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Active: 659 users

Former Minor League Progamer Comes Out As 'Queer'

Blogs > lantz
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
lantz
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States762 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-06 17:16:43
March 06 2014 17:15 GMT
#1
+ Show Spoiler +
Note: This is not a serious blog. I have nothing against gays. My own opinion is to mind my own business as long as it doesn't affect your own life. I wrote this because I am getting a little annoyed at the media. The media chooses to report people "coming out" all the time. Recently, the media is being even more lax and reporting about people of no importance "coming out". I really think your sexuality should be your own private business.. but I respect other's opinions.


Source: NA Esports TV

Former progamer Lantz, a 2013 Minor League Gaming progamer, has come out as “queer” on his personal blog, making his the first out gay progamer to have competed at a international level. Check out http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/445050-my-pro-gaming-debut if you missed my Pro Gaming Debut.

“For a while, I struggled with the decision of whether or not it was necessary to ‘come out,’”

“People can't know that their best friend, brother, sister, co-worker, neighbor, news anchor, favorite singer, or local coffee shop barista is being oppressed and denied the rights in which their heterosexual counterparts [that] are so happily welcomed partake, unless you open your mouth and say it.”

Lantz , 23, who finished as a top-10 Diamond last season, writes that what finally encouraged me to come out was USA’s current political battle over gay marriage. “I have realized that there is really no way for people to know that I disagree with their [anti-gay] views or, even more so, to know that they are talking about me, unless I actually open my mouth and say it,” he writes.

Gay-rights organizations including WPOP+ Show Spoiler +
Why Protoss OP
and the Elephant in the Room Project have applauded Lantz’s bravery. But he's also been getting kudos from those within the E-sports world.

“The Minor League Gaming organization is an American institution, and I think it’s great that [a contestant] can step forward and say, ‘This is who I am,’” former pro gamer BitByBit tells NA Esports TV. On the message board Teamsolid, frequented by those in the E-sports, reactions have generally ranged from shrugs to excitement, with recent posts declaring, “Good for him!” and “Congratulations to Lantz for being himself.”

Lantz tells NA Esports TV he’s been “a little overwhelmed” by the huge response to his disclosure, but adds, “I feel blessed about it, especially because the best responses are coming from people close to me who are saying that I’m courageous.” The former progamer—now working at home in his parent’s basement—explains that he had spent most of his life denying his homosexuality. That was mainly because of his strict Christian upbringing, during which he attended a “very conservative Baptist church private school,” he says. “I was always told it was wrong, wrong, wrong.” Though he remained “completely closeted” during his time in E-sports, he had entered into a secret relationship near the end of his rein, and eventually began opening up to some friends.

It was a brave move in the E-sports world, a culture not exactly seen as being at one with gays. As MoonJiggle, director of Minor League Gaming, tells NA Esports TV through an email: “This is a milestone for all queer gamers. We do not discriminate in any tournament setting.” A gamer at Minor League Gaming is a queer presence indeed—making Lantz's pronouncement ‘I am queer’ all the more apt.” (Though Lantz originally used the word "gay" in his post, he changed it to the oft-controversial "queer" because, he says, "I just like it.")

Still, Lantz doesn’t blame the E-Sports world itself for its lack of openly gay contestants. Rather, Lantz says, he sees a vicious cycle of up-and-coming gay gamers not seeing more out-gay gamers to look up to.

“Some of the most supportive people have been those within the gaming community. So it’s more out of a fear of the unknown. But I feel it’s about to change.” After all, learning about the other men who were brave enough to come out was a huge inspiration for Lantz. “I was beside myself,” Lantz recalls. “It was definitely one of the things that kept the little fire lit in me.”




