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LGBT characters in video games
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The following is a list of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender characters in video games, including any other minorities falling under the LGBT umbrella term.
During the 1980s, characters that can be argued as identifying as LGBT were rarely shown in a realistic or non-stereotypical context and were often object of ridicule or jokes.[1]
In 1986, Infocom released Moonmist, a text adventure mystery with several possible randomly selected plotlines. In one of these plotlines, the criminal is a female artist who is jealous because her girlfriend is married to a man. This is the first instance of a homosexual character in a video game.[2]
In 1988, C.M.Ralph published "Caper in the Castro", a gay and lesbian murder mystery problem solving game for Apple Mac computers written in the HyperCard language, distributed on underground gay bulletin boards. The game was later made into a heterosexual version called "Murder on Main Street" and published by Heizer Software.[3]
In 1988, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES. In the first-edition manual for the North American release of the game, Birdo is referred to as a "male who believes that he is a female" and would rather be called "Birdetta", making her the first transgender character for Nintendo.[4][5] In the game, Birdo's name was also mistakenly switched with another Super Mario Bros. 2 enemy, Ostro, both in the manual and in the end credits.[6]
In 1989, Capcom released Final Fight for the arcades. One of the characters, Poison, depending on the region where the game was released, is either a pre-op or post-op trans woman.[7][8][9][10]
In 1989, Sega released Phantasy Star II, a console role-playing game for the Sega Genesis. In it, a character named Usvestia teaches piano, and will teach the MUSIK piano technique needed to progress in the game more cheaply to male characters because they "look cute".[11]
In 1989, Westwood Studios released Circuit's Edge for the DOS. The science fiction role playing game, based on a novel by George Alec Effinger, includes a transgender woman.[12]
In 1989, Cinemaware released It Came from the Desert for multiple platforms. In the game, the player encounters Jackie, a lesbian girl who crashed her car with her girlfriend.
1990s continued using stereotyped characters which do not reflect the diversity that can be found within LGBT communities, with many coming from Japanese games. However, more efforts were found to make more diverse and less one-dimensional characters.[13]
Sierra Online's 1990 adventure game Rise of the Dragon features an establishment called the Pleasure Dome that caters to gay patrons, among other things. One of its patrons is a woman posing as a man posing as a woman.[14]
In Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990 IBM PC) and Ultima VII: The Black Gate the player has the option to pay a fee and be entertained, off screen, by a female or male companion. In Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, a bisexual mage will sexually propose the player's character regardless of the character's gender. The player is given the choice to accept or decline.
MicroProse's 1992 game titled Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender for MS-DOS and the MAC OS requires the male hero to change his sex on a planet where women rule.
In 1992, Sierra On-line produced Laura Bow In The Dagger of Amon Ra which featured a woman from a small town who gets a job for a New York paper in the 1920s. Two of the women she meets are involved in a secret love affair.[14]
In 1993, MicroProse released Return of the Phantom with a gay male character named Charles portrayed as an effeminate theater director. He is one of the good guys that helps the playable character, a French inspector, solve the mystery of the Phantom of the Opera once and for all.
In 1993, a FMV game Dracula Unleashed featured a character named Alfred Horner who co-owns a bookstore. This was the first time a gay character in a computer game was given a speaking role.[14]
In 1993, Sierra Online's Police Quest: Open Season features a gay bar. In this game, the player is a police officer trying to track down the murderer of his police partner. His quest leads him to discover that his partner had a double life as a cross-dresser at a West Hollywood transgender bar.[14]
In 1994, Nintendo released Earthbound for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. One of the characters featured is Tony who has subtle attractions to his best friend Jeff, according to Earthbound creator, Shigesato Itoi.[15]
In the 1994 game Streets of Rage 3 for the Sega Genesis, there is a gay male boss named Ash. He was censored in some versions of the game.
In the 1994 game Plumbers Don't Wear Ties for the 3DO, it is possible to have the two male characters in the game, suddenly, fall in love with each other. In this scenario John, the plumber, and Thresher, an older businessman, flirt with each other a bit before they decide to starting dating.
