Consumerist: Self-identified lesbian banned from Xbox Live

The Consumerist reports that an Xbox Live user identified only as Teresa was supposedly banned from Xbox Live for identifying herself as a lesbian. Teresa said that she identified her sexual orientation in her profile, which resulted in harassment from other players on Xbox Live. She stated that even after she left such Xbox Live sessions, users would follow her into other games and tell others to report her "because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap."

Teresa says that her account was later suspended because other gamers found her profile "offensive." Microsoft has informed Joystiq that it hopes Teresa will come forward, so that the company can investigate the matter directly.

In a statement to Joystiq, Microsoft noted that users may not "create a gamertag or use text in other profile fields that include comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate content of a potentially sexual nature. Profiles that do are asked to change the language and suspended until changes are made." The company also stated that it does not allow Gamertags or profiles to identify any form of sexual orientation, though it is allowed in voice chat "where context is more easily explained to all players involved." Finally, Microsoft stated that harassment is "not condoned" and "taken very seriously."

Find the full statement after the break.

Continued →