*
teddyoojo
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
Germany22369 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-06 17:46:29
March 06 2014 17:45 GMT
#2
couldnt care less
e: shouldve read spoiler, just skipped through it lmao XD
Esports historian since 2000. Creator of 'The Universe' and 'The best scrambled Eggs 2013'. Host of 'Star Wars Marathon 2015'. Thinker of 'teddyoojo's Thoughts'. Earths and Moons leading CS:GO expert. Lord of the Rings.
Mothra
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
United States1448 Posts
March 06 2014 17:54 GMT
#3
Satire is hard to pull off... fine line to walk between being funny, or just mean spirited and bullying. To me this comes off more like the latter.
iamho
Profile Joined June 2009
United States3347 Posts
March 06 2014 17:58 GMT
#4
If this was real you'd already be on the front page of ESPN and every other major sports outlet. Your next diamond-league game would be broadcasted on national TV and you'd be lauded as hero despite losing to a 6 pool.
Onekobold
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
244 Posts
March 06 2014 17:59 GMT
#5
--- Nuked ---
Omnishroud
Profile Blog Joined November 2013
1073 Posts
March 06 2014 18:02 GMT
#6
Mainstream media reporting about sports personalities "coming out" is only a good thing. Sports leagues and the entertainment business in general are very much bigoted cunts that will quite happily end a career over such a thing. Fighting against this disgusting behaviour and supporting those who do can only be applauded.
Omni = Capped (RIP TL Account) - LoL EUW: Capped92 - EU Bnet: Capped#1137 - Steam: Capped92
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16702 Posts
March 06 2014 18:02 GMT
#7
i got a laugh out of the "troll move" by Puck where he said he is really a woman...
then a few months later "re evaluated" and decided he was a man.

of course Puck may not have been trolling .. deep down inside this could really be how he felt.
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
Onekobold
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
244 Posts
March 06 2014 18:05 GMT
#8
--- Nuked ---
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16702 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-06 18:11:03
March 06 2014 18:10 GMT
#9
On March 07 2014 03:05 Onekobold wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 07 2014 03:02 JimmyJRaynor wrote:deep down inside this could really be how he felt.

maybe you shouldn't laugh at it and call him a troll then


never called him a troll.
hence the term 'troll move' in quotes because it remains an open question.
i laughed. does not mean i "laughed at him".

look for a big argument elsewhere please
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
Darkhorse
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
United States23455 Posts
March 06 2014 18:30 GMT
#10
On March 07 2014 03:10 JimmyJRaynor wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 07 2014 03:05 Onekobold wrote:
On March 07 2014 03:02 JimmyJRaynor wrote:deep down inside this could really be how he felt.

maybe you shouldn't laugh at it and call him a troll then


never called him a troll.
hence the term 'troll move' in quotes because it remains an open question.
i laughed. does not mean i "laughed at him".

look for a big argument elsewhere please

If you want to argue semantics he didn't say you "laughed at him" he said you "laughed at it" which you did. Pot let me introduce you to kettle.
WriterRecently Necro'd (?)
emythrel
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United Kingdom2599 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-06 20:14:56
March 06 2014 20:09 GMT
#11
On March 07 2014 03:02 Omnishroud wrote:
Mainstream media reporting about sports personalities "coming out" is only a good thing. Sports leagues and the entertainment business in general are very much bigoted cunts that will quite happily end a career over such a thing. Fighting against this disgusting behaviour and supporting those who do can only be applauded.


maybe in the sports industry, but in the entertainment industry? You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. I am a professional musician, of my friends also in the entertainment industry, more than half are openly gay. The entertainment industry was always the ONLY place it was ok to be gay until recently.....

The original blogger's intent of satire has gone horribly wrong imo, if you are ACTUALLY gay (which from your spoiler I guess not) then it would just about come off as funny, however as you quite obviously aren't (I can tell by your turn of phrase and your use of "queer", gay guys know how to use that word without sounding like a bigot) it just comes off as someone who wants to look like they are ok with people being gay, but actually isn't.

Perhaps the reason you don't like these stories is because you don't think its ok. If you thought being gay was ok, you would be happy to hear about sportsmen coming out as gay because it is a good thing. "Gay" is our generations "Nigger", we are currently going through the same process that African Americans/Britains etc went through in the 50's-70's, towards equality. If you don't want to hear these stories, move to somewhere still in the stone age where they stone people to death for being gay, because the gay rights movement isn't going anywhere
When there is nothing left to lose but your dignity, it is already gone.
lantz
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States762 Posts
March 06 2014 20:34 GMT
#12
I'm going to be blunt:

Im completely okay with gay people unless it starts directly affecting my life (like a gay person in guys bathroom trying to hump me or something)

But I am kinda annoyed at how the media picks nobodies and then brings them in the limelight just because they are announcing to express their sexuality.

