Disappointing GM policy re: support of human rights.

[Haluana]

Hello.

I am making this thread to express my disappointment in the GM team for how they approached a community-run event I was part of.

We have been holding a vigil for abortion rights in Behemoth Ul'dah for the last few days. By "vigil", I mean just standing in a line with campfires. We were not fundraising, we were not mentioning any names (organizations, people, laws, countries or others), it was solely support for human rights. (Abortion is a human right. I am not here to debate this.) We were not harassing nor hurting anyone.

I was contacted by a GM earlier today informing me that a Party Finder listing I had made (to my recollection, a post like "Abortion rights are human rights, if you'd like to join our vigil, come to Behemoth Ul'dah!") had been found inappropriate because of "political activism". I was not provided with a quote of the exact statement I made that was found inappropriate, nor was I shown which section of the Terms of Service I had been found to be violating- despite asking for this information specifically. I was Cautioned, and told I'd face an account strike for repeated infractions. (Again, there was no fundraising or political organization involved in our event.) I would have escalated to a senior GM to get the details... if I knew they existed.

There's no definition anywhere of what is and is not considered "political (activism)". I was only told in GM jail that the matter is designed on a case-by-case basis by GMs, which is not informative when it comes to trying to understand why a message supporting human rights -and nothing more- is deemed too "political" by the GM team. We are just talking about human rights- why is that taboo?

Is something being controversial enough reason to deem it political and thus taboo? Would Square Enix ban people talking about Pride and LGBTQ+ rights if enough homophobes and transphobes were playing FFXIV? If not, how is this any different?

The reason we are taking the time to show our support for the right to abortion *in FFXIV* is because this -very, very political- game is a community to many, many of us- a community full of REAL people, who are impacted by the constant struggle for human rights, everywhere. Ignoring or escaping from "politics" is a luxury- for most of us, "politics" is an inescapable part of our lives.

I can vouch for the impact our group has had- I've lost count of how many people came up to our vigil to thank us and cheer us on. At its largest, I counted sixty-five people in our group, expressing support for one another. Is this kind of community-building, this environment of mutual support, truly against the spirit of Final Fantasy XIV?

I am posting this thread both to publicly express my dissatisfaction with how this situation has been handled, and in an attempt to follow up with the GM team in search of more precise answers. I've saved the chat logs, as well. They can be accessed here.

[anguel]

even if i do agree with you, on the matter, i do also agree with the GM, in a way that IRL politic/agenda has nothing to do in the game, in public,
most people come online to relax and "forget" IRL crazyness,
just to log in and see it all over again, but in game, i can understand why someone would report it

[PredatoryCatgirl]

This is a great fight to have outside of the game where people come to forget about real life issues. Do something about it there. Your armchair activism is helping no one.

[LaylaTsarra]

Keep it out of the game please.

[Wyssahtyn]

https://support.na.square-enix.com/f...la=1&kid=68216

■Political / Religious / Commercial / Promotional Activities
"Political/Religious/Commercial/Promotional Activities" refer to the act of engaging in activities and promotions that involve real-life political groups, religious organizations, or business entities that have no connections to Final Fantasy XIV. Even if the activity is for charity, it is prohibited as the activity is not relevant to the game.
Key Points
It is prohibited to engage in activities or advertisements in public areas where many players can see them, such as Shout and through the Party Finder. If a report has been filed and the prohibited activity is confirmed, a penalty will be issued.

In a closed environment within a private chat such as a Linkshell or Free Company, it is not considered a violation to raise such topics among peers, but if the conversation is repeated persistently, please be aware that it may be considered a violation depending on the circumstances.

Please note that Square Enix may conduct investigations and issue a penalty in its discretion even if a report has not been filed.

[aveyond-dreams]

Keep it out of the game please.

Seconded, the game really isn't the place for this.

[Theodric]

The game isn't a platform for players to drag real world issues into. To say nothing of the simple fact that not everyone playing is even from America in the first place.

[Krotoan]

I am unsurprised they don't want real life , incredibly contentious, subjects being put in the party finder.

My personal feelings on the matter separate (just don't. Everyone will get misrepresented and nobody is going to learn anything) , it's understandable in game enforcement would say something about that particular aspect of your "vigil".

Whether or not something is a human right is not the problem, it's a current and highly politicized subject which elections will be decided on and potentially civil revolution may spring from. Stand in place, be proud of whatever you think you're supporting, but don't be surprised when the GM's decide they don't want people putting hotbutton current topics into PF.

[Mesarthim]

How about keep politics out of the game.

[Striker44]

Just because you aren't mentioning names or actively fundraising doesn't somehow mean the topic isn't a political issue. I think any "reasonable" person at the present time would consider abortion rights quite clearly a political topic.