It Gets Better

I’m sure many of you have heard about the It Gets Better Project.  It’s a worthy cause and one step in the process of improving society to be more accepting. Sanya Weathers, a MMO community director, has started an off-shoot campaign on her blog, Eating Bees, to spread this philosophy to the gaming world. It is a difficult campaign to muster. As she notes the core gamer is a single, young, male, who are the worst offenders.

This approach was something I made a core rule for the Rogue guild back when we started. It was not specifically directed at preventing the use of gay slurs, but those were the most prevalent. It was never a problem for anyone and this never happens on our forums. Granted, we are very small but when we were an active game guild, we had some who would use “gay” negatively. We just never tolerated it and it would always stop.

Here is her pledge which I am reproducing in support:

If you’re young and LGBT, I want you to know that gaming is getting better. In any community that I run, you will not be called names if you choose to be open about your identity and orientation. I will not allow the use of homophobic slurs, either at you or near you. I will not work for an employer who does not have my back on this. My forums are a safe place where you are not “other.” You are not alone. You are, always and forever, one of us.