Via: WRAL.com
Microsoft had to apologize to an entire city in West Virginia and a 26-year-old gamer because they considered the city’s name offensive (The city’s name is “Fort Gay”).
Here’s how it went down, Josh Moore tried to tell Microsoft and the enforcement team at Xbox Live that he wasn’t playing when he listed Ft. Gay as the city he’s from. And of course they didn’t believe him. Then they suspended his gaming privileges for a few days until Moore could convince them the location in his profile, “fort gay WV,” wasn’t a joke or a slur. Moore said that Microsoft wouldn’t Google his address or check the U.S. Postal Service website for a ZIP code.
Once the media started running the story, the mayor, David Thompson, tried to intervene. But he was shut down too.
Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live blamed miscommunication. Toulouse said he will contact Moore and apologize. Staying ahead of slang and policing Xbox for offensive is a constant challenge, he said.
