Independent queer artists and filmmakers have been dealing with similar backlash for decades. This kind of response goes well beyond games, of course. Bisexual developers slammed as biphobic for not conforming to a specific kind of bisexuality. Anecdotes of comments and messages from fans who felt that their representations of marginalised identities weren't "correct" because they didn't map to the commenter's own experience. Many developers I spoke to shared an anxiety over how their particular views of queerness would be met by wider audiences. "For as inclusive as we’re trying to be, at some point we had to say, 'Look, if drag queens really bother you, this isn’t the game for you.'" But drag is a key part of Coats' own view of queerness, one that felt too essential to omit. Coats tells of a response from a trans fan who was frustrated with the presence of a drag queen in the game's cast - after all, drag has long been conflated with transness in messy, uncomfortable ways. There's value in seeing stories where we just get to exist, without reliving very personal pains over and over again.īut creating honest queer art often means reflecting and unpacking what queerness means to the artist-no matter how messy it may be, or where it may rub against other parts of the community. There are enough tropes out there of queer-coded villains or tragic gay couples that many queer players just want to see themselves represented in safer, more uplifting stories. Sometimes that leftover anger and pain gets misdirected at the very creators trying to make it better." "While it’s gotten easier, part of the queer experience is working through that trauma to accept who you are. "Existing as a queer person means growing up with trauma and pain," Coats explained.
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