#queer players and fans feel welcome and respected

[couthbbg]

I love you queer hockey fans I love you queer training and coaching staff I love you queer arena staff I love you queer hockey journalists I love you queer back office staff I love you queer front office staff I love you queer Zamboni drivers I love you queer mascot dudes (gn) I love you queer hockey players of all ages everywhere professional or not. You all exist and love this sport despite the efforts of many to make you invisible and unwelcome. I love you I love you I love you

[melodiousoblivionao3]

This is going to be long but I’m going to attach a quote from Tierna’s latest podcast appearance (good game with Sarah Spain) where she directly addresses the KA debacle. I think, as one of the only out queer players and a veteran, she answered very well, considering she’s probably not allowed to say everything since they are on a team together.

Tierna for captain. Read below.

SARAH: “There are some favorite players that aren't there, but one of the newer players has been getting different reactions from the fans than the majority of the team, and that's Korbin Albert. This is a real sticky, tough situation. I'm just wondering how you personally are dealing with both the public reaction to Korbin and sort of the internal response about her.”

TIERNA: “Yeah, I mean, I know, I think it's a difficult situation that has obviously affected me personally given what she was speaking on. I think that it is something that you have to learn as a young player, especially with the platform that you're given, is your beliefs or, you know, how you choose to express certain things is very public, and people do look and listen. And, you know, whether or not it's something that you grew up with or it was instilled upon you from a young age, and you might not know better, it is something that can hurt other people.

You know, I think that she has gone through a lot of learning since then, and she has to continue to do that. As we all do as humans, we have to learn from what we do in our lives and how people react to it and understand the hurt that we can cause. You know, I think that it's difficult, because as a team, we have always wanted to be very welcoming to all of our fans, to all players that walk through the locker room.

And so to have that in our space is very difficult. But, you know, I think I have always believed in the ability for people to learn and for people to change and to evolve. And that sometimes requires a very difficult experience, which I think this is that moment for her.

And so, you know, it's something that happens a lot in people's lives where they kind of come between a rock and a hard place, and you're like, OK, what am I going to do? Am I going to pick the left path or the right path? And, you know, it's up to her.

But, you know, I think that she's continuing to do that education, and it's important that she expresses that as she learns. So I think, you know, the ball's kind of in her court for that. But, yeah, I mean, it's been difficult.

It was difficult for me when it first happened. And it's been hard to hear how fans have been taking it because I feel like I want to be able to represent the queer community really well on this team. And so I want to have fans feel really welcome and feel like they can see themselves on this field, in this team.

And so I don't want there to be any sort of feeling that, you know, they are not welcome here. So, you know, I, again, I believe in people being able to evolve and being able to learn. And I'm not someone that's going to meet any sort of hate with hate.

So, you know, she is one of my teammates, and I respect that. And I, you know, respect her as a player. But, you know, it is something that you have to go through with life.

It's like you encounter and work with people that you don't always agree with. But that's, you know, something that you want to try and help people to change. You want to try and help them love.

And, you know, that's what we're trying to do.”

From Good Game with Sarah Spain: Leading with Love with Tierna Davidson, Jul 23, 2024

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-game-with-sarah-spain/id1752100672?i=1000663063610

[chirpingfromthebox]

Me just thinking out loud and inarticulately trying to wrap my head around my thoughts on the simmering dumpster fire that is my hometown team. Feel free to scroll on by.

I feel like something missing from a lot of the Curl discussion is the context it all happened in. Lots of articles and posts make it seem like the problem fans have is just that Curl got drafted at all. And I think the context around it all matters.

The league shit canned Natalie Darwitz days before the draft, wouldn't say why, acted like they aren't saying anything because they want to respect Darwitz, but meanwhile Darwitz seems like she would LOVE to talk about the situation.

To make matters worse there's all this talk and speculation surrounding the role Klee had in this, and amongst that he goes to the draft table with the emptiest table of any team, drafts Curl in the second round, (you can tell the league already was ready for bad fallout from Curl because they had a prepared statement locked and loaded to go out in the youtube chat seconds after it happened), and then Klee IMMEDIATELY makes things worse by purposefully staging her draft photo to be taken with St. Paul's mayor Melvin Carter (a black man) and the assistant coach (a queer woman).

Then Klee, the team, and the league decide to handle the fallout from everything in the most half-assed tone-deaf manner possible.

Before the Darwitz debacle I had mentally prepared myself for the eventuality that someone would draft Curl. But I had prepared myself for someone doing it in the back half of the draft.

A team would get her, but at least it would suggest Curl's actions had lowered her value considerably in teams' eyes.

Like, none of the craziness happened, and Darwitz had drafted Curl in the 5th or 6th round, made a proper acknowledgement of the situation and their plan for moving forward, and Curl had made an apology video that was written by someone who didn't go to the American Political School of Empty Statements?

I think the community could understand. We wouldn't love it, but we could live with it. It would be like seeing a big spider in the corner of my ceiling: I certainly don't like it, and I'm gonna keep my eye on this, but as long as it doesn't step to me any further we'll be alright.

But that's not what happened. And that's not how it happened.

And I'm still not sure what to do with my Minnesota fandom at this point.

At the moment I'm waiting to see what the final team looks like. If they re-sign their queer players I'm willing to put in the work to fight against Mr. Potato Head's attempts to sabotage my team, and try to at least make the fan community as welcoming and inclusive as possible.

But if Klee and co. don't bring back Minnesota's queer players? Then I'm out. For the good of my own mental health I'll go support a different team until they can get their shit together.

Because I do believe that people can change. Especially people in their 20s who were dumb-ass ignorant assholes in college. And she's not my main problem. My main problem is what does this team and this league want to be? Because someone like Curl coming into a queer positive environment is one thing. But her coming into a place with nothing but conservative ideals and a pinkwashed door? That's something else entirely.

And if the people at the top are going to fire the woman who built the team, put a dude in charge, give a person with a history of supporting bigoted ideas a position of influence, and become the only team in the league without any queer players?

And then have the gall to claim to be an inclusive?

Fuck that.

[also everyone wants to act like Minnesota is some rogue villain in all this and that isn't fair. This isn't like the big league male teams: there are no individual team owners here. The league controls it all and their fingers are in every pie. But that's a whole different conversation.]

[swordshapedleaves]

Tuesday Indie Game Tabletop Sampler Weekly noon to 4 PDT

I donated to a couple charity bundles on itch.io last year and now I find myself the owner of several hundred games. I'd love to run/facilitate a series of one shots and short campaigns (up to ten sessions but preferably under 8) going through this collection. There's also a few games that seem to be very foundational for other games that I'd like to try out like Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, and Monster of the Week. These games would happen in my private discord server, which we would use for voice chat during games. We'd use roll 20 for our VTT needs, and google docs and sheets for shared documents we all need to edit.

Your Game Organizer: Hi, I'm MercifulWombat (37they/he)! I've been playing TTRPGs over 20 years, mostly d&d but there's been a ton of other games along the way. I don't mind crunch but I'm not a fan of d100 systems. I'm here to tell a cool story and I just find that level of granularity to be more trouble than its worth. My GM style is mostly a Miss Frizzle vibe. I'm here to take you on a wild ride and help your characters grow so I hope you feel empowered to "take chances, make mistakes and get messy!" I do tend to keep characters safer than I should though and it's something I'm working on. I welcome corrections when I get a rule wrong but may opt to homebrew if I don't like RAW.

Your Fellow Players: This group is rising from the ashes of a d&d5e campaign that stalled out through a combination of my burnout and some medical issues that required a 3 month hiatus anyway. Some of the players are sticking around, but not all. We're pretty much all queer and autistic or ADHD. Our current age range is late 20s to late 30s. English is the language we all speak but we currently have a German player and have had other ESL players in the past.

You: You are an adult whose birth year is 2000 or earlier. You are respectful of other people's boundaries and identities. You are here to have a good time and make some friends. You may not be interested in every game we try but are mostly down to try new games. You could even be interested in running one now and then. You don't need any prior experience playing rpgs.

If you're interested in joining, please send me a message and I'll send you a link to a google form application.

[thevalleyisjolly]

Ok, I’ve rewritten this post several times because I really want this to be a productive and respectful discussion, but this is a conversation that does need to be started.  I’ve been thinking about the whole cultural appropriation story line in this season of The Unsleeping City so far, and of course I think it’s great that Cody is starting to realize why that’s wrong and that Murph is making it explicitly clear that it is wrong, but I want to reorient the conversation away from Cody now and talk about Ricky as a Japanese-American character.

