GSN::X1 Presenter Humiliated Me on Stage, Says Transgender Journalist.

This A transgender video game journalist was left humiliated at a presentation for Microsoft's latest games console after the presenter made 'degrading' comments about her gender on stage. Laura Kate Dale, a contributor for gaming site Destructoid, was at the event covering Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One system, which took place at the Eurogamer Expo in Earl's Court, London. However, she was left 'completely dehumanised' after being invited on stage and receiving transphobic comments from Fraser Millward, a comedian hired for the event. Expressing her disgust on Twitter, Dale wrote: 'Most embarrassing moment of Eurogamer. Pulled up on stage for XB1 thing and called male twice and "it" twice. 'I was "he", "it". "Thing" and "this one". I was on stage and they still insist "we need a woman on stage, any women here". 'Hope someone from Microsoft sees this. Your presenter made completely dehumanised me in front of an audience. Ruined my Eurogamer... Shows me for trying to take part and have fun like everyone else.' Dale later attempted to get an apology from the Microsoft staff on site. However, they refused to give her any details and could only 'apologise for any offence caused'. Speaking on this, Dale said: 'People at the stage "apologise that I was upset by his comments". Refused to bring him out for me to talk to... Refused to give full name, refused to apologise for his actual actions. 'This is why I regularly consider dropping out of this industry.' After tweeting her experiences, Dale received further abuse from gamers over Twitter, which she shared with her followers as an example of transphobia she faces as a trans gamer.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz Hope someone from Microsoft sees this. Your presenter made completely dehumanised me in front of an audience. Ruined my Eurogamer.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz Shows me for trying to take part and have fun like everyone else.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz Believe presenter is @frasermillward.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz Screw not naming and shaming. I'm fed up of not naming these people.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz People at the stage "appologise that I was upset by his comments". Refused to bring him out for me to talk to.

Laura Kate Dale @LaurakBuzz Refused to give full name, refused to appologise for his actual actions.

The court jester was the only person allowed to make fun of the king without fear of reprisal.

Some people need to think a moment about why that was so.

The court jester was the only person allowed to make fun of the king without fear of reprisal.

Some people need to think a moment about why that was so.

br0kenrabbit

Yeah, but I bet Fraser Millward wasn't poking fun at Steve Ballmer.  :|

There seens to be a lot of PC fever going on in the industry. I wonder why.

There were tons of witness, not one so called "journalist" bothered to interview any of them.

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

The presenter says she's making 90% of the story up: Ricky Mensah, Event Manager for Microsoft, apologised for any offence caused by the stage show, before introducing us to the show presenter, Fraser Millward. In a short discussion with Mr. Millward, we showed him the accusatory tweets and asked for his response to the whole situation. Mr. Millward stated that he agreed that he referred to Miss Dale as "this person" as with all the furore of dealing with 350 or so baying fans and trying to run a stage show, he didn't instantly recognise her gender. He states that "I should have said 'this person' and then gone on to the next person and also referred to them as 'this person' so as not to cause offence, but I was thinking on my feet. I wouldn't do the same thing again." In direct response to the following tweet, though, Mr. Millward was a little more defensive in his comments. "Staff apologised to her, but every single part of the first sentence of that tweet is made up. We called for more women so as to balance things up as there were mostly male gamers on stage, yes. There are ways of complaining in a mature way, but this is inflammatory and slanderous. 350 witnesses saw that this did not happen and that I didn't say those things. I would like to speak to her face to face to sort this out, but she's taken to Twitter and now I'm getting hundreds of tweets per minute." We asked what could have sparked these claims if this indeed did not happen, Mr. Millward said that "I referred to her as 'this person', at which point some of the crowd laughed. I should have diffused that situation, but I think that is what's caused this to happen. I did not refer to the woman as 'thing' or 'it' at any point." Miss Dale claims that Microsoft's security staff prevented her from speaking to Mr. Millward, which Mr. Millward claims he was not aware of.Ninja-Hippo

It would help if there was some video of this event.  But it sounds like he didn't mean to be offensive, and this person is blowing things way out of proportions

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

Pirate700

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

Jolt_counter119

I don't get it, MS made a huge mistake by hiring this comedian. They aren't blameless by any means. It is offensive by all means. Obviously this isn't a Microsoft thing per say but they played a role in it. all they have to do is apologize and say they will never hire that person again. Its not like making fun of her is even funny. If you can laugh at someone being called "it" for being different then something is wrong with you.

 

I don't get it, MS made a huge mistake by hiring this comedian. They aren't blameless by any means. It is offensive by all means. Obviously this isn't a Microsoft thing per say but they played a role in it. all they have to do is apologize and say they will never hire that person again. Its not like making fun of her is even funny. If you can laugh at someone being called "it" for being different then something is wrong with you.

bonesawisready5

If take everything she tweets as fact.  From the comedian, it sounds like he made one slip up, not a whole show of insulting her for being transgender.

