly drafted was to be taken outside of the WoW setting, there, not to be used within it. The point was about author story relationship and how that is seen rather than the content within the story itself.

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The true roleplayer can write interesting stories & characters while still following the rules we all agreed to follow to play this game.

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The best way I could describe it when I felt that identity was the most suitable one for me, is that libido is a bodily function that you just need to deal with in the same way as going to the toilet, otherwise you’re just gonna feel uncomfortable. It’s only there because the body naturally has it, and not because you found a person attractive.

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Ngl I still go by this. Both Lustbar and sexuality. If I see either of those I stay away.

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That correlates kinda with my “…but not directed at anyone in particular” speculation, thanks that’s a really nice answer.

I think the confusion stems from the fact libido is often used interchangeably with “sexual desire” which brings up connotations of it being focused on a particular sex/sexuality which creates such confusion to “how can someone not have sexual desires but experience sexual desire??” which isn’t raised if you look at the term libido with a bit more nuance as you have.

As said, enlightening answer. That derail is over, but thanks for the second snapshot TED talk!

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Koltira x Thassarian for sure but I would adore if they’d explore more of Whitemane and Darion’s friend/relationship now that Sally’s a DK. There’s so much going on there and it just never got looked at, at all. Big missed opportunity in Legion and absolutely perfect concept for a short story.

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Platonic life partnerships are precious in RP and I cherish the fact that over in ESO I have one with another character and it’s incredibly wholesome.

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I know you mean well by this but there is an implication in ‘undead = asexual’ that feeds into the idea of asexual people being so because they are in some way defective or ‘not working properly’ that one needs to be very careful about.

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Valid, I could have phrased that one better. In truth it’s a character I haven’t touched in a very long time, so it’s something worth thinking about if I ever bring him back.

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No matter WHAT the context is, Homophobia IS Homophobia, trying to veil it under the pretext of “Its sexual therefore its bad” is a nasty way of trying to be noble.

Ive seen alotta people playing this EXACT same game and it disturbs me. Harrasment is against the ToS, for a REASON, people are more fragile than people like to understand and not everyone is thick skinned on the internet. There was a time in the 2004 era that id almost understand the logic of “toughen up” but today its 2020, people are allowed to be offended, better yet, they’re allowed to voice offence.

Like it or not, this is the modern day, adapt to it or stay behind because it will only keep changing as time goes on further still. The fact is, discriminatory RP is at its absoleute LIMIT restrained mainly to the issue of fantasty races being discriminated on or classes for their disturbing practices or existances, but that does NOT mean that it is totally A OKAY, to be that way in a manner that crosses the boundry between the 4th wall and the 3rd person.

Your there to play a character in a fictional world, not throw some mired attempt at expressing a political view. To show that kinda hand means your basically just a racist, homophobic bigot that honestly cannot come to terms with the fact modern day has no place for such people.

I DEARLY hope your goal in these terms is not to justify that kinda behaviour because your walking on a DANGEROUS line between rational and a manical extreme facist.

I implore you and anyone else like you to think VERY carefully, even if such novels exist with depth and purpose they are NOT the type of thing that World of Warcraft is trying to open itself to. Blizzard actively promotes LGBTQ ideals being moved into a progressive and modern world and anyone that lives by the archaic logic of “Its my character I can rp what I want” is welcome to enjoy the ban for breaking ToS as far as im concerned, you wanna RP a neo facist, your welcome to get banned for rping one.

That even includes entire communities, if need be, activision may like money but they like publicity even more, and they wont tolerate bigotry in 2020 over their public image, so keep that in mind.

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Anduin kind of needs to be straight to continue the Wrynn Family lineage. Going such would likely mean the end of the family if hes not capable of getting a child. I’m more banking on Taelia or Tess to go for Anduin, personally.

Baine however…

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Anduin might not care to carry the Wrynn line onwards, in the future they may not even be a Wrynn family line.

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Cool do you have any info on how I can have such a partnership in real life tho :sob:

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