Because when Zac went “Just to paint a picture for you...” during the museum fight episode, there was quite a bit of surprise from non-Asian people in the fandom that this was really a serious issue, and one that Ricky would be bothered by or speak up about.  But why wouldn’t he?  I mean, the character is Japanese-American, and so is the player.  Doesn’t it make perfect sense that he would at least be a little bothered by a white person appropriating Japanese culture?  Asian fans certainly noticed and pointed it out before that episode aired.  Ricky/Zac certainly noticed - go back through the episodes and observe how every time Cody pulled out a kunai or threw a shuriken, Ricky was cringing or facepalming with an uncomfortable laugh.  Even with seven different camera perspectives to watch at the same time, it should have been pretty clear in the fandom that this was an ongoing issue that would bother and was bothering Ricky.

And I think there are several different facets to this, but the one I want to address is how there’s a tendency in fandom to ignore or erase Ricky’s Japanese heritage.  Not literally (although there is a particular sting every time I see another Ricky fancast where the actor is of another Asian heritage than Japanese - Asian people are not interchangeable).  But especially prior to Season 2, there was a general trend in the fandom that liked to simplify Ricky’s character and overlook him as a complex player character because of traits that are very common in East Asian immigrant cultures.

Perhaps it’s because my heritage is East Asian and I’ve had more exposure to general cultural customs and behaviours among East Asian immigrants, but Zac’s portrayal of Ricky has always read as a very obvious Asian-American child of immigrants to me (and, y’know, Zac and Ricky are actually Asian-American children of immigrants).  Not expressing negative emotions out loud, not verbally articulating thoughts and feelings but expressing them through actions, deferring to other peoples’ needs first instead of expressing his own wants because it’s not about him.  With the caveat that I’m Chinese and not Japanese, these are common practices that I’ve observed in my own family, among friends and acquaintances (of various Asian heritages including but not limited to Chinese), in broader experiences with other East Asian immigrants.

(Asia is not a monolith and I’m not familiar with the immigrant cultures and experiences of people from other Asian heritages.  I specify East Asian here because that is broadly what I can speak on and because Ricky is Japanese, but other Asian people please feel free to discuss your experiences as well)

And obviously, these are not monolith traits observed at all times, I’ve definitely met plenty of East Asian immigrants who did express their emotions loudly, who used their words, who were assertive about their own needs and wants (this is not the post to be getting into different generations of immigration and the culture differences between those generations).  And it also depends on the context - from my own experience, in private within families, both emotions and words can get extremely loud (if you dare to risk the wrath of your elders by arguing with them!)  But my point is that the habits I pointed out above are still relatively common in East Asian immigrant cultures, even if not all individuals follow them at all times.

Particularly prior to Season 2, there was a common perspective in the fandom, usually couched in “uwu, I love that Zac is playing a hot dummy!!” that would go along the lines of “Ricky doesn’t have a character arc, he doesn’t get into conflicts with other people, he doesn’t say anything and is just happy to be there, he’s a shallow character who’s just a himbo.”  All of which I’d dispute, (*insert post here about Ricky as a character reclaiming Asian masculinity*), but I want to focus on how the main traits -refraining from overt emotions, remaining reserved in speech, not bringing up his own needs and wants- that were brought up and used to simplify and dismiss Ricky’s character were traits which are commonly found in East Asian immigrant communities.  The whole “remaining reserved/trying to avoid conflict” is something a lot of East Asian-American kids pick up at home because what you say or don’t say isn’t as important as what you do or don’t do.

And I mean, so much of Ricky is about doing things for people, showing his feelings through his actions, not his words.  Just because he wasn’t getting into PC conflict in Season 1, or expressing his emotions in the same ways as other PCs, doesn’t mean he was just a silent, cheerful himbo.  Which there’s nothing wrong with being a himbo, and it can be particularly empowering in Ricky’s case as an Asian man (see above linked post about Asian masculinity), but that’s not all there is to Ricky’s character!  And don’t get me wrong, I personally love that part of his ongoing character arc in Season 2 is speaking up about his feelings and expressing to other people what he wants (because there’s the “American” part of the Asian-American experience that’s not just about having Asian heritage but is also about negotiating that relationship in a place with different norms and customs).  But it doesn’t negate the “Asian” part of “Asian-American” either, which does impact and shape the way Ricky interacts with people and the world.

In hindsight, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that interest and meta in Ricky skyrocketed once he did start being more vocal and assertive in Season 2, which are common traits in many Western cultures.  And it’s not the only reason that there’s a deeper interest in Ricky now (shout out to all the Asian fans and allies who’ve been really diving into Ricky’s character this season!) and I choose to believe in good faith that it isn’t intentional or malicious (audiences do tend to gravitate more towards tangible moments of conversation and conflict rather than background acting).  But I think we as fans need to start questioning why as a whole, we really didn’t start giving deeper thought to Ricky until he began displaying more typically Western traits, because I think it’s emblematic of how, very subtly and unconsciously, we are used to privileging white “American” behaviour and ignoring or glossing over Asian (immigrant) traits.

In many ways, Ricky prior to Season 2 (and very arguably up until the museum fight), has been perceived in the general fandom as a sort of post-racial American-melting-pot character.  Fans don’t wholly ignore that he’s Japanese-American, you can’t really do that when his family name is “Matsui” and when the Season 1 finale showed that his interactions with the American Dream pretty strongly involved his parents’ immigrant experience.  But knowing intellectually that Ricky is Asian doesn’t always translate to actually perceiving him as an Asian person with all the implications and racial dynamics that entails.

An example of how this manifests: Ricky and Esther become a canon couple.  Numerous posts begin to appear (and periodically still do) that express opinions along the lines of Ricky/Esther being the only tolerable “het” couple.  Ignoring the fact that we don’t know Esther’s sexuality and we only have an offhand Ztream comment for Ricky, Ricky/Esther is a canonical interracial relationship between two non-white people, a Japanese man and a black woman.  Interracial relationships are already extremely poorly represented in media, to say nothing of interracial relationships between non-white people.   Yet we overlook the racial dynamics and only focus on the perceived queerness (or not) of the ship.

Or, for another example, taking the discussion on cultural appropriation and making it all about Cody’s flaws and character development, rather than considering how it affects Ricky as a Japanese man to see a white man disrespecting a part of his cultural heritage.

Anyways, I really urge D20 fans, especially if you’re not Asian, to start questioning and challenging how you really perceive characters, what kind of characteristics you tend to privilege and be drawn to and why, and what kind of fandom environment you shape in your interactions with the show and with other fans.  This is not to say that Ricky should be everyone’s favourite character or that you can’t dislike him, but it is important to think about why we have the preferences that we do.  I especially urge you to remember that Ricky Matsui is a Japanese-American character, that this was a deliberate choice which has been repeatedly brought up by Zac (who is a Japanese-American actor), and that you cannot and should not ignore Ricky’s heritage when you think and talk about him. 

(And if you think Ricky is being an “asshole” to Cody just for being, frankly, mildly perturbed in his direction because Cody spent most of the season so far being very offensive to Ricky’s cultural heritage, I really encourage you to think critically about your opinions and why you hold them.  And if, after thinking critically, you still don’t see why they’re wrong, please don’t let the door hit you on the way out.  Your conscious racism is not something that is welcome in this fandom, and Asian fans are not here to teach you better)

((White and non-Asian people can and should reblog this, but don’t clown around.  Productive, respectful discussion is welcome.  Asian fans are more than welcome to add their perspectives/agree/disagree, especially people with Japanese heritage))

[magiccoverssport]

On Sue Bird

I woke up this morning to a Twitter video of Sue Bird in tears on a basketball court for the last time as a professional athlete. There's always hope in the WNBA playoffs, but I knew going to sleep last night that there was a good chance my favourite player would retire before I woke up--the risks of living in a much earlier timezone and a best-of-five playoff series I suppose.

It's probably hyperbole to say Sue Bird is my hero, but it's not too far off from how I feel, and have felt, for pretty much her entire career. It is wildly remarkable to me that someone I have admired and respected for so long has not only continued to perform at an incredibly high level but also proven to be just an all-around good person. I guess sometimes your idols don't dissapoint, even when they do leave the game.

