"LF Queer and LGBTQIA+ friendly Guilds" - A brief explanation from your local Gay to help you understand why someone would make this request.

https://www.reddit.com/r/summonerswar/comments/ws3yx9/lf_queer_and_lgbtqia_friendly_guilds/

This will probably get taken down because it's asking for a firestorm, but here goes.

I came across the above post and was fairly disheartened at the comments that I saw coming from individuals in regards to this request. So I wanted to address this topic as your local resident high ranking Gay. I am well aware that making a post of this kind on Reddit is an extremely risky thing to do, and I am buckled up for the "tl;dr go away f****t" comments, so bring em on. If I can help one single person understand our perspective, then I can go to sleep happy.

I am 31, my pronouns are he/him, I am a gay man, and I have been married to my incredible husband for 9 years. My Christian evangelical parents kicked me out at 14 when I came out and I never spoke with them again. I am tough as nails, and you can call me any slur or make any joke about me under the sun and I promise I'll hit you with a better one.

"LF Queer and LGBTQIA+ friendly Guilds"

I understand that there are a lot of fairly tone deaf responses to what the OP is asking here so I am going to break a few of them down, so we can all have a little bit of an info sesh together. I'd like to first point out that we are currently living in an extremely volatile and uncertain reality as LGBTQIA+ individuals are under constant attack by people in positions of political power. Whereas we have been fighting for our rights for decades, we are a group that has to remain ever vigilant about intolerance and hatred. With Especially in places like the internet, an escape where we go to try and forgot about life and have some fun for a while, can be filled with extremely negative, toxic people who can say some incredibly nasty and hurtful things.

I personally have issues hopping into voice chat in games such as Overwatch simply because the higher pitch and inflection of my voice tends to attract being called a f****t and is resoundly greeted with chants that I should go kill myself if I make a mistake. This is the reality for many members of our community, as the safety of a computer screen can really make some people feel safe to let their asses hang out, not understanding who is on the other side of a screen.

This is silly. Just join a guild.

If it’s lame then leave. I don’t give a crap who sleeps with whom, some personalities vibe some don’t

While I understand what this commenter is attempting to say, which is "Who cares if you're gay" it does underscore a common stigma about the LGBTQIA+ community which is that we are nothing more than the people we choose to have sex with. Being a gay person is more about sleeping with somebody of the same sex. I don't like the term "Microaggression" because it gets thrown around too casually these days, however several individuals from my circles would interpret it this way. I'd encourage instead of reducing the life of fighting, crusadership and pain that our community has to face to just being about sex, instead greet these sorts of posts with something along the lines of "We accept you for who you are, and we don't make judgments based on your sexual orientation."

The concept of our community being based on sex and being sexually driven has led to a genocide of large portions of our community, especially during the AIDS crisis epidemic. Even now, while we are in the midst of a monkey pox epidemic, we are facing scrutiny for our tribe once more being labelled as dirty, unclean and full of nothing except sexual deviants.

Besides could you imagine if I posted looking for a straight non homosexual guild ?

This sounds remarkably like another talking point that is brought to our attention any time the conversation about equality rises, which is "What if straight people did the same thing you're asking for?" What many folks fail to understand is that our community has the need for these spaces while the majority group, in this case heterosexuals, are already perceived the "norm" by society. Therefore your space, is ALL space. You won't be looked at funny, have judgments made about your sexual orientation, or be scoffed at for showing affection in public. We need these spaces.

When I hear this comment, I hear "Well why isn't there a STRAIGHT pride parade?" And that's because your straight pride parade is getting to march through life without a target on your back, having to be ever vigilant simply due to who you love in this world. It means you don't have to worry about hopping on to a video game or a mobile game and having someone call you extremely hateful things based on a core part of your being.

How about you just play in a guild without trying to bring your choice of who you find attractive into it?

Again, I do believe this person means no genuine harm. But as we've established, the OP is not trying to find an LGBTQIA+ guild so that they can score a hookup. They're not doing it to try and get a date. They're simply trying to find a guild filled with individuals with a like-minded, shared experience who they can find some common ground with and share a space knowing that they can enjoy themsleves and be free of scrutiny.

You wouldn't turn your head if somebody was looking for a guild of people who spoke either German or Spanish exclusively. You wouldn't turn your head if it was a guild for people who like Anime. And we have to stare at megaphones near daily from guilds called "Trump 2020 - MAGA he won let's go brandon". There's nothing wrong with looking for a guild with people you are comfortable with due to shared languages or experiences.

The following comment was made by someone on the same Reddit post.

It's about so much more than that. If you play in a guild of people that have similar interests and you can chat with them about it then you should. My guild is a guild of teachers. You gonna insult me too for wanting to bitch about stupid kids with people who get it?

This person gets it. ^

Literally impossible for people whose entire personality is their sexuality. Boring, predictable and the most annoying people imo

This person does not. ^

But basing your entire personality off of a political party or fictitious figure who died on a fictitious cross is totes different. You offered nothing constructive or useful. If you've nothing to add don't take away. This person wasn't doing any harm. You can return to your cave now.

Yeah, this person REALLY gets it. ^

We know that asking for safer spaces, or a brief reprieve from the constant battering of our community that enters our home every single day is snowflake libtard woke shit. But it's also the only way we can keep ourselves afloat sometimes over the constant battering that we receive on a daily basis. Nowhere is safe from the effects of homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny and countless other forms of hatred in this world. It's smashed into our heads from every direction, whether it be social media, the news, congress talking about you like you're lepers, or having rights stripped away in every direction possible. We can't even hop into a game a lot of the time without being judged or having idiot teenagers maliciously use slurs, and sometimes, we just want a space that allows us to be who we are, judgment free, without the constant fear that someone hates you simply for existing. To be queer is to live with a target on your back.

To my straight friends - We know it's a weird and crazy time where LGBTQIA+ representation is everywhere and might feel like it's being shoved down your throats. But we're not looking for revenge - just equality. And while it might seem to you like we're "Better than we used to be" in the rights department, we still have a long way to go. And sometimes we need a break from fighting, and to be among individuals that we know share our stories who love and accept us.

To my queer and questioning friends - Don't forget; If you think being queer makes you some kind of pansy, don't forget that you're so badass that you're illegal in 72 countries cause they just can't handle you.

If anybody has any questions regarding anything, leave 'em in the comments and I'll be happy to discuss it!

Oh and uh, buff Trinity.