Respawn’s Hero Shooting Battle Royale apex legend This is a very inclusive game for the queer community.It features several playable LGBTQIA+ legends, provides players with Pride Flag cosmetics to show off their identity in the game, and developer Respawn even provides a Statement supporting transgender rights in games itself.After years of making apex legend Respawn, a safe space for queer gamers, has announced it will participate in a competitive tournament in Saudi Arabia, a country where the state of LGBTQIA+ rights is dire, sparking backlash from the community.
apex legend will attend eSports World Cup, a multi-game tournament set to take place this summer in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.Other featured games include Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Overwatch 2other Hero shooter with queer characters in the mix. April 12 announcement caused some general excitement top notch But others said they were uncomfortable holding the event in a region that criminalizes queer relationships and expression.
Saudi Arabia criminalizes same-sex relationsGender expression, activities and gender expression of transgender people according to Sharia (the legal system based on Islamic scriptures). Sex outside of marriage is largely illegal in the country, and since same-sex marriage is illegal, same-sex relationships are considered a crime.Punishments reportedly include death penalty for engaging in same-sex relations or Transvestite Imposed by Sharia law.In recent years, Saudi Arabia has also Make laws against public displays of affection and requires both men and women to dress “appropriately,” but this often results in fines. formal, Saudi Arabia ‘welcomes’ queer tourists.official saudi arabia tourist attractions Its FAQs include the following:
“Everyone is welcome to visit Saudi Arabia and we ask that they follow and respect our culture, traditions and laws as they would when visiting any other country in the world.
Like other governments around the world, visitors are not required to disclose their personal information and we will strongly respect your right to privacy. “
Given the laws of Saudi Arabia, fans question (some jokingly) If queer characters like pansexual male Fuse or trans female Catalyst will be playable During the event, or what that means for openly queer players, they may be reluctant to travel to Saudi Arabia to compete.The announcement did not specify the rules for banning heroes, and it was rumored that they were banned. “Misinformation” from community membersas well as posts claiming that this content has been hit Community description on X (formerly Twitter) Call this concept “irony.” We’ve reached out to Respawn for official comment.
eSports World Cup due to its Funded by the Government of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia has Spending a lot of money on sports, whose esports promotion is an extension of that.it is Motives subject to public scrutiny and is regarded by many as “Sports Wash”, Or trying to distract from the treatment of women and queer people. The company has partnered with the event to showcase their games in Saudi Arabia, including riots,this will host a League of Legends Contest In Riyadh this summer.
Update, 4/15/24 5:02 pm: Respawn confirmed in a statement my city There will be no restrictions on queer characters or cosmetics during the Esports World Cup.
“We are not changing the game – all legends will be playable,” the statement read. “No apex legend Content, whether legendary or cosmetic, will be restricted at EWC events. “