I grew up in Connecticut, so I was destined to follow Sue's career as a kid in UCONN territory, where in the 90s and early 00s you would regularly see bumper stickers and signs reading: 'Welcome to Connecticut, Where Men are Men and Women are Champions'. I remember watching Sue beat the buzzer to defeat Notre Dame in the Big East Championship in 2001. After the game, my dad and I talked about what an amazing play it was, and the full context of that moment made the shot and the win an incredible achievement.

In the context of growing up a UCONN women's basketball fan, Sue fit the mold of visionary point guards that you expect to lead the programme, following Jennifer Rizzotti and setting a standard for the likes of Renee Montgomery, Crystal Dangerfield and now Paige Bueckers. As a fan, I was drawn to her playing style and quiet command of the court. I don't think I really thought about Sue Bird the person until I was older myself and starting to wrestle with my own questions of identity and personhood.

One summer on a seasonal job before returning to college, I worked with a guy from Seattle, and since it doesn't take me long to natter on about women's sports, one day Sue Bird and her pro career with the Storm came up during a lunch break. I waxed poetic about what it was like watching her in CT, and he followed up with 'I have a buddy who plays on the Storm's practice team and he says she's gay'. I can't remember my specific outward reaction at the time (I'm guessing something like 'Huh, interesting' and then moving on), but I do remember that I'm not sure I could have explain my internal reaction to myself, let alone my co-worker pal. What he didn't realise was that I was starting to acknowledge my own queerness at the time, but it was something I was barely thinking about in my own head, let alone outloud. Yet something about hearing that Sue Bird might be gay lit some internal signal, tapping into some innate 'One of Us!' instincts, even if I didn't understand what it meant.

When Sue did come out in 2017, I was in a position to completely understand the significance, not just to my out-adult-self, but to so many queer folks who crave representation and reassurance from our idols. Katie Barnes wrote a fantastic piece for ESPN at the time, that really captured how I felt, perhaps best by the last two paragraphs of their words:

"As a queer adult, I don't need childhood heroes to be out in order to feel affirmed in my identity. I didn't need to read Bird's thoughts on her sexuality to know that it is okay to be gay. Twenty-six-year-old Katie Barnes, who has been out for 10 years, does not need Sue Bird.

But these moments, these stories, these treasures that I have carried with me from Indiana to Minnesota to Ohio to Connecticut have melded together to create a time capsule for the child I used to be, the one who wanted nothing more than to hear their basketball hero say the words, "Me too.""

Anyway, thank you Sue. It's been a true joy to watch you and just exist as a fan of yours for most of my life.

[neptunefairytales]

Hi! NeptuneFairytales here! I have never done a proper presentation post since I first log here years ago, so why not used the new pinned option to do it?

Read under before interacting:

I'm a 30+ years old french girl. I mostly post about my fandoms and the stuff I like.

I’m queer, but I’m not telling you which flavour, it’s more fun that way, good luck with that! Partially disable (monocular vision) and probably some sort of autism in the mix.

-Magical Girls and Anime fan: Sailor Moon (my first and ultimate anime, Sailor Neptune and Harumichi lover), Precure,Mermaid Melody, Tokyo Mew Mew,  CC Sakura, Puella MMM,, Love Live!, Pokemon, Rozen Maiden... -Love cartoons: MLP (all generation!), Winx Club, Over the garden wall, Gravity Falls, EAH, ...  -Disnerd: Love them all (favourites are The little mermaid and Alice in wonderland but I love all the princesses and the talking animals. Also Cassunzel is life). Disneyland Paris citizen ^^ -TV Shows:  Doctor Who (favs: 13. 12. 10. OTP: Thoschei and Thasmin ^^),  Good Omens, OUAT (Evil Regal and Swen forever), Broadchurch, Merlin, ... -PotterHead: Hufflepuff pride! (Fuck JKR! Yes you could still like HP while hating her! HP is now our, and we can make it as queer and respectful as we want it to be!) -Lover of animals, specially Horses and Cats (also Warrior Cats fan here!), also dinosaurs...

I collect all sort of toys: Dolls (Disney, MH, Asian compagnies...) and Figures (Anime, Disney, Schleich, Sylvanian Families, all gen of MLP...) and love taking pictures with them and making stories with them! I am not an agere blog (well I think? I don’t feel adult at all, but don’t have the need to regress?) but those who are are welcome!

I draw (sometimes, when I remember how to...), you can request little things ‘same with toys pics, you can give me ideas to do)

I love Fairy kei, lolita fashion, Steampunk, dark and light academia, princess vibes and cottagecore. I love nature (autumn enthousiast) and fantasy (mermaids, fairies and witchy stuff).

Feel free to follow me if you like any of those things! (it’s ok to like this post but do not repost it.) Thanks!

All the post tagged "my stuff" and "my art" are mine, so please, do not repost them (and do not reblog if you use it for kink!). On some occasions nsfw but only light or funny stuff (and always tagged appropriatly) Not spoilers free of any sort (but I tag everything!) Don’t be affraid to reblog and comment under my post, don’t hide in the tags! (unless you are saying ugly sh*t!)

Death to AI Art!!! If I reblog something AI by mistake please tell me! Also same if I reblog from a repost (or something uncredited taking from pinterest)! Fiction does not equal reality, people are free to like the ships and characters they want. Also please separate art from the artist!!! Your are allowed to like a book/show without supporting the creator!!!! Be free! 

I believe in your kinks are not my kinks and that’s okay, just don’t touch my personnal posts if you are a kink blog. NSFW, dd/lg, age players, maps, transphobe/terfs, racist, proana, gore and kinks blogs, Do Not Interract!!!! You’ll be blocked in the minute! I also block blogs with no posts/pfp/summary (or just blogs with bad vibes)....

Enjoy your stay!!!

[lightns881]

DTeam Tumblr Demographics Survey Results (Part 2):

What does DTeamblr look like, what does it have to do with MCYT history, and why does it look like a rainbow?

I’ll make an educated guess here and say y'all enjoyed my last post (totally unrelated to the way I gained almost 50 followers overnight). Anyhow, thank you so much for the overwhelming support! I’m so glad a lot of you felt you could relate to my deep-dive into the leading personality type on DTeam Tumblr. It took me so many hours to write and research, and as a math major and honors student, it’s no easy feat, so I’m so grateful for the attention it got!

Today we’re discussing the general demographics of DTeam Tumblr and why they might look the way they do. Number 8 will blow your mind! So make sure to keep reading and hit that little grey heart and arrow at the bottom if you like it, so more people get to see it! Thanks for your support! Now, let’s jump straight into the post!

Your Daily Dose of Data

From the 449 responses we received, these are some pie charts displaying the gender, age, and sexuality of all respondents.

Image Description: Female (52.8%), Non-Binary (37.4%), Male (9.8%)

Image Description: 16-17 (37%), 13-15 (31.4%), 18 and over (29.4%), 12 and under (2.2%)

Image Description: Bisexual/Pansexual (54.1%), Homosexual (16%), Asexual (14.7%), Other (7.8%), Heterosexual (7.3%)

Mmhm, delicious! Y'all ready to dig into these stats? Because I don’t know about you, but they certainly don’t strike me as what the general population looks like!

Welcome to Tumblr, the Only Community Where Straight Men are the Minority

So these statistics certainly didn’t take me by surprise. Mostly because the DNF Shipper Survey I took some time ago revealed a similar trend. Not to mention, Tumblr is probably the QUEEREST internet community on the planet. 

Funny enough, the survey revealed a shocking number of ZERO heterosexual males respondents. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back. ZERO straight males were recorded out of 449 respondents for this survey!

Now, this isn’t surprising for the Tumblr community by itself, but I can say I’m somewhat surprised in terms of the MCYT Tumblr community. (Obviously, the survey specified DTeam Tumblr, but there is a big overlap between both communities, so I will be using them interchengably when it seems relevant.)

Let’s break this down. The survey reveals the largest age population is 16-17, though it’s not by a great margin in comparison to 13-15 and 18 and older, which doesn’t surprise me either. Some of the major critics of the DTeam Fandom and other MCYT Fandoms love to claim the fanbase’s majority age range lies with children and pre-teens. While it’s an undeniable fact children are drawn to Minecraft, it’s also a misconception to paint it as solely a community for younger viewers.

In the MCYT Tumblr and DTeam Tumblr communities, specifically, we see this is not the case. Only 1/3 of the respondents of this survey are under the age of 16 (you could attribute part of it to the fact younger people might be less inclined to participate in this survey, but it is still a notable difference). I can’t say these age ranges are similar in other parts of the community like DTeam Twitter, Tik Tok, or Reddit, but if I had to make a guess, I’d say Tumblr lies toward the older of the bunch, with Reddit being the oldest and Tik Tok being the youngest (I do hope to perform this survey on some of the other communities, so please stay until the end if you want to help with that).