Square's 1995 SNES RPG Chrono Trigger featured a major villain who was genderfluid and or gender nonconforming. The character Flea, a henchman of Magus, was described as looking like a girl. Flea would exclaim "Hey, I'm a guy!" and later "Male or female, what difference does it make? Power is beautiful, and I've got the power." Flea would later appear with his sidekicks in the sequel Chrono Cross, appearing as a female with a pink wig and miniskirt. However, the battle screen in Chrono Cross displays the enemies' sex with a male or female symbol, and Flea is clearly marked as a man. It is notable that Flea's genderfluid theme appeared in the US translation of the SNES release, during Nintendo's censorship phase.
In 1995, Shannara, based on the books written by Terry Brooks, included a snotty and racist gay character, the Seneschal, who wore all purple. This character was similar to the snotty and racist elven character in Simon the Sorcerer 2 who not only had the purple attire, but a pansy flower in his hat.
In 1995, The Orion Conspiracy became the first computer game to use the word homosexual (although the 1994 Kirin Entertainment game Plumbers Don't Wear Ties does use the word 'gay'). The main character, Devlin McCormack, lives on a space station where he investigates the murder of his son and stops an alien invasion. His investigation leads him through the seedy, criminal underworld of the station, where he discovers that his son was homosexual by talking with his son's boyfriend.
In 1995, The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery features the antagonist Baron Von Glower who pursues the protagonist Gabriel Knight sexually and eventually leads him to be turned into a werewolf. To a point Gabriel is visibly attracted to Von Glower and at the end of the game admits that he liked him. The game also touches on the homosexuality of King Ludwig II and in the role of Gabriel's partner Grace Nakamura, you meet with Josef Dahlmeier, an expert on Ludwig II who implies that he is also homosexual.
The 1996 computer game Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh featured a homosexual male character named Trevor, who was a close friend and co-worker of the player's character, Curtis Craig. Despite his effeminate and flamboyant portrayal, Trevor is shown as intelligent and is very significant through the game's plot. Curtis admits to his psychiatrist that he has feelings for Trevor and might be bisexual and later the two kiss, although Curtis is also shown as having relationships with a girlfriend and a S&M domme. Creators of the game talked about the mature sexual themes in the game during a 1997 interview.[16] Curtis is the first playable non-heterosexual character in a video game.[2]
In 1996 Vic Tokai developed the graphic adventure computer game Silverload, which features a gay barber.
In 1996, the adventure game Harvester had a flamboyant gay firefighter named Fireman Sparky.
In 1996, Square released Bahamut Lagoon in Japan. The game features an older wizard character, Sendak, who hints at sexual feelings for the male protagonist, Byuu, and the player can choose whether to accept or reject Sendak.[17]
In 1996, Crystal Dynamics released Blazing Dragons for the PlayStation. It was a graphic adventure game based on a British cartoon where dragons had human emotions and real humans were obnoxious villains. Blazing Dragons was influenced by comedians such as John Cleese of Monty Python fame. This game marketed the introduction to the video game industry of the comic models that the computer game industry had been using to reference homosexuality. The game featured a dragon knight whose homosexuality was demonstrated by his effeminacy and vanity, and an entire puzzle involved dressing as the princess of the dragons in order to trick the dragon king into thinking she has not run away and been kidnapped by humans. When this fails, it falls to the court jester (who also appears to be homosexual) to wear drag; at one point he kisses one of the other dragon knights, while off camera. This game marked the first time when drag, in the comic model, was allowed to appear in video games.
In Square's 1997 title Final Fantasy VII, a specific puzzle involves the male protagonist, Cloud Strife, collecting various articles of female attire in order to audition as the girl that will spend the night with a male character. If the player has found enough items they are chosen as the girl and can play along with the scenario to a certain extent, although the couple is interrupted just as they are about to kiss. One of this articles, a wig, is found in a gym of gay male body builders, and the character can also enter a brothel. Depending on which room in the brothel is chosen the character may end up in a hot tub with around 10 men, including the character Mukki, who seems to propose the main character both in this scene and when the player meets him later on in the game.
