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The Champion That Isn't

KingOfTheAnimes·9/18/2013, 8:01:57 PM·19 votes·5,003 views

I was somewhat hesitant to make this post. I expect it's one that not everyone- and quite possibly most people- won't agree with, and if I'm being honest with myself it's not truly something that's extremely important in the grand scheme of things. But I think it is a topic that's worth at least some discussion, so I'm just gonna throw it out there: sexual orientation. There aren't any champions who are officially anything other than straight (Arguably Varus' story alludes to a family without mentioning gender and IronStylus has hypothesized that there might, maybe be something between Leona and Diana, but for the purposes of this discussion I want to keep the focus on actual, official material accessible to your average player.)

Now, of course, the first argument that comes up is usually, 'how is that even relevant? That's just not something that would come up, even if a champion were gay or bisexual.' To which I would point out that Tryndamere and Ashe are married, Lucian is trying to get his wife back, there's some sort of romantic tension between Garen and Katarina, Lux and Ezreal are apparently a thing, etc. It's a possible story element that, up to this point, has not been used.

A number of other arguments frequently come up when this sort of thing is raised; 'it's not appropriate for the setting,' 'it's not appropriate for some of the younger kids that might be playing this game,' 'why do you even care about a few lines of text in a video game' and so on. I want to bypass those for the moment to get to the main point I wrote this post to make:

To a large degree, we discover ourselves through stories. And, in my own experience, when you're young and you're gay, you usually don't get to have heroes. You move through story after story of guys getting the girl in the end, trying to find a story that will in some way tell you who you are, who you have the potential to be, and find nothing. I cannot emphasize enough how much of a formative experience it was in my life when I first came across a hero in fiction that was actually like ME, and I think there are many others who share that experience. Maybe it's not as bad of an issue now as it was when I was young, but in a champion pool that exceeds 100 I don't think this is an unreasonable issue to raise.

While I understand that Riot is a globally-based company that operates in many markets where such a character would be extremely unwelcome, I just want to say that this is something that really, truly, would mean a lot to many people. Thank you for reading.

(in b4 someone mentions Taric)

36 Comments

RiotMontag9/19/2013, 7:25:28 AM15 votes

And, in my own experience, when you're young and you're gay, you usually don't get to have heroes.

This is a really interesting concept, and I want to post about it, but I'm going to tread really, really lightly since I'm neither a designer, artist, or writer. So please don't misunderstand my words as promises of future champions. I see new champions pretty much when you do. But I also relate to them in the same way, as heroes.

I think it's important for everyone to have heroes they can relate to, but I don't think any one facet of that character creates that connection. It's the whole thing together. Bruce Wayne's intelligence is not 100% of Batman; there's also a strong amount of brooding and emotional baggage there. Nor is Tony Stark's party lifestyle 100% of Ironman; he's got his own insecurities and obsessions that motivate him. Lucian's a husband, a talented gunslinger, and driven ruthlessly by revenge; he's not just black.

I would love to see more superheroes who are non-straight.1 It really would be an important move toward giving everyone a hero. But it would make me sad if that were such a huge part of their character that it overshadowed everything else. I'd hope it would be like hair color or a tattoo -- as big and bold as required for the character, but no more and no less. A whole person.

I know you guys will be tempted to ask me about this thinking at Riot, and I'll tell you now, I have no clue. I'll be waiting for that superhero with you guys. Might come from Riot, might come from somewhere else. Either's cool with me. I just want more people to have heroes.

Footnotes

  1. I think of champions as superheroes, but I'm being purposefully broad. I'm also purposefully not specifying an orientation so as to include everyone that doesn't identify as straight. Full disclosure: straight married guy here. ↩

NeekoTrap9/18/2013, 11:02:34 PM6 votes

Do I think that this idea is awesome? YES!

But it raises the issue, there are unfortunately a lot of people with hate in their heart, and because Riot is a company whose purpose is to make money, there comes an issue of how many Homophobes will leave the game, or act toxically towards the new champion or those playing the new champion?

Taric exists mainly as a joke, within the community, and is regarded as the 'token gay'. But is that really alright? Is it ok to make fun of Taric for his personality, which doesn't hint at any sexuality? If Taric is made into a stereotype, and confirmed to be gay, is that really alright? Is it really alright to have a homosexual champion if that champion becomes a stereotype?

I think not. And sadly, I wish this was one of the social issues addressed in League of Legends, but it's one that needs to be handled maturely by both Riot and the Community, and you know how toxic the community is. Not necessarily the ones on the forums, but in-game the community is extremely toxic. And immaturity and a mature subject don't go well together.

I wish there was a homosexual champion in the game as well.

Zanathax9/19/2013, 12:04:26 AM6 votes

I don't want you, or anyone else, fighting for your beliefs and political agendas in a video game. Religion, gender bias, sexual orientation, political affiliations, etc. should never be a part of a game unless that's what the game is about!