Here's the article that I pretty much copied and changed a few words:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/84201/former-miss-kentucky-comes-out-as-queer-in-response-to-anti-gay-rhetoric

Like whoooooo really cares about Miss Kentucky?? I have gone to school with plenty of people that are gay but they don't need to public tell the world...
Onekobold
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
244 Posts
March 06 2014 20:53 GMT
#13
--- Nuked ---
TriO
Profile Joined July 2011
United States421 Posts
March 06 2014 21:38 GMT
#14
Guys I have something to tell you. I'm straight and I love it. Thanks for caring.
My dream is to tear up your dream.
LibertyRises
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
United States175 Posts
March 06 2014 21:51 GMT
#15
On March 07 2014 05:09 emythrel wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 07 2014 03:02 Omnishroud wrote:
Mainstream media reporting about sports personalities "coming out" is only a good thing. Sports leagues and the entertainment business in general are very much bigoted cunts that will quite happily end a career over such a thing. Fighting against this disgusting behaviour and supporting those who do can only be applauded.


maybe in the sports industry, but in the entertainment industry? You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. I am a professional musician, of my friends also in the entertainment industry, more than half are openly gay. The entertainment industry was always the ONLY place it was ok to be gay until recently.....

The original blogger's intent of satire has gone horribly wrong imo, if you are ACTUALLY gay (which from your spoiler I guess not) then it would just about come off as funny, however as you quite obviously aren't (I can tell by your turn of phrase and your use of "queer", gay guys know how to use that word without sounding like a bigot) it just comes off as someone who wants to look like they are ok with people being gay, but actually isn't.

Perhaps the reason you don't like these stories is because you don't think its ok. If you thought being gay was ok, you would be happy to hear about sportsmen coming out as gay because it is a good thing. "Gay" is our generations "Nigger", we are currently going through the same process that African Americans/Britains etc went through in the 50's-70's, towards equality. If you don't want to hear these stories, move to somewhere still in the stone age where they stone people to death for being gay, because the gay rights movement isn't going anywhere


Maybe because I live in Florida its different. But pretty much EVERYWHERE I worked had gay people around. And in Florida sometimes we shoot black people for wearing hoodies or playing music too loud throwing that out there.
Polt: Nani... why such a bitch?
LibertyRises
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
United States175 Posts
March 06 2014 21:55 GMT
#16
On March 07 2014 05:53 Onekobold wrote:
it has nothing to do with whether or not they're "nobodies". The more press there is about gay people being normal and well-adjusted just like heterosexual people, the sooner we can move pass the widespread discrimination and even hatred of LGBTQ people.


I think its the other way around. The more you dont put shit out there the better. I think putting it out there is part of the reason people get annoyed. I would agree if this was say the 90s but now I would like to think we are past that. Or am I horribly mistaken?
Polt: Nani... why such a bitch?
ninazerg
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States7291 Posts
March 06 2014 22:20 GMT
#17
On March 07 2014 02:54 Mothra wrote:
Satire is hard to pull off... fine line to walk between being funny, or just mean spirited and bullying. To me this comes off more like the latter.


Mean-spirited towards whom? This was actually kind of funny.
"If two pregnant women get into a fist fight, it's like a mecha-battle between two unborn babies." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
LibertyRises
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
United States175 Posts
March 06 2014 23:40 GMT
#18
On March 07 2014 07:20 ninazerg wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 07 2014 02:54 Mothra wrote:
Satire is hard to pull off... fine line to walk between being funny, or just mean spirited and bullying. To me this comes off more like the latter.


Mean-spirited towards whom? This was actually kind of funny.


PROTOSS.
Polt: Nani... why such a bitch?
SupplyBlockedTV
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Belgium313 Posts
March 07 2014 02:02 GMT
#19
Im actually annoyed that people kept whining about gay stuff in the sochi winter games, it seemed like the entire world had gone gay. I really dont care what people do in their bedroom...but i really dont need to hear about it every day. Same thing with this art student who wanted to have gay sex before an audience...an american guy..and i get to read this in belgian news like it is something important world changing, comeon man...

also top 10 diamond is fucking pro, please teach me!
PEW PEW PEW
Mothra
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
United States1448 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-07 04:24:53
March 07 2014 04:24 GMT
#20
On March 07 2014 07:20 ninazerg wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 07 2014 02:54 Mothra wrote:
Satire is hard to pull off... fine line to walk between being funny, or just mean spirited and bullying. To me this comes off more like the latter.


Mean-spirited towards whom? This was actually kind of funny.


Towards people who have faced the discomfort of coming out. Sure some idiots make a spectacle of themselves, but I think for a lot of people it is truly a difficult thing and takes courage. Maybe things are different now, but I remember growing up being called gay was like the ultimate insult.
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