One of the likely explanations to why the ages for DTeam Tumblr look this way is the fact a big chunk of the community has likely been watching MCYT for a long time (even with breaks in between). I, myself, used to watch channels like PopularMMOs, Aphmau, and PrestonPlayz as a kid, and I presume many of you are familiar with them as well. With the resurgence of MCYT in the past year, it likely drew a lot of the older viewers in addition to the new ones.

But enough about age. What I really want to highlight on this post is the attraction of queer individuals to DTeam Tumblr and MCYT as a whole.

Why is the current MCYT Fandom so queer in comparison to the previous generations?

This is a huge open-ended question and considering I can only capture so much of the DTeam and MCYT community, the rest of this post should be taken solely as a theoretical analysis as opposed to fact.

With that out of the way, let’s start by discussing the shift MCYT has undergone over the years (I promise this will circle back to the question of queerness in the MCYT fandom, but we need some background before we can come up with a decent theory).

When Minecraft was first released, it proved to be a monumental change in the gaming industry. This simple little indie game took the world by storm. It was so vastly different from what the general population generally viewed gaming as (first-person shooters, story-driven games, action games, etc.) Not to mention, it didn’t exactly solely appeal to only a small margin of gamers, those being white cis males.

The gaming industry has notoriously been known in the past for its heteronormative community and general prejudice toward minorities. Though it has gone through a significant change over the decades, we certainly can’t say it’s fully gone.

Yet for whatever reason, the recent MCYT has taken the interest of so many queer people in comparison to other gaming YouTube communities. Why? Why are queer people so drawn to this community? And, more precisely, why does it feel so different than the old MCYT? Lastly, how does this relate to the conclusion about the leading personalities of this fandom we made in the last post?

The Niche Communities of MCYT Over the Years

MCYT has always been a huge, over-saturated genre of YouTube with content appealing to a variety of audiences. It’s dominated gaming content for years, and I think we can all safely say it’s never been bigger than it is today.

So why is it that just now it feels like the queerness of the fandom is popping off? Why now as opposed to say five years ago when MCYT was at another one of it’s strongest stages?

It seems like the community has made a tremendous shift in relation to breaking gender norms and LGBTQ+ subjects, not only in the fans but within the creators themselves. Was flirting and calling a pretty-boy streamer pet names as normal in the past as it is today? Were straight gamer guys putting on dresses and a full-face of make-up as supported back then? Were “marriages” and “pregnancies” within Minecraft boys an everyday occurrence like they are now? How is it that MCYT has dominated a Twitch dating show where flirting with the gay host and among straight contestants themselves is just another bit of entertainment? Where is this all coming from?

Recently, I watched a 2 hour documentary depicting all of the stages of Minecraft YouTube and how it has changed over the years. If you haven’t seen it and you have some time to spare, I HIGHLY recommend it! It’s very informative, and it honestly gave me such a strong sense of nostalgia that makes me choke up every time I think about it. I’ll link it below.

The documentary does a great job at exploring the different niche communities that dominated MCYT since it first took off. Some of such communities include the basic Let’s Players, the team-based Let’s Play channels like How2Minecraft, the roleplay story-centric ones like Aphmau and Samgladiator, the tutorial, building and technical side like Mumbo and Grian, the PVP-centric Bedwars or Hypixel channels, the Machinima community, the comedy side like ExplosiveTNT, the parody music videos, and so many more. All of the mentioned communities have dominated Minecraft at one point or another, many of them still having a rippling effect and/or a loyal community today. All of these communities have certain aspects that define them, some of which parallel the current overtaking content in the present.

How can we compare MyStreet to the Dream SMP?

Taking Aphmau as an example, her MyStreet series had a TREMENDOUS success a few years ago, racking in millions of views and bringing in a lot of money that eventually allowed her to hire voice actors and increase the production of mentioned episodes. The roleplay series was so successful it ran for six seasons!

Now, let’s compare that to the Dream SMP. It seems like a big comparison to be making considering they appear so different at first glance. For once, Aphmau is just one channel whose audience caters toward girls and younger people who enjoy romance. The series is set-up in an episodic-format that resembles more of a TV series than actual Minecraft videos.

Meanwhile, the Dream SMP is a collection of content creators with a mix of improvised storylines and the occasional regular video that resembles more of a Let’s Play series than a RP series.

You could say the only true comparisons to draw out of these two are the popularity they had/have and the profit they brought to their respective creators. 

However, there’s two other key similarities that you’ll find not only within these two specific examples, but many other channels and communities as well. Story and characters.

MyStreet’s story aspect is fairly obvious seeing as it’s a episodic series that focuses on a fictional story. The Dream SMP’s story aspect isn’t as clear, but it’s evident there is a story playing out in the foreground and background, whether intentional or unintentional, or improvised or not.

Character is where some of you might start to question me. It’s obvious MyStreet has characters. I mean, it is a fictional story, after all. But the Dream SMP? Light, they’re obviously people!

Well, my answer to that is yes and no--sort of. The Dream SMP’s story heavily relies on roleplay, bits as you might call them. Events that aren’t necessarily planned out as a fictional plot like the typical MyStreet episode is, but they aren’t exactly real. Schlatt is obviously not a villain in real life, he just likes to impersonate as one for the narrative. Wilbur isn’t crazy, but it’s a way to spice up the heroic story surrounding Tommy and him.

It’s video-game improv. Except the actors behind the content just so happen to be real people playing off the personalities and “brands” they have obtained. 

Brands. It all boils down to this. In the entertainment business, without a clear vision of your project and a clear way to brand what your consumer intakes, your project will likely not find a lot of success.

There’s a reason why Tommy plays off his loudness, using an overexaggerated laugh that although may not be completely fake, it is likely not the laugh he uses everyday. Or why BadBoyHalo is this supposed innocent muffin who doesn’t understand the crafting table meme and other references that are fairly easy to google and find the meaning of. Or why Sapnap is this chaotic being who loves starting pet wars and we love to paint as an arsonist in the Dream SMP. While all of these personality traits may be a part of their true selves, they’re played up for the camera--for the story. They act as the personas that define their characters in the narrative.

They have a clear brand and vision that appeals to the audience and makes them tune in on the daily to see how they all come together. It’s like roleplaying a more extreme version of yourself, one that brings home the money.

Story and characters run across every entertainment outlet. They define their brand. Aphmau has her characters and series. Hermitcraft has a set of memorable personalities and episodic videos that formulate its own story that is less like a narrative and more of a history of the server. ExplodingTNT has his recurring cast and comedic sketches. Most of these niche communities have a form of story and character defining them. It’s how they achieve a clear sense of branding and cater to a specific audience.

Queer Theory in MCYT

Having said all that, why does the MCYT of today draw in so many queer viewers?

Let’s think about this. In my last post, I ended by mentioning DTeam Tumblr is a sort of safe haven for INFP and INxx types who might be placed in the “other” category by society. INFPs, specially, are predisposed for escapism--one common form of it being fiction and entertainment. Not to mention, INFPs are feeling types who, as introverts, seek a personable connection. It’s why it’s so easy for them to obsess over book characters or fall in love with content creators.

Now, let’s imagine a whole community of LGBTQ+ INFP and INxx types. Actually, scratch that, we don’t even have to imagine it.

It’s what our community looks like today.

And why are so many so drawn to the DTeam and Dream SMP of all things? It’s a personable storyline that essentially forms a direct tie to the viewer. Unlike pre-recorded fictional TV series you tune into on your device, the Dream SMP is a whole load of chaos that blurs the lines between reality and fiction where fans can directly connect to creators and get to know them as people through a storyline that features sub-textual queer themes and non-conforming behaviors.

The MCYT content creator community of today is more non-conforming than ever before, and knowing this whole fact, knowing that many of them might place themselves in the “other” category or at the very least aren’t afraid to break the norms and be seen in that light, is a comfort in itself for LGBTQ+ INFP types. Once again, it’s a safe space that helps you escape from the troubles of real life, one you relate to.

Okay. So although this does answer why the fans look like they do, what about the creators themselves? Are we really supposed to believe this all came through naturally? That a bunch of straight guys suddenly decided wearing dresses was something they wanted to do?

I don’t mean to sound cynical here, and I’m in no way trying to insinuate creators have solely some sort of corrupt ulterior motive. Things are never as simple as they look. However, the truth is, a part of it lies on the attention it’s gotten.