It would help if there was video 

Listen, I'm all game for equality. I'm all game for everyone being treated with respect and all that great yummy cuddly stuff. But, let's be real here. She volunteered to be on stage via a query at a comedy show, shows notorious for making fun of people. In fact, I would argue that every comedy show makes fun of somebody. Every single one. She responded to a query about gender, which is obviously the most important thing to her. I've listened to Carolyn (GS) on the podcast because I enjoy said podcast and she talks about women and feminism a lot (which is cool- i think we could use more of that). She volunteered to be a part of a situation that may have harmed her, she knew that. Everyone who volunteers for anything at a comedy show, especially to be on-stage, knows they are going to be verbally abused. It is honest-to-God common sense. Furthermore, she had rainbow hair, probably dressed somewhat gender-neutral (from what I can tell on the Twitter pic) and the guy had no idea who she was. He probably didn't want to get to know anyone, let's be honest, it's a show of 100 something people he'll never see again, so yeah, he used the terms "this person". It makes logical sense. But you know what, I'll give that to you, maybe he knew consciously that this person was transgender. 

When you volunteer to be the center of attention based upon a query about gender, a topic you care deeply for and have defended on numerous occasions as she explicitly stated in her Twitter Timeline, you know you are going to get into a crummy situation. 

I hope there is resolution and I hope things get better for her in the long run. But maybe next time, if you don't want to be the victim of something, you won't put yourself into a situation where you can be victimized. It's common sense. If I go down a bad street alone at night and someone harasses me or mugs me, who's fault is that? Can I blame the city? Will they issue me an apology? No, I'll just learn from my lesson. More grounded: If I write something about religion on this Off-Topic forum or even out in person, should I expect everyone be respectful of me and my opinions? No, they don't know me. 

Again, I just wanted to reiterate that I am totally okay with transgender individuals. That whole group- you guys do you. I honestly don't care. But most people, even the ones who respect you and all your decisions, will avoid being around you because of things like this, playing the victim whenever you can. Nobody wants the stress of having to consistently moderate everything you say. 

[QUOTE="Jolt_counter119"]

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

Djmaster214

She's a woman. Understand that please. It isn't a hard thing to do. She says she wants to be considered a woman, so she's a woman. It really isn't hard at all. The "It" comments by the comedian MS hired are entirely stupid and not even funny. Even major comedians who go out of their way to make offensive jokes like Daniel Tosh would come up with more witty transgender jokes. This is literally the same thing as pointing at a black person on stage and saying "that's a N word" and laughing at him/her.

Listen, I'm all game for equality. I'm all game for everyone being treated with respect and all that great yummy cuddly stuff. But, let's be real here. She volunteered to be on stage via a query at a comedy show, shows notorious for making fun of people. In fact, I would argue that every comedy show makes fun of somebody. Every single one. She responded to a query about gender, which is obviously the most important thing to her. I've listened to Carolyn (GS) on the podcast because I enjoy said podcast and she talks about women and feminism a lot (which is cool- i think we could use more of that). She volunteered to be a part of a situation that may have harmed her, she knew that. Everyone who volunteers for anything at a comedy show, especially to be on-stage, knows they are going to be verbally abused. It is honest-to-God common sense. Furthermore, she had rainbow hair, probably dressed somewhat gender-neutral (from what I can tell on the Twitter pic) and the guy had no idea who she was. He probably didn't want to get to know anyone, let's be honest, it's a show of 100 something people he'll never see again, so yeah, he used the terms "this person". It makes logical sense. But you know what, I'll give that to you, maybe he knew consciously that this person was transgender. 

When you volunteer to be the center of attention based upon a query about gender, a topic you care deeply for and have defended on numerous occasions as she explicitly stated in her Twitter Timeline, you know you are going to get into a crummy situation. 

I hope there is resolution and I hope things get better for her in the long run. But maybe next time, if you don't want to be the victim of something, you won't put yourself into a situation where you can be victimized. It's common sense. If I go down a bad street alone at night and someone harasses me or mugs me, who's fault is that? Can I blame the city? Will they issue me an apology? No, I'll just learn from my lesson. More grounded: If I write something about religion on this Off-Topic forum or even out in person, should I expect everyone be respectful of me and my opinions? No, they don't know me. 

Again, I just wanted to reiterate that I am totally okay with transgender individuals. That whole group- you guys do you. I honestly don't care. But most people, even the ones who respect you and all your decisions, will avoid being around you because of things like this, playing the victim whenever you can. Nobody wants the stress of having to consistently moderate everything you say. 

Gama_Forever

That doesn't mean that the thing she's volunteering for can't go too far. Calling a person an "it" isn't even funny or smart. Better comedians can make humor about that stuff without resorting to hick-level humor of "hey look at that person they're different lol lulz!" 

The comedian could have at least made a few jokes at the expense of people who are against transgender individuals to even it out. 

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

Pirate700

Wouldn't matter if she was.

