Mercule
Adventurer
Wow. That's a jump from "may insult" to "beat to a pulp". I wasn't assuming a physically threatening situation. In my entire life, I've witnessed maybe one incident of physical threat based off some form of discrimination and that never manifested actual violence. Even in "adult" life (quotes used because the behavior isn't adult), I've only witnessed insults and/or cold-shoulder type treatment. Those suck, but are in a completely different league than physical danger. My comments should be taken in that context.Ah yes. I would so much rather become established and start to maybe think of these people as friends before finding out that, surprise! They hate me and I am not remotely safe around them.
I think I'm going to hold the marginalized person's safety and comfort over some vague idea of "beneficial to the hobby," as though the game itself might get its feelings hurt (and matters more than the people).
But hey, if "beneficial to the hobby" is so important, there could be, say, a blurb in the PHB that explicitly says they're welcome that could help deal with this problem of feeling unsafe around the game. Just an idea I had.
Let me be really clear: Physical threats are always bad and it is better to know before going into danger.