I'm likely going to get downvoted to all heck and back, but keep these things OUT of the game! Riot has done nothing to reference the gay and/or bisexual community in a negative light OR a positive one. Their religions are all made up, as is their political affiliations.

I don't see anyone on here fighting for the rights of the Tea Party.

Leave this type of thing out of my online games!

Riotdavin9/21/2013, 6:54:16 AM4 votes

I'm glad you shared that, thank you! Honestly, someone raising the argument of "not appropriate for the setting" (for most any setting with humans, really) never works for me. Worlds with human beings in them don't really make sense unless they are able to accommodate the variations in experience that humans have. Kinsey scales and all that!

Of course, that's the kind of perspective that makes sense for an inclusivity-oriented psychologist ;) I am predictable.

slifty9/19/2013, 5:34:52 PM3 votes

This is a super important thread. Just to give a very short contribution to the conversation I want to link to a term I recently learned called "Symbolic Annihilation." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_annihilation

For those who don't feel like clicking, symbolic annihilation "is the absence of representation, or underrepresentation, of some group of people in the media (often based on their race, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.), understood in the social sciences to be a means of maintaining social inequality" It is ultimately just about as dramatic as it sounds; if a symbol doesn't exist in the media, it doesn't really shape a culture or society. When is the last time you saw a real native american character in a popular TV show? (OK, fine Parks and Rec, but you get the idea)

LGBT has made amazing efforts to fight against symbolic annihilation, and I think Riot should pitch in too.

Yaldrik9/18/2013, 11:34:41 PM3 votes

I think riot would rather just stay away from this issue. Why throw something that can be controversial into a game that BARELY even focuses on champion background? Doing something like this would just cause problems that riot really doesn't need to focus on when they could be working on things like lets say, idk, game play.

HigeR9/19/2013, 3:55:22 PM2 votes

I always though Graves had a thing for Twisted fate... I mean... I know what a grudge is but come on... years in jail thinking about ONE man? heh, hairy tsundere right there xD not to mention we haven't seen anything related to Graves lovelife but his obsesion with the cardmaster... take in account he seems very fond of his beard, he's single, and has a jacket with a giant bear paw on his back... he presents himself as man who's proud of being a hairy beast and in contrast with Lee Sin (pool party skins) he seems very aloof when it comes to the ladies.

On a related topic TF sexiness comes in a very feminine kind of way, not like taric's or ezreal's but in a very subtle way... Actually if you asked me, Twisted fate wouldn't be anything but bisexual, the way he moves and presents himself is quite familiar (bi here xD).

Now that I said that... an openly bisexual character would be very controversial for Riot to have =/ we are seen as cheaters no matter what ._. woman think we'll end up with a guy and guys think we'll turn to women sooner or later, gays hates us, straights hates us =/ oh well, that's life for you xD

Im QuibsY9/23/2013, 4:41:57 AM1 votes

I know you have already said don't say Taric, but I'm going to say it: Taric. As well as Vi. While it never actually says anything about her being such, she definitely has the look to possibly present herself as such. As far as I know, there's nothing romantic going on for her in her lore. While it isn't exclusively mentioned in most of the characters lores, you can take what you want from the and make the characters what you want them to be. The lore certainly doesn't say anything about Taric being gay, but the vast populous of LoL players would say he is, especially after seeing his pink fuzzy skin.

Great Owl9/24/2013, 11:28:20 PM1 votes

I don't want Riot to do this in an overly obvious way. Riot has rarely divulged sexuality (or most other non physical character traits) in an obvious way. That's something that would come off as weird in a bio. For example, in Teemo's lore there is a really hamfisted "Oh btw we are totally shipping TeemoXTristana XD" line near the end that makes the little mangesack seem even more obnoxious. Doing it more subtly through background lore (RIP JoJ) and suggestions in voice acting is probably better.

Akira Kid4110/14/2013, 7:55:51 PM1 votes

What you're really requesting to add to League of Legends is more SEX. SEXual orientation is still sex regardless of which it favors. While I understand that Riot gives each character their own unique identity and flavor/flair/etc., I really think they try to leave sex out of the game altogether. Lucian being the only champion I can recall off the top of my head with any written description of sexual orientation at all.
If this game ever transcends to another form of media, be it regular publishings of comics, cartoons, etc., I could see room for the addition of more sex as the focus becomes more centralized on character, drama, and interactions. But for now this is a MOBA game above all else.
And I personally don't care to know which champion has a hard on for who, or is wet over another.

NewDudeOverThere10/19/2013, 3:33:38 AM1 votes

I thought we already have a homo champion... (cough) Ezreal (cough), and Lux is just his besties and try to cover up his fabulousness.

