I’ve been reflecting a lot on what trans and nonbinary folk experience in the esports community. I hope this message isn’t too late, given recent events.
There are many issues I could talk about, but I just want to speak on one: there must be an unspoken grief in being trans and seeing your idols vilify you.
I grew up watching CS:GO. My favorite team was Luminosity after Cluj-Napoca in 2015. I remember rushing home from school to scour twitch chats and copy my favorite players’ settings. I cheered when C9 won the Boston Major. And of course I watched all of the Rank S highlights and can still quote the funniest clips from heart, even 11 years later (jeez im old).
Esports was an escape for me, as I’m sure it is for so many of us. Yet, because I am a woman, I watched with dread as my escape was bastardized over the years by influential figures ostracizing women. I saw the same people I looked up to point and laugh and say people like me were inferior, that we could never do what they do, that we don’t belong in esports, that trans women weren’t my friends and were out to get me.
That anguish and betrayal I felt from a community I poured years of my life into is exactly what trans women and nonbinary folk experience times ten. They are esports fans just like anyone else. They’re here as an escape just like anyone else. They don’t want to be treated differently from anyone else. All they want is the same respect you give any other human being.
After asking for something so simple, so basic, they experience far more hate and rejection at the hands of the very people they look up to. All while already living life constantly vilified and questioned. It’s a shame we’ve allowed this radioactive environment to fester here.
To my peers: I promise you some of your biggest fans HAVE BEEN trans and nonbinary folk. Gaming is incredibly diverse, and if you’ve played in front of a crowd, you know this already. They tell others how good you are. They try to copy how you play. They make beautiful art of you and your teams. They wake up early or stay up late to watch your games. They celebrate your successes and feel for your failures. They’re just like any of your supporters.
Thank you to those who know this already. I promise your acceptance doesn’t go unnoticed.
For those who don’t: It’s an incredible opportunity and gift to be someone’s escape in this world. What a waste to squander it.
And to the trans and nonbinary folk reading this: you are welcome here. Existence is resistance. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
are yall not getting a little bit tired of spending our time on this earth creating profit for a class of people that consistently seems to use it to actively destroy and gamble the future u feel u have to build for urself while they seek out means of saving themselves? donald trump is not going to save you, man. neither is the next one, regardless of party, unfortunately.
there’s legitimately a good chance the cia actively worked to create or maintain the instability in the countries these immigrants feel they need to leave, in order to buy in to the same dream we all found ourselves stuck in too. the only thing that has changed with this administration is they’ve found the audacity to do a whole bunch of this shit without even trying to hide it or manufacture a narrative because aesthetics are disgustingly op this patch and we are all so cynical and scared that a lot of us have legitimately just gotten to the point of laughing at it now.
i mean shit guys it might be cooked by now but we can’t rly know that. if you got a 7-eleven job and a drop shipping side hustle and your brain got one shot by something other than mine like fucking looksmaxxing or this new quirky fascism or some random conspiracy theory u may or may not be totally correct on, all of the above — you aren’t evil dawg. we aren’t that different. neither of us are getting on that spaceship or building a bunker. only reason 90% of people follow this account is cuz i clicked on people on my funny little torture box for 20 million hours. we all coping but u have to believe me there is a way to have hope and we all gotta be redeemable, we just maybe gotta start like giving a fuck and actually doing things one of these days. hopefully before things get too bad 🙂
we play qor today :)
Poverty breeds crime. Like, directly. If you think people losing healthcare, SNAP, housing, allat isn’t going to flip this country over you’re a fool. You will see a spike in crime. Criminology 101.
0-2 vs @Sentinels
I’m sorry about that I didn’t win this match , SEN played very well , i’ll keep improve and work harder in next match🔥
Special Thanks @Zellsis@zekkenVAL
It was my first time on the international stage. @Zellsis really gave me a lot of energy and made me feel the true GLHF. I was really happy for him on the stage when he clutched in the game.
have met @zekkenVAL before in the Asia server and we said we would meet in Master. I didn't expect to meet and become opponents this time. He is really strong. Even if I read him, I can't stop him.