im aware gaider is a gay man and he (presumably?) wrote this line, but including the option to say “spare me the details” to dorian when he reveals he’s gay is honestly horrible esp considering his importance to gay players. i know it’s only an option if you’re a dumbass and press the “ummmmm how does [being gay] work” but letting straight people just go the full mile and spew explicit, real world homophobia and risking gay players seeing it is…….. cruel. and unnecessary. being homophobic really isn’t a option RPG’s need to have. making games comfortable for bigots should not even be on your list of priorities. like? fuck em
this happens with krem, too. the line “he being a she isn’t a problem?” is disgusting. yes, it’s there to let you express your ignorence and (hopefully) be educated but the problem is it does this in a way that allows transphobes to express their bigotry. it’s not just an option going “i don’t understand” or even “you don’t mind that krem’s trans?” it’s literally just transphobia (“he being a she” obviously evoking “h*she”… a common transphobic and transmisogynistic slur, much in the same way “spare me the details” evokes common expressions of homophobia)
the problem isn’t the game letting you be ignorant, but the game letting you be ignorant in a way that’s overtly bigoted and extremely triggering to LGBT players. rather than “he being a she isn’t a problem?” a simple “this isn’t a problem?” would’ve sufficed. not only does this still lead to educating the player while avoiding transphobia but it also serves a purpose for trans players, too: it lets them see if iron bull cares aka if he’s a transphobe or not, thus building trust between him and trans players when it’s revealed he’s not a transphobe. it centres everyone, not just the ignorant bigots. whereas “spare me the details” serves no purpose other than letting the game make a (very mild) joke at your expense (“you can’t be that stupid…… surely????) so it’s obvious what they’re trying to do; allowing players to express their bigotry as a means to condemn/educate them, but the problem is this is always at the expense of LGBT players
it’s the whole “gaypain for straight consumption” thing where educating cishets is done in a way that’s unpleasant for LGBT consumers e.g. “killing gays is bad… which we’ll prove by showing a gay person brutally dying on-screen.” the importance of representation is neglected in order to tell cishets not to oppress people and LGBT folks are exposed to distressing content as a way to educate their oppressors. the problem w/ this is…. it’s unnecessary. you can allow players to express ignorence without giving them access to homophobic/transphobic language and while being criticized or mocked by dorian and iron bull may feel momentarily fulfilling… it’s not worth the wellbeing of your LGBT players? there’s just more thoughtful ways of doing it. the “how does [being gay] work?” dialogue option more than suffices and isn’t offensive. the game’s refusal to let you engage in homophobia should be enough to tell straight players it’s wrong. “you don’t mind krem being [whatever thedas’ word for trans is]?” achieves the exact same thing as the actual dialogue, simply without the horrible transphobia
i admire the devs for wanting to educate ignorant players, but i don’t think letting them express their bigotry while simultaneously exposing marginalized players to it is the way to achieve this. so many interactions w/ krem and dorian would be less hurtful and offensive simply by a couple of word changes. bc no matter how noble the intentions are, letting players spout homophobia and transphobia in games shouldn’t be an option. it shouldn’t be an opportunity to “mold” our characters, as if throwing in misgendering and transphobic slurs is the same as choosing between fictional factions or if a demon deserves to die or not. there’s so many opportunities to shape our character’s personality that not letting them be massive homophobes is hardly detrimental to this aspect of the game. it’s just not worth upsetting your marginalized players. education is good, asking what being trans means or if characters in this world are oky w/ it can be valuable. but none of that requires bigotry. there’s no issue w/ players asking “is [krem being trans] something that’s accepted?” the issue is misgendering him in the process. something that only exists so bull can give a brief comeback which, while momentarily fulfilling, is not worth allowing the protagonist to express these views or exposing vulnerable players to them (esp when the education is minimal and little more than a slap on the wrist or mild joke at your expense… which will probably just make the bigoted player more resentful towards these marginalized characters)
Queer Fortress 