Xbox blocks gamer over town's name: Fort Gay

Contents:

• XBOX LIVE GAMER SPEND FOR LIVG IN FORT GAY
• XBOX LIVE GAMER SPEND FOR SAYG HE LIV FORT GAY
• XBOX BLOCKS FORT GAY, , GAMER OVER TOWN NAME
• MICROSOFT SPENDS XBOX GAMER FOR LIVG FORT GAY
• FORT GAY, WV RINT'S XBOX LIVE GAMERTAG BLOCKED
• MAN OM "FORT GAY" BANNED OM XBL BY "MISTAKE"
• MS: XBOX LIVE FORT GAY BAN "A MISTAKE"
• MICROSOFT WHO SPEND GAMER OM FORT GAY WV, APOLOGIZ
• XBOX BLOCKS GAMER OVER TOWN'S NAME: FORT GAY
• "FORT GAY" GAMER SPEND OVER "OFFENSIVE" NAME
• MICROSOFT BANS XBOX LIVE ER FOR LIVG FORT GAY
• MICROSOFT SPENDS MAN'S ACUNT BEE HE LIV FORT GAY, WT VIRGIA
• MICROSOFT APOLOGIZ FOR SPENDG 'FORT GAY' GAMER

XBOX LIVE GAMER SPEND FOR LIVG IN FORT GAY

When banned 26-year-old Xbox Live gamer lled Xbox support to expla that his town of Fort Gay, Wt Virgia, was a real place and not a homosexual reference, he was threatened wh acunt ncellatn. Moore liv Fort Gay, a small town of unr 1, 000 people Wt Virgia's Wayne County. The word "gay" the place name set off red flags wh Xbox Live, and Moore found himself spend, the town name removed om his was rather ticked off.

"At first I thought, 'Wow, somebody's thkg I live the gayt town Wt Virgia or somethg. It mak me feel like they hate gay people. Fort Gay is a real place, '" Moore reasoned.

But the employee was unreceptive, warng Moore if he put Fort Gay back his profile, Xbox Live would ncel his acunt and keep his $12 monthly membership fee, which he'd paid advance for two years. Fort Gay mayor David Thompson tried to tervene on his behalf, only to be told that the town's name didn't matter, and the word "gay" was offensive any urse this isn't the se.

XBOX LIVE GAMER SPEND FOR SAYG HE LIV FORT GAY

A change to Xbox Live policy earlier this year ma okay to exprs your sexualy your profile or gamertag, after ntroversy arose over ers beg banned for intifyg themselv as gay and wasn't until the issue me to the attentn of director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live Stephen Touloe that the suatn was fally rolved.

"Someone took the phrase 'fort gay WV' and believed that the dividual who had that was tryg to offend, or tryg to e a pejorative manner, " Touloe said. Gamer Spend Over Name Of Town: Fort Gay [CBS News - Thanks icepick314! 8, 2010, 8:02 PM UTCby banng all exprsns of sexualy she intified herself as a lbian Microsoft nixed that policy new policy "You may e the followg terms to exprs your relatnship orientatn your profile or Gamertag: Lbian, Gay, Bi, Transgenr, Straight.

XBOX BLOCKS FORT GAY, , GAMER OVER TOWN NAME

Microsoft and the chief l enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizg to a small Wt Virgia town and a 26-year-old gamer acced of vlatg the onle gamg service's of nduct by publicly clarg he's om Fort Gay — a name the pany nsired offensive. MORGANTOWN, — Microsoft and the chief l enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizg to a small Wt Virgia town and a 26-year-old gamer acced of vlatg the onle gamg service’s of nduct by publicly clarg he’s om Fort Gay — a name the pany nsired offensive. Instead, they spend Moore’s gamg privileg until he uld nvce them that the lotn his profile, “fort gay WV, ” wasn’t a joke or a slur.

MICROSOFT SPENDS XBOX GAMER FOR LIVG FORT GAY

Fort Gay is a muny of about 800 Wayne County, along Wt Virgia’s wtern borr wh Kentucky. “At first I thought, ‘Wow, somebody’s thkg I live the gayt town Wt Virgia or somethg.

… It mak me feel like they hate gay people, ” said Moore, an unemployed factory worker who plays shooters such as “Medal of Honor, ” “Call of Duty” and “Ghost Ren” unr the gamertag Joshanboo. “I’m not even gay, and mak me feel like they were discrimatg, ” said Moore, who missed a key Search and Dtroy petn last week bee of the brief spensn. Fort Gay is a real place, ’ ” Moore reasoned.

FORT GAY, WV RINT'S XBOX LIVE GAMERTAG BLOCKED

But the employee was unreceptive, warng Moore that, if he put Fort Gay back his profile, Xbox Live would ncel his acunt and keep his $12 monthly membership fee, which he had paid advance for two years. The word “gay, ” he was told, was appropriate any ntext.

“Someone took the phrase ‘fort gay WV’ and believed that the dividual who had that was tryg to offend, or tryg to e a pejorative manner, ” Touloe said. Fort Gay has been around sce 1789, when 11 people tried to tablish a settlement at the junctn of the Tug and Big Sandy rivers, across om what is now Louisa, Ky. Fort Gay was rporated as Cassville 1875 but was simultaneoly known as Fort Gay until 1932, when town lears permanently changed the name to the latter.

