The legal analysis displayed in this thread deeply disturbs me on so many levels.
- You have no right to freedom of speech on private property. League of Legends, the game and the forums, are private property of Riot. The first amendment says that the government shall not restrict without due process. Not "you can say anything and everything anywhere without consequence." Riot can censor you and also remove you from their private property as they see fit. Riot can chat restrict you legally for saying a homophobic slur. Riot can temp ban you legally for saying homophobic slurs. Riot can permaban you legally for saying homophobic slurs.
If you disagree with the above statements, please contact the ACLU in your area and have them explain freedom of speech.
- Crimes are crimes. Screaming and yelling homophobic things alone does not make the screaming and yelling a hate crime. It only becomes a hate crime if the motivation behind the crime is based in bias against a protected class in that jurisdiction. The legal definition of hate crimes vary per jurisdiction but in most jurisdictions, if the perpetrator was targeting the victim because of a perceived protected class, that means it is a hate crime. If the jurisdiction you live in has a separate crime for hate crime, it will be codified as such. It may be labeled a bias crime. Not all jurisdictions use the same titles but the concept is fairly uniform across all jurisdictions. See your own state's laws to determine which classes are protected.
An example:
Player Y calls Player X a f-g while believing Player X is straight and is trying to trigger them because of the perceived frail masculinity. Player Y systematically and continuously harasses player X in game with homophobic slurs. Assume that the level of harassment reached criminal levels. Player Y did not commit a hate crime. Charged with only harassment.
Player Z calls Player X a f-g because Player Z believes Player X is gay. Player Z systematically and continuously harasses player X in game with homophobic slurs. Assume the level of harassment reached criminal levels. Player Z has committed a hate crime. Charged with harassment with an aggravating factor of a hate/bias crime.
Both player Y and Z are awful people and both used hate speech but only player Z committed a hate crime. If this example did not clarify, please seek outside legal counsel for further explanations.
-
The tools are there for you to help shield yourself from further harassment. They are not there to eliminate it because the only way to eliminate the harassment is to change the way someone thinks and behaves and that is significantly more difficult for Riot. The best they can do is punish those who commit offenses and hope they reform. Remember theories of punishment in crim law? The temp bans and chat restrictions are specific deterrents focused on rehabilitation. They are a cooldown period for the offenders. Permabans are both general deterrents and also attempts at isolation.
-
This is the real world. You can't expect to be shielded from everything. The world is imperfect. The world has hate, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, etc... You just need to use the tools you have to cope with it the best you can. You shouldn't have to mute people because human decency should be supreme, but it's not. Riot can't make sure these people aren't punished unless you actually flag their accounts by reporting them. You actually do a disservice to yourself and to the community by not reporting.
Additionally, you don't have to mute them. You can leave them unmuted and just show them it doesn't bother you. That's really where the power comes from. If those people say terrible things and you demonstrate that it got under your skin, you have let them win. You gave that power to them. Take away that power and make them twist in the wind. Deny them the satisfaction of your anger and hurt feelings.
