Nov 27, 2012
Recently, a sub-sect of the Magic community has been getting a lot of attention. Ever since Feline Longmore won SCG: Seattle with an impressive High Tide deck, there has been a lot of talk about the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Magic community. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by nothing but positive and accepting (albeit insane) people that have been nothing but supportive to me. I am proud to call these people my friends… just please don’t let them know that. I have an image to uphold! Some people aren’t so lucky to have a group of supportive people surrounding them, so today we are going to talk about the #MTGLGBT community and highlight a couple of resources for LGBT Magic players and their friends to explore.
I have to say it: I was super excited to see a trans-woman win such a large event! I am not the biggest fan of the “Oh look! A LGBT community member won. Yaaaay!” mindset but I definitely felt a surge of pride on this one. Regardless of any orientation/gender combo; the fact remains that Feline piloted a great deck to a well-deserved win at SCG:SEA. I watched the streams and am impressed with anybody that can do that well in such a high level event. So now I must give an official shout out to our girl before we go any farther. Feline: Work it Girl. You played a great deck and you played it well. Enjoy the win!
I have a mixed sense of pride and shame over the reaction of the Magic community. First we will cover the pride: I am proud of everybody in the community who has stood up to support Feline and her win. You beat back the haters and showed all of us that we share a bond that goes far beyond love of the game. You rock. Accepting people as they are seems like a complete no-brainer, but the sad fact remains that it is not. Keep up the great work! You all pass as human beings. To those who decided to use this to spread hate/insults: Grow up. We are all part of the same community with one common interest; love of the game. Why on earth would you try to hurt one of your own? You don’t make me mad, I honestly feel bad for you. It must be awful to live life while carrying so much hate inside of you. But, I would rather fix a hater than hate back at them, so I offer this solution: get in contact with me and we will try to talk through your fear/hatred of the LGBT community. I don’t know what made you this way, but I want to show you the compassion that you are too afraid to show others. Maybe it will help you understand that the world is a beautiful place full of different and interesting people! Now sashay away.
In the last week two great Facebook groups full of truly amazing people have popped up: Planeswalkers for Diversity and MTGTG (links to both groups are also at the bottom of the article). These groups exist for everybody! Gay, straight, trans, and even some Canadians (Hi Trevor and Jeremy from http://boostervictim.com/) can come together in a safe space to trade stories, talk strategy, and share their experiences. I mentioned that I had a completely supportive and “don’t care what you are, just play the game” community here, but not everybody is so lucky. These groups create a very supportive community and give you a chance to discuss our super secret deck strategy. Much like traditional marriage, LGBT gamers are trying to destroy the standard environment. Be afraid.
So, what can you do? Join our Facebook groups and use our Twitter hash tag but more importantly, just be a decent human being. A lot of the fun in the human experience comes from meeting exciting and new people. It sounds like a pre-school lecture; but treat people how you want to be treated. In the immortal words of Ru Paul “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love somebody else?”
Links:
Planeswalkers for Diversity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/491047224262608/
MTGTG: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371399046283687/
Twitter Discussion: #MTGLGBT
As always you can talk to me at @notevenclever on Twitter. It’s a dangerous multiverse out there, just be excellent to each other.
Jeff has been playing Magic longer than he would prefer to admit (image is everything, darling). He will admit to opening packs of Alpha and Beta with friends, but that is the closest he will come to revealing his true age. Jeff is a slightly above casual player competing in the occasional SCG Open or Grand Prix. He doesn’t do great or terrible in these events; but will be sure to let everybody know the second he does well in one! Jeff’s favorite formats are Standard and Modern.
I think the thing that’s most important throughout all of this is that real change happens. It’s one thing to build momentum online and for people to want to do their part. It’s another to find things that can be implemented and that can be done to actually make change.
I’m not saying that you’re not going to do that or that the other groups won’t either, but it’s a genuine concern. Hopefully we can bring what we have in mind to the kitchen tables and the tournament tables and beyond.
That this is even still an issue has always bothered me. I mean seriously, my first thought was, “congrats to Feline, whoever that is.” and the second was “LGBT? Uh . . .cool? I guess?” Honestly, why anyone should care about anyone else’s sexual orientation (unless their actively trying to hook up with them) is just entirely beyond me.
sincerly,
bewildered
There are a few things cooking right now actually! Trevor from boostervictim.com and other members of the groups are working out a lot of things that will take this off of the Internet and into the community! He is like an evil mastermind…. That uses his powers for good
Jeff, I’ve been following Planeswalkers for Diversity for a couple of days now and it makes me happy (as a gay person) that the group grows so much. The reason why there is so much hate against LGBT’s online is very simple. It’s because they don’t say it to our faces (in real life), and that the gay community as ‘they’ know it, are very feminine. In the media the LGBT community is made fun off :/ for example gay prides? Because of these things people think that LGBT people are weird or even bad.
And yes I’m very happy to be part of the PfD group! and please keep the good work up!
greetings, Mathias
I’m with the group that says “don’t care what you are, just play the game.” But I feel a need to point out that Feline is a “him,” not a her. This idea that you get to pick whichever gender you want is ridiculous, and, actually recognized as a mental illness by the DSM IV. So, let’s not mince words here, and call a spade a spade. If Feline wants to dress like a lady, get whatever surgery and whatever hormone therapy he wants…that’s his prerogative, but it’s ridiculous to try to claim that he’s a “she.”
Actually, Feline should be recognized as what she wants to be recognized in, in my opinion. Also:
“According to the American Psychiatric Association, until 1974 homosexuality was a mental illness. Freud had alluded to homosexuality numerous times in his writings, and had concluded that paranoia and homosexuality were inseparable. Other psychiatrists wrote copiously on the subject, and homosexuality was “treated” on a wide basis. There was little or no suggestion within the psychiatric community that homosexuality might be conceptualized as anything other than a mental illness that needed to be treated. And, of course, homosexuality was listed as a mental illness in DSM-II.”
The point is – things change and we can change with them, or be a wind that pushes against progress.