Gen Con Takes Stand For Inclusiveness

This rather breaks all my rules, in that I'm reporting on politics, and regional politics at that. That said, Gen Con, the hobby's largest American convention, intersects with this particular example, so it's hard to ignore; and this is an RPG news blog, after all. Plus, I agree with the sentiment, even if I'm doubtful about its actual effectiveness given the current contract. Gen Con has written to the local politician in its home city of Indianapolis, USA, threatening (kind of - they're contracted to stay there for five more years whether they like it or not) to consider moving elsewhere if a local law relating to businesses being able to refuse custom to same-sex couples is passed.

With multiple recent articles in just the last week (Monte Cook Games & Thunderplains, Green Ronin's Blue Rose), the subject of inclusiveness is not one that anybody can afford to ignore. However, the vitriolic comments these topics give rise to make discussion on them difficult at best.

Here's the letter they wrote.

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[Dannyalcatraz]

I also understand why if me and the guys are out walking to our cars and look like trouble makers (biker jackets, tattoos, chains, leather, ripped jeans, a shaved bald man, all of us large) why a person might cross the street, or even turn around... we are all big teddy bears and the nicest guys, but if you don't know us I understand you may not get that vibe at first.

Fear of adult males is based in our species' evolution and history.

I'm 5'7" and currently 250lb+ (at my fittest, I was a fairly lean & beefy 193lbs): here is one of the few images of me available online:


Personally, I have been mistaken for a leg-breaker sent to help collect a debt- while wearing a grey silk shirt and a pink vest. I stopped a drunken brawl at an open air rock festival with a glare. And that was not the only time my annoyed visage caused someone to back down like the robbers in Ving Rhames' new commercial.

I'm not particularly large. Is it because of my race? Who knows?

The late comedian Patrice O'Neal (large black man) detailed his own experiences- like walking down the street and having women lock the doors to their convertibles...while the roofs were down. OTOH, he also made sure he pointed out his own prejudices in that regard- like how he'd cross the street if he saw a group of bald white guys in denim & leather...even as they called out to him that they were just coming from chemotherapy.

 

[Fergurg]

You know, considering the almost 300 comments on this subject and all its social, political, and religious implications, this thread has been going very well.

Why can't we do this when talking about 5th edition?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) people suck

2) I bet most people involved in this thread feel they would only be tangentially affected by laws like this. In contrast, we ALL have a personal investment in our favorite games.

3) people suck

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

To add to that, there are a few of us who are as passionate about this subject as we are about gaming, but are generally civil (or at least try to be) regardless of subject.

 

[Dire Bare]

And there is an easy solution - remove unnecessary gendering of restrooms. Its a bathroom - everyone needs to poop and pee, it all stinks, and everyone needs a place to do it. That's it, that's as complicated as it needs to be.

I remember one of the coolest things about the "new" Battlestar Galactica was a bathroom scene! Several characters, of mixed gender, have a discussion in the bathroom, and while it isn't called out, its clearly a nongendered bathroom! There were no urinals like you might find in a typical men's room, just stalls with central washing stations. That's what we need!

If I walked into a bathroom and found someone who looked like a woman to me (I'm a guy), it might weird me out a little because I'm not used to it. But being weirded out is on me, not the "woman" in the men's bathroom.

Likewise, if your mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, best gal pal, or whatever walks into a women's restroom and sees someone who looks like a man to them, and freaks out, that's on them, not on the "man". Weight certainly has nothing to do with it as implied above (yeah, fat-shaming and transgender discrimination double-whammy). Certainly, the reaction is somewhat understandable as society isn't used to transgender folks, but that doesn't make the transgender person wrong and the person freaking out right.

Still, I feel for my transgendered friends as currently, there is no easy solution as society hasn't proved ready for sensical nondiscrimination.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Likewise, if your mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, best gal pal, or whatever walks into a women's restroom and sees someone who looks like a man to them, and freaks out, that's on them, not on the "man". Weight certainly has nothing to do with it as implied above (yeah, fat-shaming and transgender discrimination double-whammy).

Like I said upthread, there are concrete reasons for women to fear men in places like restrooms and fitting rooms: there is a well-documented pattern of (unauthorized) men in such places being predators*. We males are at least as much to blame in their reaction to such an event as they are.

There just isn't as a big pattern of a corresponding documented threat in that situation if the genders were reversed.

As for the weight, I believe the example is less about fatness, and more about size disparity, and how that plays into our species' threat assessment instincts.






* either of women themselves or of the children which are more likely in their care than in the care of males.

 

[dd.stevenson]

I'm really happy with GenCon's response to this localized bigotry.

I'm a lot less happy to have direct political discussion encroaching even more on EnWorld.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And the groundswell grows:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/...ernor-signs-anti-lgbt-religious-liberty-bill/

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm a lot less happy to have direct political discussion encroaching even more on EnWorld.

The good news is that it has been a lot more civil than not only discussions on gaming- as noted by others- but also the discussions on political websites.

 

[pdmiller]

Nice doublethink.

"Protected classes" exist in law to correct for past, present and future discrimination experienced by persons society has- at some point or another, based on relatively immutable characteristics. They level the playing field, they do not shift discrimination to others.

Business owners are not a protected class because there has not been a historical prejudice against business owners, and the fact of being a business owner is not relatively immutable. You can always sell your business and be free of the restrictions of being a business owner. I cannot sell my blackness and be free of the restrictions placed on me by my race.

You are nearly there with your argument - except when you mention restrictions placed on you by your race.

There are none in law. In fact there are "affirmative action" type laws to promote access to education and employment opportunities for minorities, including black people. I'm not sure what restrictions you are referring to, but they are probably along the lines of informal racism rather than any legal impediments?

But, people are allowed to be stupid and hold crazy beliefs like racism. You are entitled to hate them right back if you want to, as long as neither of you violates the other's rights. And no, hurt feelings do not count. Defence of free speech is not the same as defence of popular speech.
But you are right - if no-one discriminates, there is no problem!