I’ve talked a lot about DreamNotFound and the way Dream uses it as a marketing ploy. I stand by my point. However, he’s not the only one who does this in the MCYT community. Why did Finn suddenly go from wearing a dress to cross-dressing as a girl for a whole week? Why are so many creators suddenly deciding wearing dresses is fun? Why does every freaking straight MCYT actively want to flirt with George nowadays?

Let’s just let Techno’s favorite word answer this for us: clout.

It gets attention from one of the largest historically underserved minority community in the entertainment business. We might not be able to see gay flirting in every Netflix TV show or guys not minding dresses and getting fake marriages, but you are certainly going to get at least one of those in every Dream SMP stream and video you tune into. It gets attention. It brings home the money. And do I blame them? Not really.

Interestingly enough, there’s a lot of analytical posts on the MCYT Tumblr community that discuss the dangers of these tactics and why gay jokes and the way queer subtext is treated by MCYT creators is harmful. Despite this, it still attracts such a huge community of queers. So why exactly would queer people actively watch something that’s offensive or harmful to us?

I have a lot more to say about this topic and the morality behind Dream’s tactics, but I’m out of breath for today, so I’ll talk about it in my next post. What better way to start the conversation about the DNF and Karlnap questions of the survey than a good ol’ discussion on the morality of queerbaiting and the likes?

If you got this far, I’d appreciate it if you liked and reblogged this post if you enjoyed it and/or learned something new! Also, important news, I would really like to perform a similar study on the DTeam Twitter Community to measure the differences in demographics across platforms. I would REALLY appreciate it if you guys could go like, retweet and share the link I posted on my Twitter about it (tweet will be linked in the reblog below) so it reaches more of the DTeam Twitter community!

However, if you filled out the survey yourself here or you associate more with DTeam Tumblr than DTeam Twitter please DO NOT fill out the survey again! I’m trying to make sure it reaches the audience that mains on Twitter, but I need a little help with that since I don’t have as big of an influence on Twitter than on here for obvious reasons.

Anyhow, thank you so much for all your support! I really appreciate y’all and make sure to hit the follow if you want to lookout for the next demographics post! <3

(Pssst, I’m releasing a MCYT DNF superpower AU longfic next month... You should totally go check out the post on that if you’re interested in it...)

[aceyugiohdreamer]

Hey! (I'm the anon dude who asked about your Judai hatred) So I'm currently gradually catching up in my watch on VRAINS, and I just finished EP34. The whole badly animated episode made me quite uncomfortable because of its more blatant fanservice that sucked the episode's obviously weak budget. But when I reached the end to see Aoi's persona violently crushed head first on the ground, it made the feminist within me feel REALLY uncomfortable watching this. (1/2 or 3, I dunno)

Hey again! Thanks for coming back! I’m putting the rest under a cut because I ended up having quite a bit to say lol …

I know what I’m watching, a kid showtarget towards nippon boys and mostly otaku, and even the original mangacommitted the original Dark Magician Girl sin first, but now that the show ispurely a TCG commercial, I guess there’s not much moral left. I vigorously hatethe previous two shows but actually surprised myself enjoying VRAINS, knowingwhat it is, as I usually don’t watch anime. But after reading about somedragging Japanese idol assault case on my feed today, (2/3)

this episode really strikes me… Idon’t see many YGO fans that I relate too online, and I only found your blogrecently, but I wondered what you opinion on this would be (?) , what yourreaction at the time of the ep’s broadcast was (?) , being a queer duelist too- if I may label you as such without intended offense. Maybe I’m just gettingtoo old for anime as a mid-20s guy, but this Blue Angel character’s fucked,whilst the Aoi side is the most decent female since early Aki.. Opinion? (3/3)

(I’m definitely not offended by“queer”, I like the word, so you are more than welcome to use it with me ^^)

Ughhhh what a topic. Frankly, Ican’t really name anything about yugioh that has ever felt feminist to me, andvrains is no exception. I had some hopes in the very beginning that Aoi wasgoing to be a respectable (and respected, by the narrative) character, but those hopes were dashed pretty quickly and it’s only gottenworse as the show has gone on. She was set up to be a strong duelist, but thenquickly got demoted to damsel who’s not allowed to be on par with the amazingprotagonist. She gets lip service from characters who say she’s good, but wedon’t get to see it on screen, which is a problem.

And I don’t understand idol culture,so that whole persona of hers really turned me off. It’s not just that Ipersonally don’t like that kind of hyper-feminine aesthetic, it was also thatthey directly tied that aesthetic with a character that the writers seemeddeliberately determined to weaken and fetishize. She’s only allowed to havecute, frilly female monsters, and in any duel that matters to the plot, sheloses most of the time, which just continues this association betweenfemininity and weakness. Aoi/her Blue avatars are mostly meant to be eye candyand waifus, and it’s so fucking frustrating.

To be honest, I tend to forget a lotof details from vrains after I’ve watched an episode because I’m just not incrediblyinvested in it, so I don’t put much effort into trying to remember it. I justremember what happens to stick, and I don’t think about it much. I’m mostlyonly watching out of some kind of nostalgic love for the original, not out of agenuine love for vrains itself, even though I do enjoy it on some level.

So I had to google which episodenumber 34 was to remember the scene you mentioned. And yeah, I feel you, thephysical abuse Aoi endures in this show comes across as brutal in a way thatfeels different from the trauma Yusaku went through. What he went through wasfucked up too, but it’s been presented as the catalyst for him becoming strongand focused and justice-oriented. With Aoi, her defeats are spectacles,sometimes given lavish attention, and they don’t seem to lead to anysubstantial development for her. She gets a few superficial changes, but thenarrative still treats her as second-class and expendable, because ultimatelyher development doesn’t have much impact on the overall story.

I don’t really remember how I feltat the time I first saw the episode, but I’m pretty sure it was something alongthe lines of an annoyed sigh, because it was just so disappointing andpredictable at the same time. Of course she lost. It’s just Blue Angel afterall, why would she be important enough to defeat an enemy? (At least a maleone. She does win against the one other female character in the enemy camp,because THAT’S allowed apparently.)

I don’t think the violent manner ofher defeat struck me at the time, but seeing it again and in that context ofactual idols getting assaulted, it does feel pretty gross. It’s always felt tome like idols are presented as public property and not human beings deservingof dignity and agency, and they perform specifically to draw out love fromtheir fans to encourage them to obsess and feel possessive of them. So when yousee a fictional idol getting physically hurt like that, it does smack of thatidea that idols exist for the emotions of their fans. If Blue Angel gets hurt,it’s because the writers are hoping to get an emotional reaction, not becausethey plan on using it for any substantial purpose. So yeah, anything having todo with Aoi makes the feminist in me cringe, but I went through that with Akitoo and I’ll still never forgive the writers for how they ruined her.

I wanted to like Aoi, but they justcouldn’t resist making a mockery of her and dropping any potential she had tobe a character that actually mattered.

And I totally agree that the show feelslike an ongoing TCG commercial. That’s why I only half payattention to the duels because I can’t keep up with them anymore. I don’t remember the originalfeeling this way, and maybe that was because a lot of the monsters felt likecharacters themselves and actually played an emotional role in the players’ lives, whereaswith vrains, there’s no relationship between players and their monsters. It’sall about their relationship with vrains and the AIs. The cards have become simple tools now with no heart and soul and meaning to them.

(and if you want to keep talking about this, you’re more than welcome to message me on chat, or keep sending anons, whatever works for you, it’s all good ^^)

[spiralatlas]

From Player to Developer

I got asked to be on a panel about how I got into games for the Perth Games Festival, here's the notes I plan to work from.

Summary:

I'm a hobbyist visual novel and puzzle game maker. I have health problems that mean I can't work  an actual job, I make games very slowly and don't have the energy to promote them much so the income they bring in is always going to be limited. I treat it like a hobby and make my games "pay what you want", so that as many people can play them as possible. Luckily my husband earns enough to support us both.

I've been making little games every now and then since I first got access to a computer as a child. But until a few years ago being in the games industry seemed both impossible and unappealing. I can program, but my talents and interests tend more to abstract ideas than the kind of fiddly technical problems that seemed to be 90% of games programming. And  while I've always liked art and writing I never felt I was good enough to do them professionally.

The two things that propelled me into games making were (1) becoming so sick I had to quit working and needed a hobby (2) encountering the visual novel framework Ren’py, which takes care of most of the fiddly technical stuff I don't care about but still lets me code in complex extra features if I want them.

