Games Industry Joins ‘Trans Rights Are Human Rights’ Campaign
Multiple UK video games and technology companies have signed up to a new “show of support” for trans people, as part of a new campaign by LGBTQ+ rights charity and advocacy group Stonewall.
Platform holders PlayStation, Microsoft, and Google, plus developers and publishers including Sega, Splash Damage, and Ustwo Games, are amongst the first to add their names to the still-growing list. Stonewall’s campaign has so far gathered more than 130 companies to join together “to say trans rights are human rights, and highlight their support for trans colleagues, employees and customers”.
“We’re proud of all the business leaders who today are ‘coming out’ for trans equality.” said Nancy Kelley, Chief Executive of Stonewall, via statement. “All these companies are sending a powerful message to trans communities that leading businesses have their backs. Across the UK, corporate leaders are speaking up because they care about protecting and supporting their trans colleagues, customers, friends and family.”
“At a time when trans rights feel increasingly under threat, the diversity of all these businesses taking part today shows there is a wealth of support for trans people at the most senior levels of British industrial and cultural life,” Kelley continued. “But we can’t be complacent. If we want to live in a world where every trans person can be themselves, each of us must use our voice to challenge transphobia and take action to create more inclusive communities.’
While it’s perhaps easy to presume a stance of cynical “rainbow capitalism” being a main driver for big companies getting involved with LGBTQ+ causes, corporate weight can actually help shift governmental policy, a force that Stonewall is attempting to leverage here. Many of the companies involved have already put their clout behind a letter to the UK government, with Stonewall saying that “many of these organisations (70) have also written to the Prime Minister directly to call on the UK Government to honour its commitment to protect trans people’s rights and reform the Gender Recognition Act.”
The Gender Recognition Act is a piece of UK legislation that went into effect in 2005, allowing trans people to legally change their gender. While calls have since been made to update the Act to make it easier for trans people to update their legal gender, concerns have risen that the current UK government may make it hard for trans youth in particular to self-identify.
In April 2020, Liz Truss, the government’s Equality Minister, raised particular concern in trans communities when said that although adults should have “freedom to lead their lives as they see fit” and “without fear of persecution,” those under 18 should be “protected”. Calls to “protect” single-sex spaces have also been perceived by some as worrisome, given such claims are often transphobic dogwhistles.
Hopefully, we will see more games companies pledging their support to this campaign as it grows. You can see a full and growing list of companies involved at Trans Rights Are Human Rights.
About The Author
