An article on IGN sought to draw attention to the plight of gamers who deviate from the accepted heterosexual norm expected by the larger community of online gamers on Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network.  Touching on the stomach-churning Halo 3 YouTube video where someone's gamertag incited a deep and powerful hatred, the article quotes GayGamer.net editor Flynn DeMarco, who makes the point that in order to avoid such treatment, gay gamers tend to shy away from online gaming or remain silent in public games, enduring the regular flurry or slurry without objection despite the soul-decaying effect that a digital world all telling you that you were born incorrectly, defective and deserve derision and ostracisation. 

Sadly, though, despite IGN's best efforts to raise awareness of homophobia in gaming, the article has attracted more hatred, the comments becoming a gallery of this foetid bile, spewed forth from the fingertips of the faithfully ignorant:

• wiskeychris writes "Environment and choice are the determining factors [in homosexuality].  If I were a minority, I would be highly insulted to be compared to a homosexual.  Homosexuality is a sexual deviance, nothing more."  Making vague assumptions about the science behind sexuality, when various theories exist with their own evidence is folly and does nothing but expose ignorance.  If deviance from normality is such a bad thing, then some people's lives must be terribly mundane.  "Sex in the kitchen?  This is DEVIANCE!"
• Hank34 writes "Just like gay people. They have to rub your face in it. No straight person feels the need to tell everyone they are straight. But the first thing gay people talk about is how gay they are. Also let's be honest, I'd say less than 1% of gamers are gay. So to sum up, who the heck cars if less than 1% of the gaming pop[ulation] is offended by anything. Gays should stick to what they know: Broadway musicals, knitting, and owning inspirational kitten posters. Mute them or deal with it." I saw RENT once.  Hated it and only went because we were in New York and a female friend loves it.  I can't stand musicals.  Singing and dancing for no reason, eugh.  And knitting?!  What?  And those sickeningly-cutesy kitten posters are for teenage girls, not grown men.  But then, that's my opinion, isn't it, just as this is Hank's own baseless opinion.
• SaeIum writes "Its Xbox live people! If u cant stand the smack talk then don't play! and he keeps using "homophobic." homophobia is being scared of gays, most people arent scared of them they just don't like them. And if you are gay, whatever its not my business what you do in the bedroom but i don't want to know about it! if you don't want to get harassed for being gay, then don't proclaim it to the world from a mountain top."  Heterosexuality is assumed with every individual.  Society decrees that unless otherwise stated, you are straight.  If the roles were reversed and everyone was assumed homosexual, see how quickly straight people would make their true sexuality known.
• MicahPRT writes "People need to calm down about this.  It's not that hard to mute players." Why should anyone have to mute anyone?  Surely manners, decorum, tact, politeness and decency should dictate that you don't call someone a fag because they threw a grenade at you.  One shouldn't need to mute people, people should just be adult enough to refrain from being abusive.  And just because you don't see it as a problem, it doesn't mean it's not a problem for others.
• Homertherat007 writes "First: Why are you entering a lobby and declaring your homo-ness if you don't want people to tell you how disgusting it is?

Second: Why do you even care what those people say anyway? It's the internet. There is no consequence for saying whatever they want because they don't have to own up to what they said. This site is a good example. Read all the ignorant crap that's on here and you'll see what I'm talking about. Most of the people posting that stuff wouldn't dare say it in public.

Third: Why do you have a freaking website? If you don't like all the negativity that is given to you, why are you drawing attention to yourselves? Goodness, it's like you're all retarded. "Hey, you guys hate everything about me and you aren't afraid to tell me, so go to this website and you can find all my information so as to pester me online." Great plan.

Lastly: How can you be turned on by your team mates, why is that a bad thing, and how does that only relate to gays? If it's possible to be turned on over voice chat on a video game (I have yet to experience this), then couldn't it be done with heterosexual people as well? Plus, if you're turned on, aren't you enjoying it, which you very well should be considering you are turned on? I am really just baffled by this article, and what is wrong with the person who thought of writing it..."  You'd prefer that minorities shut the fuck up and stick to the darker recesses of the world, they shouldn't have the freedom to write, say or do anything that everyone else does and takes for granted, without suffering abuse, or criticism for being as overt as other people about different aspects of their lives?  Yes.  Yes, this seems fair.
• Pmaculate writes "My advice if your a gay gamer: Just shut the hell up and play the damned game. Stop whining about being harassed."  Yeah, all right then.  With your own logic, should you really have written this comment in the first place?  Shut the fuck up and stop whining about people whining.

This is but a mere spattering of crap, there are over sixty pages of this, mixed with support, some rather misguided, on the article's comments. 

The so-called 1% of gamers who are gay need to show themselves for the actual percentage they are.  Not that I'm saying that we should embark on pride marches through Xbox Live, but surely standing up to people and using the moderation features inherent in online gaming, such as abuse reports will slowly trickle the idea into the empty brains of the ignorant that being abusive, whether it's about sexuality, race, gender, religion, disability or anything else, is wrong and if you wouldn't go up to someone in the street, poke them in the chest and yell "you're a fucking cunt, mate," then doing it from behind a shield of ones and zeros, IP addresses, servers and headsets makes you every bit the ignorant, gutless coward.  Now, let's all be excellent to eachother.