Frustrating relative lack of LGBT NPCs in this game

[MilitaryVet123]

I would have gladly dig in into the debate and believed you if you weren't purposefully creating thread to start mini-war on forums on touchy topics, and if you weren't that troll wandering around :

https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...549970/member/
https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...075027/member/

If you like wasting your time on such things, I don't care.
But I don't want the LGBT community taking another internet backlash because of somehow who obviously doesn't even care or really feel concerned.

You may find it fun, I don't.

Did you literally create an entire FC just to troll me?

[MilitaryVet123]

Im surprised to see such a seemingly innocent request from a minority is being given "Oh not that shit again."

I mean, does it hurt anyone? Does the TC actually requested said character to hold the big "I AM GAY" banner as he or she is introduced? No? So why the seeming hostility towards the idea? Is it one of those "please don't politicize my game" sentiment?

The forums are incredibly toxic. There are members of the Novice Network kicking troll group on these very forums.

[MilitaryVet123]

NPCs in the game don't need a giant banner saying whether they are LGBT. I am not quite sure why people these days obsess over a sexual orientation that has next to nothing to do with the game. The game isn't a pride event, nor are they obligated to represent a minority. The vast majority of NPCs the WoL interacts with are neutral considering the WoL can be male or female. Very few characters are like Thancred, whose orientation is very clear. Just let your imagination run wild.

You don't have to let the NPC say "I'm gay" to show that they are gay. You could have a newly-wed gay couple standing together but with their dialogue talking about something other than being gay.

No one is advocating for thousands of NPCs to yell that they're gay.

[Ayuhra]

FF14 is a wonderful game. It's beautiful, the gameplay is fluid, the lore rich, and the graphics stunning, especially in the Azim Steppe.

Part of the reason why it's so wonderful is because it is possible to fully immerse yourself in this game. Characters all have a backstory, many NPCs are fleshed out, have their own personality, and you really feel like Eorzea is a place you can live in.

However, the lack of representation of LGBT characters in this game is frustrating for a billion-dollar video gaming company. While I applaud SE for allowing the Eternal Bonding to take place between two people of the same gender, there is not much else in this game that represents LGBT characters, other than a token gay couple in Upper La Noscea.

Some people will also bring up characters like Alphinaud (weird) or Haurchefant, and say they're "WOL-sexual". But you know that they're not actually designed as gay characters. They just happened to be perceived as LGBT because of the fandom.

Many other RPGs are already fully embracing the need to represent minorities in their game, because minority representation is an important issue that affects the psychological development of minority youth.

I hope to see Square Enix do more to represent LGBT characters in their game, because by doing so they'll let LGBT youth feel like they have a place in Eorzea and feel welcomed.

I know some people will think I'm joking, but I'm not. As a LGBT PoC myself, I am deeply invested in this issue.

Haurchefant isn't considered LGBT because of the fandom, exactly. He's pansexual. It's just not very obvious in the English translation. (The Japanese version doesn't leave any room for interpretation on this)

In general I wouldn't mind more LGBT representation though. Elder Scrolls Online has had LGBT characters since day one.

[MilitaryVet123]

Haurchefant isn't considered LGBT because of the fandom, exactly. He's pansexual. It's just not very obvious in the English translation. (The Japanese version doesn't leave any room for interpretation on this)

In general I wouldn't mind more LGBT representation though. Elder Scrolls Online has had LGBT characters since day one.

Which makes it very curious why people are so mad at me asking for more representation. Surely it cannot be the rampant homophobia in this community...

[Gemina]

No one is advocating for thousands of NPCs to yell that they're gay.

Are you sure about that?

[Enla]

I wish people who made threads like this to troll knew they were only hurting us and how seriously people take us. Trolling like this makes it easier for others to react negatively to any mention of LGBT stuff because this just gives them fuel for their bigotry. And then people actually fall for it even though it's widely known who the active trolls are, but they don't care because it gives them something to argue about or it just gives them a reason to hate us.

This is my issue as well. Would I like more representation in a medium I enjoy? By all means, I cannot even begin to explain how happy it made me to see that gay NPC couple from the Post Moogle questline or the entirety of the Dotharl who were very gender positive through their views on the soul. However there's no bigger slap in the face than a well known forum troll basically hopping on that bandwagon and deliberately inciting forum ire in their crusade to get the most bans on this forum.

The game could use more representation, yes. However by already basically ignoring the orientation of the vast majority of it's characters and having several fan favorites be pansexual and flagrantly so it's doing fine in my eyes.

[Nestama]

Oh wow. This thread title is word for word the same as a Reddit title back in 2017 with some paragraphs literally taken from it.

You don't have to let the NPC say "I'm gay" to show that they are gay. You could have a newly-wed gay couple standing together but with their dialogue talking about something other than being gay.

No one is advocating for thousands of NPCs to yell that they're gay.

Wow, even this was taken from that thread.

In agreement with Doozer as well.

[NanaWiloh]

I wish people who made threads like this to troll knew they were only hurting us and how seriously people take us. Trolling like this makes it easier for others to react negatively to any mention of LGBT stuff because this just gives them fuel for their bigotry. And then people actually fall for it even though it's widely known who the active trolls are, but they don't care because it gives them something to argue about or it just gives them a reason to hate us.

I have no issue with the LGBT community.

To bigots and trolls well...

[Doozer]

This is my issue as well. Would I like more representation in a medium I enjoy? By all means, I cannot even begin to explain how happy it made me to see that gay NPC couple from the Post Moogle questline or the entirety of the Dotharl who were very gender positive through their views on the soul. However there's no bigger slap in the face than a well known forum troll basically hopping on that bandwagon and deliberately inciting forum ire in their crusade to get the most bans on this forum.

The game could use more representation, yes. However by already basically ignoring the orientation of the vast majority of it's characters and having several fan favorites be pansexual and flagrantly so it's doing fine in my eyes.

Exactly. It's always nice to have more rep, and the game does already have a bit which is nice, but it's pretty dirty for people to use that to start arguments and feed into people's hate on the forums. People give me crap for 'flaming' if I pop into an ongoing thread and make a single comment, but they see threads like this and just go along with it? I guess people just love pulling the wool over their own eyes.