'Splatoon 2' players drown out haters with a flood of LGBT pride
Over the weekend, Splatoon 2's Inkopolis started looking like the video game equivalent of an LGBT pride parade, and it's absolutely glorious.
In the central virtual square for the game, the love was apparent to anyone who launched Splatoon 2 and looked around at other players' posts.
Sparked by an original post declaring that LGBT squids are "fresh as hell," others voices joining in in agreement and support spread like wildfire. The new trend overtook the fad of dank Splatoon memes from several weeks ago, and we hope it continues until the end of time.
As one redditor expressed:
This level of positivity is super rare in video games and game communities... or anywhere, really. I can't think of many communities where being nice to each other could become a meme for a few days. This is just a really positive and loving community, and folks want to share that positivity.
There's no real reason other than that. It's just nice to be nice!
Fun fact: in Splatoon 2, you can change your inkling avatar's gender at any time (as is explained by this adorable child who everyone should aspire to be when they grow up).
As one player, pointed out, this makes them by definition gender-fluid ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The posts seem particularly focused on trans squids:
Of course, no flood of positivity is complete without a much smaller subset of rotten apples wishing to spread predictable hate.
One such hater -- whose name makes us suspect he may or may not be the president of the United States -- spouted tired (and really uninventive) anti-LGBT jokes:
Pro tip: bullying is a reportable offense in Splatoon 2. Many have already brought the offenders to Nintendo's attention in order to stamp out the blatantly unwelcoming messages.
And don't you fret, because the LGBT-positive Splatoon community spiked the ball right back at the haters with double the force, numbers, and creativity:
Some of our favorites can be found on Tumblr, which is known for it's unbeatable LGBT humor.
Here's a perfect compilation:
Our absolute favorite clap back turns the paranoia and criticism of anti-LGBT Splatooners against them:
Honestly, nothing makes our hearts swell like watching this open embrace of squids and humans of all genders and orientations. Some complained that this "propoganda" (AKA the efforts towards making people feel welcome and safe) shouldn't be allowed in a children's game, to which we say: actually its the best place for it.
The typical age range of Splatoon players is the demographic that could benefit most from seeing these messages of acceptance early on in their lives. At that age, the things your peers say and do can often inform lifelong beliefs about what's socially acceptable.
This loud and proud support of LGBT squids is a step toward normalizing a marginalized community for the young inklings of Splatoon 2. Most importantly, the support posts lets inklings who are potentially struggling with LGBT stigma know that they're loved and welcome to be themselves in Inkopolis.
We just hope the rest of the world will catch up, because Splatoon 2 is officially slaaaaying rn.
Topics Activism Gaming LGBTQ Nintendo Social Good
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