I've since put out the original scifi visual novel SOON, the Unity based puzzle game Perpixeled, and the demo for a dating sim based on Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey. All of which can be seen on my itchio account.

Over time I've connected more with other game developers, and while I can feel self conscious as a hobbyist they've been very welcoming, and it's been fantastic  for encountering new ideas and talking to people with similar interests.

Since game making is a hobby for me I use cheap or free tools, and avoid hiring other people. I have zero creative skill or motivation when it comes to music, until now I've relied on free resources but will probably end up hiring a composer to score a game one day.

If you have any questions please ask, and I will do my best to answer!

Tools and resources I have used:

Fairly easy to use:

Ren’py: visual novel engine

Twine: make text based games

A bit of a learning curve:

Unity: general game making tool with an emphasis on 3D

Blender: 3D modelling

Other resources:

Interactive Fiction discord

Let’s Make Games a vibrant, friendly, and helpful community of Perth developers

the resource tag on my blog

More of my backstory:

I did a Phd in computational mathematics, then worked as a science communicator and data analyst. I liked the idea of being more creative but lacked the motivation and self confidence to do more than the odd little sketch. And my attempted programming projects tended to stop working for no apparent reason. So I stuck to my strength: maths.

I developed serious chronic fatigue syndrome nine years ago. I had to quit my job, and could no longer do high level maths. I desperately needed a new source of purpose and accomplishment. So I got into making fanfic and fanart, where the bar for making other people happy turned out to be low enough for me to pass pretty easily.

About 6 years ago I encountered a fan game made in the visual novel engine Renpy. The game was clearly thrown together without much effort yet ran perfectly. Sure enough, the engine was easy to use and reliable.

I made a few silly parody games which was super fun. I liked the idea of making something original but wasn't sure what.

Someone I know in the online femslash community reblogged a post on tumblr talking about how cool it would be to make a lesbian vampire dating sim but noone would be interested. A bunch of people, myself included, said YES I WOULD, and to everyone's surprise we actually started making the game, now called Copper Rose.

It was a great experience, we all shared ideas and played to our respective strengths. At that point I'd only been identifying as a bi woman for a short time, and it was cool making queer fiction with a group of other queer women (which we all identified as at that time) After a while most of the team lost interest and wandered off to do other things, leaving me and one other person, Ash, who I have become close friends with. As it happened we both realised we're non binary and bi, so it's a bi non binary vampire dating sim now :)

And the two of us are still at it! Visible progress on the specific game Copper Rose has been very slow for various reasons, and the game doesn't resemble the original much any more, but it's still been a really amazing creative partnership. We've learned a lot about ourselves and about game making, and we have helped each other a lot with our respective side projects.

At the beginning of the Copper Rose project I was just the background artist because I lacked the self confidence to volunteer for anything else, but over time I ended up becoming one of the writers, and taking over the programming.

I now make original games by myself. I'm still not as good at any of writing, coding, or art as I would like, but I can do them all well enough, and have learned a lot and am learning still.

[junker-town]

Alejandro Bedoya showed why MLS can never be a nonpolitical space

MLS wants to protect our enjoyment of its sport by remaining “nonpolitical.” That goal is naïve.

Last weekend, Philadelphia Union captain Alejandro Bedoya scored the first goal against D.C. United in a 5-1 victory, then celebrated by grabbing a field level microphone and demanding that Congress do something about gun violence.

Bedoya scored and yelled in to the field mic for Congress to do something about gun violence. #DCvPHI #doop pic.twitter.com/wIcnmgSOfP

— Dustyn Richardson (@HouSports) August 4, 2019

Later, Bedoya explained why he felt compelled to make such a public demand: “I’m not going to sit idly and watch this stuff and not say something. Before I’m an athlete, before I’m a soccer player, I’m a human being first.”

On who inspired him to make the statement: His friends had come to a bipartisan conclusion that gun violence needed to be dealt with, and one of them asked Bedoya to use his platform to get people’s attention on the issue — “You can maybe do something and have more strength than some of us have.”

Bedoya’s request to Congress is understandable in the context of the tragedies that took place, and if not for the surprising way he did it, wouldn’t be seen as radical. But Bedoya made that request during an MLS game, a league that would like its stadiums to be nonpolitical spaces. By making his statement during a game, Bedoya dragged MLS into the uncomfortable place of sports and politics that it’s been trying to avoid.

At the end of his postgame interview, Bedoya was asked if he would be OK with league sanctions for his political action.

“Fine me if they want,” Bedoya said. “You know what? I’ve got to make a stand. Like I said, I’m a human being before I’m an athlete.”

A few days before the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton — which killed 31 people and injured many more, and are among the more than 250 American mass shootings in 2019 so far — MLS commissioner Don Garber gave an interview with ESPN in which he explained the league’s nonpolitical stance. MLS had formally warned Seattle Sounders supporters about flying an anti-Nazi flag, and Garber reasoned that if the league were to allow any political signage or statements, then it would also have to allow opposing viewpoints to have their say. And that could hurt the atmosphere that MLS would like to cultivate:

“We just saw some research that was done where the vast majority of fans do not see sports events as environments that should be driven by politics,” Garber said. “They want to go to a game and experience it and participate in a game without having to be confronted by issues that might make them uncomfortable.”

The interviewer tried to get Garber to give the league’s exact definition of “political.” Though the anti-Nazi flag is banned, MLS allows fans to fly the rainbow flag of the LGBTQ community. Garber defended that exception:

“A rainbow flag is not a political statement. In this case the Iron Front is a political organization.”

When the interviewer pushed harder on the difficulty of defining what constitutes the political, Garber got frustrated:

“It’s hard for me to respond to those kinds of things. I don’t want to get engaged with that. It’s very simple: We do not allow for political signage in our stadiums.”

Surprisingly, MLS didn’t fine Bedoya for his gesture, but the explanation for their inaction was so jargon-filled and empty that it perfectly represented the awkward nonpolitical space in which the league wants to exist:

MLS statement on Bedoya doesn’t get into content of his statement at all. pic.twitter.com/8heINxpX0q

— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) August 5, 2019

About the same time that Garber gave his interview with ESPN, I was thinking of the importance of finding and protecting sources of joy in an increasingly absurd world. When things are so bad and overwhelming, when so many people in the world are suffering, happiness can seem like an unearned privilege.

But I think there’s a human obligation to find those things that make us happy and to protect them, because without them, the sorrows of the world can easily consume and overwhelm us to the point that we become no good use to anyone. There’s no point in a permanent state of emotional agitation and despair.

And in that sense, I sympathize with Garber and the league’s attempt to create a space where people don’t have to deal with the problems of the outside world. Soccer is a source of joy for me, as it is for billions of others, and it should be a space where we can unburden ourselves of everyday problems and enjoy the anguish of our team failing spectacularly.

But turning soccer into a utopia is impossible, and MLS’ position is ridiculous at its face. Garber couldn’t define what, exactly, is political because “politics” is subjective. What is seen as not political are the politics that someone, whatever their identity, can overlook.

Garber may not see the rainbow flag as a part of politics, but members of the LGBTQ community, and the bigots who are still trying to minimize their existence, know damn well that the flag is a statement of life, both socially and under the law. Queer and trans people can’t help that their lives are political, and stripping the flag of that context is silly.

The anti-Nazi flag may be making a political statement, but so is having a military appreciation night. And as long as the sport and leagues exist within a political world, Garber and MLS will find that attempt to insulate themselves to be a losing battle.

MLS can pretend that what is happening in the world doesn’t pertain to it, but Bedoya pointed out the problem with silencing fans and players from within: He’s a human being foremost. The human being in him was compelled to act, and that drive superseded the code of conduct imposed by the league.

MLS’ idea of a soccer utopia is a place where identity in relation to the sport is the only thing that matters, where being a player for the Union could eclipse Bedoya’s closeness to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and his awareness of the violence of the world. Or where queer, trans, black, anti-fascists, and even bigots will forget who they are when they cheer for their team.

But the problems and conflicts of the world won’t ever respect MLS’ idealism. Worse, that nonpolitical stance can be dangerous.

By reasoning that allowing one political stance means having to allow the opposite, MLS inadvertently lets bigots feel comfortable. The league might want to be nonpolitical, but that indifference sets the stage for white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys to infiltrate stadiums and intimidate other fans. These people don’t have to fly flags or make overtly political statements; their intentions and violent ideologies are clear to everyone around them.

