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.

​

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Cis derives from chemistry originally, where it means...

"Denoting or relating to a molecular structure in which two particular atoms or groups lie on the same side of a given plane in the molecule, in particular denoting an isomer in which substituents at opposite ends of a carbon–carbon double bond are on the same side of the bond."

In relation to gender, cisgender means someone whose gender identity matches their anatomy. Basically, the doctor said, "Its a boy!" when they observed that you had a penis and your identity and sense of self matches that assumption on the part of the doctor.

By contrast, when the doctor said, "Its a boy" when they observed that I had a penis, they were wrong. My sense of self doesn't match the gender labels forced on me by the doctor who delivered me, my parents, and society as a whole.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Don't be a jerk does apply in that case. The innocent person can learn why the other person was offended, educate themselves, and not make that mistake again. We all make mistakes - not being a jerk means owning up to them and learning from them.

yes and that will work just fine for 1 person, but we are all individuals, and if we don't except each other we are going to just make things worse... You need to realize (you as in general not kiraya_TiDrekan) that no one is perfect and sometimes it's just easier to not take an offense that isn't meant as one...

we all live in this world, we need to find a way that we can all do it without making each other uncomfortable or unwelcome... so again ITS COMPLICATED...

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Now we get to argue over where those lines get drawn.

the problem is it is a very blurry line that gets redrawn all the time... and yea that is exactly it... now we could argue till 3000 years from now on where it is or should be...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think the shocking part is that the "religion" is the class at question in the actual body of the law but everyone completely ignores it.

Ironically, one's religious affiliation and exercise is not only protected under the Bill of Rights but is a protected class under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 while sexual preference / orientation is decidedly not a protected class. Of course, this whole lobbying campaign and efforts to sue / fine people out of their livelihood because their religion prohibits them from participating materially in a same-sex marriage ceremony are just more steps in the Human Rights Campaign's descent into being a hate-group over the last decade or so, so the irony goes on for miles.

The other elephant in the room is the fact that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sponsored the same law on the federal level. It was passed 97-3 in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate and signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993 but nobody's calling them "bigots" or trying to move Gen Con to Canada. Of course it's really just about punishing "enemies," so why bite the hand that feeds?

Marty Lund

People DID call out Bill Clinton & the Democrats on what they did- or rather, DIDN'T do- for gay rights. Coverage was spotty, but a good-sized portion of the left constituency routinely criticized Don't Ask, Don't Tell and other similar legislation.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Here's an interesting analogy. How would people feel if *GenCon* declared that no black people were allowed at the convention? Would they defend Gen Con's right to do business with who they chose, despite that being illegal?

it would seem odd, and not something I was comfortable with... but to turn that around what do you think of a women's only gym or school?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Cis derives from chemistry originally, where it means...

wow... thank you, I will add that as my new word for the day...

 

[Umbran]

the problem is it is a very blurry line that gets redrawn all the time...

Yep. And it *should* get redrawn all the time. This is not something you can decide once, and walk away and figure you never have to look at it again. You want the benefits of living in a big, culturally diverse nation, the cost of that is active maintenance.

 

[Fallen star]

Here's an interesting analogy. How would people feel if *GenCon* declared that no black people were allowed at the convention? Would they defend Gen Con's right to do business with who they chose, despite that being illegal?

This is not an apt analogy.

First, because this law does not FORCE Gen-Con to exclude homosexuals. It gives them the option, sure. But, we don't know for sure that any restaurant or hotel near Gen Con would infact choose to discriminate.

Second, homosexuality is BEHAVIOR, skin color is not. A business has no way of knowing if a person is homosexual unless that person does something to reveal it. For example, two men are kissing in a restaurant, and the restaurant manager asks them to leave.

A better analogy is smoking. Restaurants can say smoking is not allowed, but does that mean that are discriminating against smokers?

 

[Morrus]

it would seem odd, and not something I was comfortable with... but to turn that around what do you think of a women's only gym or school?

I think single sex schools are problematic (and fortunately on the decline); women-only facilities do have valid safety concerns. Absent that, they'd be questionable, but the world we live in means that those safety concerned are, sadly, valid.

 

[Fallen star]

Cis derives from chemistry originally, where it means...

"Denoting or relating to a molecular structure in which two particular atoms or groups lie on the same side of a given plane in the molecule, in particular denoting an isomer in which substituents at opposite ends of a carbon–carbon double bond are on the same side of the bond."

In relation to gender, cisgender means someone whose gender identity matches their anatomy. Basically, the doctor said, "Its a boy!" when they observed that you had a penis and your identity and sense of self matches that assumption on the part of the doctor.

By contrast, when the doctor said, "Its a boy" when they observed that I had a penis, they were wrong. My sense of self doesn't match the gender labels forced on me by the doctor who delivered me, my parents, and society as a whole.

Just curious, how did you, personally, conclude that your "sense of self" was the correct one, and your physical anatomy and all accompanying social expectations were the wrong ones?