MAN OM "FORT GAY" BANNED OM XBL BY "MISTAKE"

Change the cy name to Fort Gay and the state to Wt Virgia–an actual place suated between the Tug Fork and Big Sandy Rivers wh a populatn of around 800–and you wd up wh Microsoft, egg on s face, apologizg for banng Josh Moore, a proud rint of the perfectly real Wt Virgia cy. Instead of verifyg whether the town’s name was real by, you know, takg five sends to Google , Microsoft spend Moore om LIVE for several days–until he managed to nvce them Fort Gay was really a town Wayne County, Wt Virgia, near the state’s borr wh Kentucky.

… It mak me feel like they hate gay people, ” Moore told AP News. “I’m not even gay, and mak me feel like they were discrimatg.

MS: XBOX LIVE FORT GAY BAN "A MISTAKE"

Moore attempted to rolve the suatn by ntactg ctomer service, but was warned off g the name–even after askg the rep to Google Fort Gay’s zip .

The town’s mayor David Thompson got volved, but was reportedly told by Microsoft that the veracy of the cy’s name didn’t matter, and that the word “gay” was appropriate regardls. Weirr still, Microsoft recently updated s Xbox LIVE of nduct policy to allow gamers to e sexual orientatn intifiers like lbian, gay, bi, transgenr, and straight their Gamertag or profile. Recently, a member of Xbox Live's pliance team noticed that Moore was listg his hometown as "Fort Gay, WV" on his onle profile.

MICROSOFT WHO SPEND GAMER OM FORT GAY WV, APOLOGIZ

The pliance officer flagged his acunt for of nduct vlatn, prumg the name was tend as a homophobic slur of some sort. Y, Fort Gay is an actual town Wt Virgia.

Fort Gay is a real town of 800 people Wt Virgia near the Kentucky borr that was found way back 1789. Said Moore, who is straight, "At first I thought, 'Wow, somebody's thkg I live the gayt town Wt Virgia or somethg. … It mak me feel like they hate gay people, " Moore even offered the town's ZIP as proof of s existence.

'" Fort Gay mayor David Thompson also tried to assist Moore but received siar treatment. He told the AP that the Xbox Live pliance team would not even say the word "gay.

XBOX BLOCKS GAMER OVER TOWN'S NAME: FORT GAY

Fort Gay-gate jt six months after Microsoft allowed gamers to reflect their sexualy their gamertags, specifilly permtg e of the word "gay.

Prevly, any reference to homo- or bisexualy--as well as relign or anythg else possibly offensive--was verboten Xbox Live onle handl. Microsoft's said a cisn to ban an Amerin man om Xbox Live bee he liv a town lled Fort Gay was a "mistake" and the pany's gog to "make right. "Someone took the phrase 'fort gay WV' and believed that the dividual who had that was tryg to offend, or tryg to e a pejorative manner, " Touloe explaed.

"FORT GAY" GAMER SPEND OVER "OFFENSIVE" NAME

It mak me feel like they hate gay people, " he told the AP.

"I'm not even gay, and mak me feel like they were discrimatg. Fort Gay mayor, David Thompson, got volved.

MICROSOFT BANS XBOX LIVE ER FOR LIVG FORT GAY

Microsoft has been dogged by issu ncerng the e of homosexual termology on Xbox Live, but most recently has allowed people to exprs their sexualy their GamerTags. Microsoft has been ught out for misguidly banng an Xbox Live er who clared he me om "fort gay WV" - a real place. "I'm not even gay, " he add, "and mak me feel like they were discrimatg.

Moore tried to expla to an MS ctomer service rep that "fort gay WV" was a small muny of around 800 people Wayne County, along Wt Virgia's wtern borr wh Kentucky.

MICROSOFT SPENDS MAN'S ACUNT BEE HE LIV FORT GAY, WT VIRGIA

Even the Fort Gay mayor, David Thompson, got volved.

But he was told the place name didn't matter, bee e of the word "gay" was appropriate any ntext. And the chief l enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizg to a small Wt Virgia town and a 26-year-old gamer acced of vlatg the onle gamg service's of nduct by publicly clarg he's om Fort Gay -- a name the pany nsired town's name is real. Instead, they spend his gamg privileg for a few days until Moore uld nvce them the lotn his profile, "fort gay WV, " wasn't a joke or a slur: It's an actual muny of about 800 Wayne County, along Wt Virgia's wtern borr wh Kentucky.

MICROSOFT APOLOGIZ FOR SPENDG 'FORT GAY' GAMER

It mak me feel like they hate gay people, " said Moore, an unemployed factory worker who plays shooters like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty and Ghost Ren unr the gamertag Joshanboo. "I'm not even gay, and mak me feel like they were discrimatg, " said Moore, who missed a key Search and Dtroy petn bee of last week's brief spensn.

The word "gay, " he was told, was appropriate any ntext. The agent simply looks at the language and term whether pli wh Xbox Live player's ntract says ers nnot "create a gamertag, avatar or e text other profile fields that may offend other members, " and lists potentially dangero topics such as dg e, hate speech and racial, ethnic or relig Gay has been a muny sce 1789, when 11 people tried to tablish a settlement at the junctn of the Tug and Big Sandy rivers, across om what is now Louisa, Ky. It was rporated as Cassville 1875 but was simultaneoly known as Fort Gay until 1932, when town lears changed to the latter for good.

And the chief l enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizg to a small Wt Virgia town and a 26-year-old gamer acced of vlatg the onle gamg service's of nduct by publicly clarg he's om Fort Gay - a name the pany nsired town's name is real. Fort Gay is a real place, "' Moore reasoned.