Squaresoft's 1997 title SaGa Frontier featured a female main character named Asellus who was infused with mystical blood that caused her to be highly attractive to other women. The story's narrator begins the story by telling of how she became infatuated with her, and one of the game's alternate endings features Asellus taking on many of the other female characters as wives.
In 1997, The Last Express has the player meeting two young adult girls named Sophie de Bretheuil and Rebecca Norton who are almost always in each other's company. While at first they appear to be merely close friends, reading the diary of Recbecca suggests they are lesbians, but there are no explicitly homosexual gestures beyond hand-holding.
In 1997 the Sega Saturn title Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (also released on PS1 and 3DS) depicted the protagonist encountering a cross dresser by the name of Kamanari while chasing down the gambling parlor owner Tatsumi during a case. It is also implied Tatsumi himself is gay. While being stereotypical and over-the-top, Beta (one of the owners of the EL-115 Club) hits on the main character, saying he wouldn't help him if he wasn't "cute".
In 1998 Interplay released Fallout 2 featuring the first same-sex marriage in a game.[18][19][20]
In Square's 1999 title Final Fantasy VIII, an unnamed minor character can be encountered in a bar; during conversation, there is strong implication the character is transgender. The player character Squall Leonhart is given the option to ask if she is really a woman. If Squall asks this the character becomes paranoid and wonders how he knew. In the French version the antagonist Adel is described as being intersex, with other characters using both pronouns to refer to them.
In the 1999 game Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, it becomes very obvious that two of the characters, Lady Howard and Estelle Stiles, are lesbians. However, nothing is ever made of this other than Gabriel noticing the one bed for two people and saying "Gee, isn't that cozy?".
In 1999 Eidos released The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga for the PlayStation, based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. In the "Pantheon Saga", the Hulk joins a family team of superheroes to combat global problems such as terrorism. One of the family members, named Hector, was openly gay. He appears in Eidos' game, although no mention or reference is made to his sexual orientation.
In the 1999 videogame Evil Zone for the PlayStation, the female characters Setsuna Saizuki, Kakurine and Ihadurca are lesbians.
In 1999 Funcom released the computer graphic adventure game The Longest Journey with a lesbian landlady, her long-time lover, and a gay cop. While the game used a futuristic Blade Runner type setting, the gay characters were not used to show how decadent society had become but were seen as normal and well adjusted secondary characters.
In 1999 Acclaim released a racing game titled South Park Rally, the first of several games based on the popular animated series South Park for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and PC. Big Gay Al, a prominent character in the series, is a playable character in South Park Rally. His house is also one of the tracks.
In 1999 Activision released Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force for the PC and PlayStation 2. In the game the player could play as a male or a female, and in either case a female would flirt with them. Elite Force was notable in this regard, as the Star Trek franchise has often been criticized for its treatment of gay and lesbian characters on TV.[21]
In 1999 tri-Ace released Star Ocean: The Second Story for the PlayStation. In the game the player could choose to play as either Claude or Rena and can have a friendship and romance level with each party member acquired. If using Claude, the player can go on a date with a male member of the party named Ashton. In the PSP version of the game, the game includes a scene where the female members of the party can force either Claude or Ashton to dress up as women. If the player chooses Rena as the main character, the player can go on a date with a female member of the party named Precis.