To tell the truth, the players can just interpret all champion's lore in their own way. Make it so they are the good, villain, gay, les, douche, etc. instead of what the lore says. I interpret Lissandra as the heroine and Ashe and Sej are the villains and you can also do it to other champions. So if you want gay champions interpret that male champions have a gay side in them, end of story. I dont know why worry about this things?

Paraguanero12/19/2013, 1:43:55 AM1 votes

what about Taric. He is gay

Esterni9/19/2013, 12:21:06 AM1 votes

I admire this post very very much. I wouldn't give two shits either way if something like this was or was not included. But that is because i don't care about things like this...It is up to people to make their own decisions. As for Riot adding something like this, it just wouldn't happen, im sorry to say. The fan base for this type of game is the majority type that would disagree and hate on a bisexual/homosexual champion. Could you imagine the insults thrown for someone playing that champ in game? It would be horrendous. There are a lot of games out there as well as comics and stories that involve bi/homo sexual people. Adding it to LoL wouldn't make much of a difference in my opnion

ShadowKnight12247/23/2014, 5:51:28 AM1 votes

Hey, I'd like to bring this topic back, since reading through the comments I found a lot of... I am going to say "misinformed" assumptions that I'd like to take a stab at:

  1. People who see sexual orientation as some sort of political agenda are being oblivious to the way heterosexuality permeates daily life. This game has had plenty of examples of it, that have been brought up before (Lucian/Senna, Garen/Kat, Lux/Ezreal, Trynd/Ashe), so the idea that non-straightness is some sort of political agenda while straightness isn't, is against the concept of equality.
  2. Similarly, the idea that non-straightness is somehow about sex and inherently more "adult" than straightness suffers from the exact same problem as the previous point. Showing two adults in a relationship, holding hands, or even, gasp, kissing! is perfectly PG. Saying that the genders of these adults make a difference is against the concept of equality.
  3. People who insist that "canon" confirmation is unnecessary and that we should just make up what we want in our minds are missing the point. Trust us, we already do that. Having canon confirmation that a character is non-straight means a lot to non-straight people, because we don't get to see ourselves represented in the media we consume. It is a rare luxury that we can rarely afford. Most straight people usually take for granted the vast amounts of straight representation they get in their media, hence the need for them to actively try to put themselves in other people's shoes when it comes to this matter.
  4. People who deride the idea of non-straight heroes as valuable because we shouldn't seek inspiration from external sources have a gross misunderstanding of basic sociology and formative psychology. Human beings compose their identities by taking external input and then transforming it with their own feelings and judgments. The absence of external inputs in a given area prevents people from fully reaching their potential by not providing them with something that resonates personally with them. In LGBT+ youths, this can further a sense of isolation from the world around them.

I believe that's about it. Thank you for making the thread, it raises points that I really hope Riot takes into consideration for future heroes (or lore on current ones!).

P.S.: The bit about Ashe being a lesbian is basically my current headcanon for Ashe. Awesome job whoever brought that up.

tehdef9/19/2013, 3:01:27 PM1 votes

Hi, I'm commander shepard, and I can be your hero.

I hate to say it though, don't let a video game character be your hero. There are people in the real world here and now taking up causes, or speaking out that deserve your admiration. A video game is just a game. Yea, sometimes it may tell a great and compelling story. But you know who really makes things happen? People leading causes. Speaking out. A gay champion isn't going to change your life. It won't change anyones life, and sexuality, religions, etc, should never be the defining aspect of ANYONE. You are a person, and you are what defines you. The totality of what you offer is what defines you, not your sexuality, religion, political views, etc.

LoLByTheNumbers9/21/2013, 7:44:25 AM1 votes

I actually think in the grand scheme of things, this concept/issue is more important than any amount of money Riot or for that matter, any company could stand to lose or make over this. No matter how small, every step forward in understanding our fellow human beings is worth it. In the grand scheme, League of Legends is just a game, but if it can spark the sliver of change in even a tiny amount of people from just even the smallest acceptance of this, then it accomplishes so much more.

Personally, growing up and discovering my homosexuality was an extremely rough path. I grew up in a very sheltered environment. Until college, I believe I was only exposed to the notion of being gay once, and in a vastly negative light. Not knowing why you feel so different than those around you, and being unable to decipher your own identity, or even allowed to feel it because of the negativity associated with it, well its hard to say the least.

If I had had the concept of being gay opened up to me at a younger age, and in a positive or even neutral light, I could have begun to discover myself and my childhood and teenage years would not have been wrought with so much confusion and loneliness.

Even the smallest light can become a beacon for strength, and as being a huge gamer even from the age of 4 and NES days, if there had been one, I might have ran into it. That character could have become a point of discovery of myself and a point of hope and strength growing up. Just the fact that it is there, can change a life forever.