[QUOTE="Djmaster214"][QUOTE="Jolt_counter119"]

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

bonesawisready5

She's a woman. Understand that please. It isn't a hard thing to do. She says she wants to be considered a woman, so she's a woman. It really isn't hard at all. The "It" comments by the comedian MS hired are entirely stupid and not even funny. Even major comedians who go out of their way to make offensive jokes like Daniel Tosh would come up with more witty transgender jokes. This is literally the same thing as pointing at a black person on stage and saying "that's a N word" and laughing at him/her.

any evidence he called her it?  he admits that he made a mistake by calling her "this person"

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

bonesawisready5

Wouldn't matter if she was.

it would make it a lot more difficult to tell her gender. It could have been a man dressed as a female character, not neccessarily a transgendered person.

[QUOTE="Djmaster214"][QUOTE="Jolt_counter119"]

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

bonesawisready5

She's a woman. Understand that please. It isn't a hard thing to do. She says she wants to be considered a woman, so she's a woman. It really isn't hard at all. The "It" comments by the comedian MS hired are entirely stupid and not even funny. Even major comedians who go out of their way to make offensive jokes like Daniel Tosh would come up with more witty transgender jokes. This is literally the same thing as pointing at a black person on stage and saying "that's a N word" and laughing at him/her.

If he was really being such a jackass, I would've called him a piece of shit and walked off stage.

This sort of incident would never happen at a Sony event.  :x

Also, if she was wearing ears and rainbow hair, he probably made a joke about that. I would probably highlight the fact that this is a trade show and this person is dressed like an elf or a magical animal too by calling the person it. We need context. As of right now everyone assumes this person was dressed like normal, got randomly picked by this guy, and this guy berated her for an hour. 

[QUOTE="Djmaster214"][QUOTE="Jolt_counter119"]

I personally think that every person should have the right to not be physically harmed, and the right to have an opportunity for success, but I don't think that anyone has the right to not be offended. PC for the lose.

bonesawisready5

She's a woman. Understand that please. It isn't a hard thing to do. She says she wants to be considered a woman, so she's a woman. It really isn't hard at all. The "It" comments by the comedian MS hired are entirely stupid and not even funny. Even major comedians who go out of their way to make offensive jokes like Daniel Tosh would come up with more witty transgender jokes. This is literally the same thing as pointing at a black person on stage and saying "that's a N word" and laughing at him/her.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

bonesawisready5

Wouldn't matter if she was.

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="Djmaster214"] exactly, if you were born a man no matter what you do your going to be a damn man for the rest of your life. It would also help if he didnt look like a guy who just put a bra onJakandsigz

She's a woman. Understand that please. It isn't a hard thing to do. She says she wants to be considered a woman, so she's a woman. It really isn't hard at all. The "It" comments by the comedian MS hired are entirely stupid and not even funny. Even major comedians who go out of their way to make offensive jokes like Daniel Tosh would come up with more witty transgender jokes. This is literally the same thing as pointing at a black person on stage and saying "that's a N word" and laughing at him/her.

Man whats up with gaming journalism lately? this is the second transgendered person I've heard of in a months time.
I personally blame Anita Sarkessian.

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

Pirate700

Wouldn't matter if she was.

Yet another site trying to get hits by portraying gamers as sexist males.

Yet another site trying to get hits by portraying gamers as sexist males.

CJL13

thats hilarious

lol, "journalist".  That term should be used loosely here.

As for transgender, I am not sure how old the concept is, but it seems to be pretty new as far as society is concerned, people need to be less militant about it.

 I understand about getting offended, but nobody thinks clearly in the heat of the moment.  So calm down, reassess things, and don't go crying to twitter and your so-called "followers"

Well, it's the kind of crap they have to do sell their Call of Duty machines to Republicans, fratboys and other assorted types of brogamers. 

She looks like she belongs at a Brony covention, given the Rainbow Dash hair and all.

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Was this person on stage with neon-rainbow hair and animal ears on their head?

Pirate700

Wouldn't matter if she was.

She's getting called out as a liar left right and centre on twitter. One of her most recent tweets said she'd asked Kotaku to take the story down and they refused; they immediately re-tweeted that nobody on their staff have had any contact from her at all. Sounds like an idiot who got more attention than they expected to be honest. I find all the utterly unnecessary hate comments she's getting just as annoying as the 'BE BRAVE! NO TO HATE SPEECH!" comments, when it looks an awful lot like this guy didn't do much of anything wrong at all.Ninja-Hippo

Kotaku publishing a story with no facts to back it up? SHOCKING!

Are people supposed to look at her and automatically know what she's trying to be? What if they just genuinely had no idea what to refer to her as...? For all they knew, it could be just a gay guy...

Are people supposed to look at her and automatically know what she's trying to be? What if they just genuinely had no idea what to refer to her as...? For all they knew, it could be a girl trying to be a guy.Mcspanky37

[QUOTE="Mcspanky37"]Are people supposed to look at her and automatically know what she's trying to be? What if they just genuinely had no idea what to refer to her as...? For all they knew, it could be a girl trying to be a guy.LJS9502_basic

The trans should just grow a thick skin and move on. That or stopped the comedian right there and then. If I thought someone was making fun of me, I'd say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop!"

It's a pony.

Amidoinitrite?

Sony would never offend a tranny... that person should go out and buy a ps4!!jeremiah06

But they don't show women/transgenders at all, why? CAUSE THEY'RE SEXIST!!!!!!! [/sarcasm]