Protecting joy does not mean looking away from the world. Fighting for the things that make one happy means creating the conditions necessary for those things to exist. MLS cannot send out a message of diversity and inclusivity, and then stand motionless as white nationalists flourish in their fans sections and attack fans on their way to games.

If MLS wants to be a space where fans can get away from the troubles of everyday life, it has to take an active role in creating the conditions that makes people feel safe and welcome. That means the league has to decide what politics it supports, and what it doesn’t.

By not punishing Bedoya, MLS, even with their toothless statement, showed that it’s comfortable with his politics. It took a political stance. And all Bedoya did was follow the insistence of his humanity and ask for a better world. He chose to do it during an MLS game because what he cared about as a person was bigger than the sport.

As MLS grows, it will find itself at the center of more situations like this. The league’s goal may have been to make a headache disappear, but in the process they showed why trying to stay apolitical is futile.

[velmaemyers88]

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has been getting a lot of attention and well-deserved adulation over the past 10 days, ever since they won their second consecutive Women’s World Cup in dominant fashion over the Netherlands in Lyon, France. But as night must follow day, any praise for loud, outspoken women must be counterbalanced with bad-faith, ill-informed criticism.

You’ve probably heard the complaints by now: They’ve partied too hard; they sign autographs dismissively; they say the word “fuck” an awful lot. But this week, another narrative emerged: they’re anti-Christian.

This latest attack surfaced when a conservative activist on Twitter, Ekeocha Obianuju, shared the story of Jaelene Hinkle, a defender in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) who refused to play with the U.S. national team in 2017 when she found out she would have to wear a jersey honoring LGBTQ Pride month.

“Apparently, the US women’s Football team is not a very welcoming place for Christians,” Ekeocha wrote in a tweet that went viral.

This quickly led to conservative outlets publishing articles like this one in the Washington Examiner with the headline “While Megan Rapinoe is celebrated, a Christian player got pushed off the USWNT for not being woke enough.” But it didn’t take long for one prominent member of the team, backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, to speak out against this notion.

“Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for.”

Later, Harris added, “This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians’. You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team. Same on you.

— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) July 15, 2019

Harris’s tweets followed those of Kyle Krieger, the brother of Harris’s fiancée and USWNT teammate, Ali Krieger.

“As someone close to the team, I know this is false. The players have an inclusive bible study, they pray before and after the WC games, and they are open to whatever faith you follow. Not all Christians are bigots. Hinkle, on the other hand, hides her bigotry behind her faith,” Krieger tweeted.

Now, it is worth noting that it was Ekeocha, not Hinkle, who explicitly stated the USWNT was not a welcoming place for Christians. However, Hinkle has openly portrayed herself as a martyr for stepping away from the team in 2017 because apparently God spoke to her and told her that she would be defying her religion if she wore a jersey that supported the LGBTQ community.

“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey,” Hinkle told CBN at the time. “And so I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what He was asking me to do in this position.”

As both Harris and Krieger noted in their tweets, it is false bordering on comical to paint the USWNT as being anti-Christian. Many players on the USWNT are extremely vocal about their Christian faith. There is a group — including Moe Brian, Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, Mallory Pugh, Jessica McDonald, Emily Sonnet, Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher, Alex Morgan, and Kelley O’Hara — who kneel in a prayer circle in the middle of the field after every game. After they won the World Cup, Brian posted a long note on Instagram that began by thanking God, and Heath and Ertz both shared messages that said, “glory to God.”

Christianity is a very visible part of the USWNT. So too, however, is support of the LGBTQ community. Multiple members of the team are open about being in same-sex relationships — including head coach Jill Ellis, co-captain Megan Rapinoe, Harris, Krieger, Tierna Davidson, Adriana Franch, and Kelley O’Hara. And a large portion of the fan base in women’s soccer is LGBTQ as well. When Hinkle refused to even put on a jersey with rainbow-colored numbers on it, it was a clear rejection of the very humanity of the queer community. That isn’t faith. That’s hate.

Hinkle has long been open on social media about her homophobia — she was against the legalization of same-sex marriage — and ever since she refused to play for the national team in her first call-up in 2017, there has been speculation by many in the conservative community that the only reason she isn’t on the team is because of her anti-LGBTQ views.

There’s no real way to know if that’s the case, though. Even Harris would not be privy to the full extent of that decision-making process.

Hinkle has only been called up to a national team camp once since 2017, and she was only there for a few days before being cut. Ellis has repeatedly said the decision to exclude Hinkle was based on her lack of versatility — she only plays left back — and experience level. It’s about soccer, she says, not beliefs.

“If you look across the back line, all of those players can play at least two positions,” Ellis said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

“One of the things our staff and I do is, we go through worst-case scenarios over and over and over again,” Ellis continued. “So looking at depth and versatility is a big part. And it becomes harder, I think, for a player that plays one position … a player that’s locked to one position — I do think that’s part of the decision-making.”

But team chemistry plays a part in these selections, too. As it should. The World Cup is a grueling affair. Relationships are tested. The media scrutiny is at all-time high. Trust is paramount. Hinkle was a bubble player already, meaning her inclusion on the roster was far from a sure thing. Harris’s tweets this week made it clear that there is tension between Hinkle and some members of the team, which is understandable given that she openly wants to deny the right for her teammates and coach to marry the person that they love.

This doesn’t mean that everyone on the team feels animosity towards Hinkle. Hinkle plays with a few members of the USWNT on the North Carolina Courage, the team that won the NWSL championship last season. Clearly she can co-exist, and even thrive, as a part of a diverse locker room.

McDonald, a teammate of Hinkle’s on the Courage and a member of the USWNT, came to Hinkle’s defense last year after the CBN interview was released. In a recent social media post, McDonald referred to Hinkle as her “best friend.” But while McDonald is also very open about her Christianity, she is supportive of LGBTQ equality and seems to be close with all of her teammates. This week, as the controversy around Hinkle was erupting, McDonald posted a photo on Instagram of her son holding the World Cup trophy and getting kissed by Rapinoe.

That, more than anything, proves what Harris and Krieger were saying this week: The USWNT is a welcoming group. The only caveat is, the love and respect has to be mutual.

Credit: Source link

The post The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186365986602

[reneeacaseyfl]

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has been getting a lot of attention and well-deserved adulation over the past 10 days, ever since they won their second consecutive Women’s World Cup in dominant fashion over the Netherlands in Lyon, France. But as night must follow day, any praise for loud, outspoken women must be counterbalanced with bad-faith, ill-informed criticism.

You’ve probably heard the complaints by now: They’ve partied too hard; they sign autographs dismissively; they say the word “fuck” an awful lot. But this week, another narrative emerged: they’re anti-Christian.

This latest attack surfaced when a conservative activist on Twitter, Ekeocha Obianuju, shared the story of Jaelene Hinkle, a defender in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) who refused to play with the U.S. national team in 2017 when she found out she would have to wear a jersey honoring LGBTQ Pride month.

“Apparently, the US women’s Football team is not a very welcoming place for Christians,” Ekeocha wrote in a tweet that went viral.

This quickly led to conservative outlets publishing articles like this one in the Washington Examiner with the headline “While Megan Rapinoe is celebrated, a Christian player got pushed off the USWNT for not being woke enough.” But it didn’t take long for one prominent member of the team, backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, to speak out against this notion.

“Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for.”

Later, Harris added, “This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians’. You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team. Same on you.

— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) July 15, 2019

Harris’s tweets followed those of Kyle Krieger, the brother of Harris’s fiancée and USWNT teammate, Ali Krieger.

“As someone close to the team, I know this is false. The players have an inclusive bible study, they pray before and after the WC games, and they are open to whatever faith you follow. Not all Christians are bigots. Hinkle, on the other hand, hides her bigotry behind her faith,” Krieger tweeted.

Now, it is worth noting that it was Ekeocha, not Hinkle, who explicitly stated the USWNT was not a welcoming place for Christians. However, Hinkle has openly portrayed herself as a martyr for stepping away from the team in 2017 because apparently God spoke to her and told her that she would be defying her religion if she wore a jersey that supported the LGBTQ community.

“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey,” Hinkle told CBN at the time. “And so I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what He was asking me to do in this position.”

