[Closed] Non-Binary Gender Inclusion but with a Contradiction


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Considering that Paizo committed to rewriting the feat in question before the OP of this thread, that people have been arguing for two weeks in here is kind of embarrassing.


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All that really needs to be changed about Close Match is the line "you're androgynous"- since that implies that this is something true about you because you have the feat, which further implies you need to be level 2 and trained in deception to be androgynous, which is bizarre. Feats should generally be restricted to "things you have learned how to do" not "aspects of who you are." Like a feat that makes you tall is plainly nonsensical, right?

Like if you want your character to look like Grace Jones with a flat top fade, or Aladdin Sane era David Bowie, you should just be able to write that on your character sheet and not have to take a feat.

Lantern Lodge Customer Service & Community Manager

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As was noted pretty early on in this thread, we've already addressed that the text identified by the OP will be getting updated.

Gender, sexuality, orientation and inclusion are topics that have come up many times on our forums before. Often there are posts or comments from people who are unsure of what something means or unlearning "facts" that they were previously taught. Each time these conversations come up, there are inevitably comments that get made that contain offensive or hurtful language or the threads are again debating the existence, relevance or need for inclusion of a given group of people. Paizo.com does not exist in a vacuum. While it may feel harmless to talk or debate about the inclusion of marginalized people, for those people who are reading or engaging in our community, these threads can repeatedly bring up harmful disinformation or painful reminders that how they identify or exist in the world is again brought into question by other people.

I wrote the following to close out a different thread, but I feel that it is relevant here as well as much of this sentiment can be adapted to the conversation about inclusion:

The sentiment that “gaming is for all” is one that is incredibly important to us and one that we hope encourages our fans and players to be inclusive with their games. There are those, both at Paizo and in the broader gaming community, who have felt unsafe, harassed or excluded by actions or words from someone using the justification that they were just 'in game' or ‘my character would do it’. This includes harassment or exclusion based on a person coming from a marginalized community. There are also those of us both at Paizo and in the broader gaming community who have unintentionally acted as gatekeepers to gaming or unwittingly made another person feel excluded or unwelcome at our gaming table. As we as a company and as gamers learn and grow together, we hope we can use sections like this one to provide opportunities for gamers to empathize with the people at their table who may have very different perspectives and life experiences, and work to ensure they are feeling welcome and having fun. At the start of a new game, seeking consent over the inclusion of subjects that may be traumatic and actively asking players at the table if there are topics that they wish to avoid not only helps you not accidentally hurt them, but also establishes that those requests can be made if a player later finds themselves faced with content they find traumatic or offensive.

With a new edition, we have the opportunity to create a more inviting space for gamers new to Pathfinder and, in some cases, introduce new players to gaming in general, helping them learn and grow in a hobby that we all enjoy. It’s part of our mission to encourage and support gaming environments where people feel welcome, included and safe. This isn’t to say that people gaming should never feel uncomfortable or that all content must be sanitized to a G rating. Games can be an excellent way of exploring and testing boundaries and ideas. It can be a place where we can explore things that aren’t acceptable or possible for us in real life. And it can also be a place where we reinforce social norms or use word choice and storylines to indicate what is important or valuable to us. When we seek consent and establish boundaries and expectations at the beginning of a new adventure, we can help ensure that the entire table is on board with the content or gaming style and helps ensure we don’t accidentally harm our friends and fellow gamers during play.

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