As both Harris and Krieger noted in their tweets, it is false bordering on comical to paint the USWNT as being anti-Christian. Many players on the USWNT are extremely vocal about their Christian faith. There is a group — including Moe Brian, Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, Mallory Pugh, Jessica McDonald, Emily Sonnet, Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher, Alex Morgan, and Kelley O’Hara — who kneel in a prayer circle in the middle of the field after every game. After they won the World Cup, Brian posted a long note on Instagram that began by thanking God, and Heath and Ertz both shared messages that said, “glory to God.”

Christianity is a very visible part of the USWNT. So too, however, is support of the LGBTQ community. Multiple members of the team are open about being in same-sex relationships — including head coach Jill Ellis, co-captain Megan Rapinoe, Harris, Krieger, Tierna Davidson, Adriana Franch, and Kelley O’Hara. And a large portion of the fan base in women’s soccer is LGBTQ as well. When Hinkle refused to even put on a jersey with rainbow-colored numbers on it, it was a clear rejection of the very humanity of the queer community. That isn’t faith. That’s hate.

Hinkle has long been open on social media about her homophobia — she was against the legalization of same-sex marriage — and ever since she refused to play for the national team in her first call-up in 2017, there has been speculation by many in the conservative community that the only reason she isn’t on the team is because of her anti-LGBTQ views.

There’s no real way to know if that’s the case, though. Even Harris would not be privy to the full extent of that decision-making process.

Hinkle has only been called up to a national team camp once since 2017, and she was only there for a few days before being cut. Ellis has repeatedly said the decision to exclude Hinkle was based on her lack of versatility — she only plays left back — and experience level. It’s about soccer, she says, not beliefs.

“If you look across the back line, all of those players can play at least two positions,” Ellis said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

“One of the things our staff and I do is, we go through worst-case scenarios over and over and over again,” Ellis continued. “So looking at depth and versatility is a big part. And it becomes harder, I think, for a player that plays one position … a player that’s locked to one position — I do think that’s part of the decision-making.”

But team chemistry plays a part in these selections, too. As it should. The World Cup is a grueling affair. Relationships are tested. The media scrutiny is at all-time high. Trust is paramount. Hinkle was a bubble player already, meaning her inclusion on the roster was far from a sure thing. Harris’s tweets this week made it clear that there is tension between Hinkle and some members of the team, which is understandable given that she openly wants to deny the right for her teammates and coach to marry the person that they love.

This doesn’t mean that everyone on the team feels animosity towards Hinkle. Hinkle plays with a few members of the USWNT on the North Carolina Courage, the team that won the NWSL championship last season. Clearly she can co-exist, and even thrive, as a part of a diverse locker room.

McDonald, a teammate of Hinkle’s on the Courage and a member of the USWNT, came to Hinkle’s defense last year after the CBN interview was released. In a recent social media post, McDonald referred to Hinkle as her “best friend.” But while McDonald is also very open about her Christianity, she is supportive of LGBTQ equality and seems to be close with all of her teammates. This week, as the controversy around Hinkle was erupting, McDonald posted a photo on Instagram of her son holding the World Cup trophy and getting kissed by Rapinoe.

That, more than anything, proves what Harris and Krieger were saying this week: The USWNT is a welcoming group. The only caveat is, the love and respect has to be mutual.

Credit: Source link

The post The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186365986602

[weeklyreviewer]

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has been getting a lot of attention and well-deserved adulation over the past 10 days, ever since they won their second consecutive Women’s World Cup in dominant fashion over the Netherlands in Lyon, France. But as night must follow day, any praise for loud, outspoken women must be counterbalanced with bad-faith, ill-informed criticism.

You’ve probably heard the complaints by now: They’ve partied too hard; they sign autographs dismissively; they say the word “fuck” an awful lot. But this week, another narrative emerged: they’re anti-Christian.

This latest attack surfaced when a conservative activist on Twitter, Ekeocha Obianuju, shared the story of Jaelene Hinkle, a defender in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) who refused to play with the U.S. national team in 2017 when she found out she would have to wear a jersey honoring LGBTQ Pride month.

“Apparently, the US women’s Football team is not a very welcoming place for Christians,” Ekeocha wrote in a tweet that went viral.

This quickly led to conservative outlets publishing articles like this one in the Washington Examiner with the headline “While Megan Rapinoe is celebrated, a Christian player got pushed off the USWNT for not being woke enough.” But it didn’t take long for one prominent member of the team, backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, to speak out against this notion.

“Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for.”

Later, Harris added, “This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians’. You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team. Same on you.

— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) July 15, 2019

Harris’s tweets followed those of Kyle Krieger, the brother of Harris’s fiancée and USWNT teammate, Ali Krieger.

“As someone close to the team, I know this is false. The players have an inclusive bible study, they pray before and after the WC games, and they are open to whatever faith you follow. Not all Christians are bigots. Hinkle, on the other hand, hides her bigotry behind her faith,” Krieger tweeted.

Now, it is worth noting that it was Ekeocha, not Hinkle, who explicitly stated the USWNT was not a welcoming place for Christians. However, Hinkle has openly portrayed herself as a martyr for stepping away from the team in 2017 because apparently God spoke to her and told her that she would be defying her religion if she wore a jersey that supported the LGBTQ community.

“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey,” Hinkle told CBN at the time. “And so I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what He was asking me to do in this position.”

As both Harris and Krieger noted in their tweets, it is false bordering on comical to paint the USWNT as being anti-Christian. Many players on the USWNT are extremely vocal about their Christian faith. There is a group — including Moe Brian, Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, Mallory Pugh, Jessica McDonald, Emily Sonnet, Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher, Alex Morgan, and Kelley O’Hara — who kneel in a prayer circle in the middle of the field after every game. After they won the World Cup, Brian posted a long note on Instagram that began by thanking God, and Heath and Ertz both shared messages that said, “glory to God.”

Christianity is a very visible part of the USWNT. So too, however, is support of the LGBTQ community. Multiple members of the team are open about being in same-sex relationships — including head coach Jill Ellis, co-captain Megan Rapinoe, Harris, Krieger, Tierna Davidson, Adriana Franch, and Kelley O’Hara. And a large portion of the fan base in women’s soccer is LGBTQ as well. When Hinkle refused to even put on a jersey with rainbow-colored numbers on it, it was a clear rejection of the very humanity of the queer community. That isn’t faith. That’s hate.

Hinkle has long been open on social media about her homophobia — she was against the legalization of same-sex marriage — and ever since she refused to play for the national team in her first call-up in 2017, there has been speculation by many in the conservative community that the only reason she isn’t on the team is because of her anti-LGBTQ views.

There’s no real way to know if that’s the case, though. Even Harris would not be privy to the full extent of that decision-making process.

Hinkle has only been called up to a national team camp once since 2017, and she was only there for a few days before being cut. Ellis has repeatedly said the decision to exclude Hinkle was based on her lack of versatility — she only plays left back — and experience level. It’s about soccer, she says, not beliefs.

“If you look across the back line, all of those players can play at least two positions,” Ellis said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

“One of the things our staff and I do is, we go through worst-case scenarios over and over and over again,” Ellis continued. “So looking at depth and versatility is a big part. And it becomes harder, I think, for a player that plays one position … a player that’s locked to one position — I do think that’s part of the decision-making.”

But team chemistry plays a part in these selections, too. As it should. The World Cup is a grueling affair. Relationships are tested. The media scrutiny is at all-time high. Trust is paramount. Hinkle was a bubble player already, meaning her inclusion on the roster was far from a sure thing. Harris’s tweets this week made it clear that there is tension between Hinkle and some members of the team, which is understandable given that she openly wants to deny the right for her teammates and coach to marry the person that they love.

This doesn’t mean that everyone on the team feels animosity towards Hinkle. Hinkle plays with a few members of the USWNT on the North Carolina Courage, the team that won the NWSL championship last season. Clearly she can co-exist, and even thrive, as a part of a diverse locker room.

McDonald, a teammate of Hinkle’s on the Courage and a member of the USWNT, came to Hinkle’s defense last year after the CBN interview was released. In a recent social media post, McDonald referred to Hinkle as her “best friend.” But while McDonald is also very open about her Christianity, she is supportive of LGBTQ equality and seems to be close with all of her teammates. This week, as the controversy around Hinkle was erupting, McDonald posted a photo on Instagram of her son holding the World Cup trophy and getting kissed by Rapinoe.

That, more than anything, proves what Harris and Krieger were saying this week: The USWNT is a welcoming group. The only caveat is, the love and respect has to be mutual.

Credit: Source link

The post The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team doesn’t just tolerate religion, it embraces it – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-doesnt-just-tolerate-religion-it-embraces-it-thinkprogress