In Persona 2: Innocent Sin, released in 1999 for the PlayStation, one of the playable characters was Kurosu Jun, a schoolboy with a connection to the game's main villain. Jun is a homosexual, and it is revealed through flashbacks that he and the main character, Suou Tatsuya, exchanged gifts as children and promised to always be together. Both Tatsuya and Jun have kept these gifts, and Tatsuya is often seen playing with the lighter he received from Jun. Through the actions of the player, Tatsuya could end up in a relationship with one of three romantic interests; one of these was Kurosu Jun. If Tatsuya and Jun are in a relationship, they receive a special "lovers" contact combo.[22] The game has several references to Jun's femininity: his main weapons are flowers; there is a contact combo where another love interest, Lisa Silverman, puts makeup on Jun and then complains that he looks prettier than she does; and he apparently discovered his ability to use Personae when he was being picked on by bullies for his effeminate looks. In the second part, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Jun appears under the name Jun Kashihara, but his role in the story is extremely tangential. Tatsuya Suou also appears in the game, but though there are many references to the homoerotic content of the first game, the storyline focuses around a love triangle between him, his brother and Maya Amano, a female love interest from Innocent Sin. Eternal Punishment also featured a female athlete named Anna, whose relationship with her obsessive admirer Noriko contains lesbian overtones, and both games feature the Sumaru Genie, an intersex fortuneteller.
From 2000 to 2009, several Buffy the Vampire Slayer games were made. A prominent character in the series, Willow Rosenberg, is lesbian or bisexual. In the 2003 game, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds, both Willow Rosenberg and her girlfriend, Tara Maclay, are playable characters.
A Nintendo 64 exclusive fighting game, Fighters Destiny, featured a boss character that consisted of a gay drag queen named Cherry. When the game was ported to North America, the character was changed into a female and so was their voice actor, and he was then functioned as a burlesque dancer.
Square's 2000 title Final Fantasy IX features a playable character called Quina Quen who belongs to a genderless race called the Qu. Referred to by the pronoun "s/he" throughout, the Qu's bizarre appearance offers little clue as to any intended orientation. At one stage in the game, it is possible for Quina and Vivi, an apparently juvenile Black Mage, to be married. While this scene is optional and treated very much as a light-hearted comic scene with no implication of sexual attraction, it nevertheless treats the topic of pansexuality and same-sex marriage sympathetically.
In 2000 Resident Evil Code: Veronica, a survival horror game, the central antagonist is Alfred Ashford who at the end of the game is revealed as a 'cross-dressing freak' who is obsessed with his dead twin sister, in this case a reference to Norman Bates from the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.
2001's Shadow Hearts contained a gay Chinese acupuncturist known as Meiyuan. Shadow Hearts: Covenant in 2005 also featured gay characters, the two flamboyant Magimel brothers Gerard and Pierre. Gerard was a tailor who would sew magical clothes when bribed with "beefcake" trading cards and Pierre was a vendor for items and weapons. In one optional scene toward the end of the game, a third major character was revealed to be gay. The ensuing offscreen anal sex was largely treated as disgusting, though one female player character called it 'beautiful'. Shadow Hearts: From the New World again featured Gerard, but he is with his boyfriend this time, by the name of Buigen.
In 2001 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty featured a bisexual character named Vamp. The conversation in which this was revealed (by Solid Snake himself) also explains that he was the lover of Scott Dolph, a bisexual Navy commander. The game does not dwell on this point and accepts it simply as a factor of the character. The 2004 prequel Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater went further, featuring male bisexuality (Volgin and Major Raikov) and also some other sexual topics rarely touched upon in popular entertainment.
In 2001, Maxis broke new ground with a new television commercial for its computer game The Sims. Highlighting the ability of the characters to date, the commercial featured an attractive twenty-something man in a nightclub flirting with a woman, until he is suddenly drawn to an attractive man in the club and after a brief pause agrees to date him. Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and DS versions removed any same-sex romance interactions.
In 2001 Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix had a lesbian subplot between two of the major female characters.
2002's Resident Evil: Dead Aim has a villain named Morpheus D. Duvall, who is obsessed with beauty and hints at having a number of gender-reassignment surgeries. Later in the game, he injects himself with a mutagenic virus that changes him into a feminine form, with notable breasts and high heels.
In the 2003 game Summon Night: Swordcraft Story, if the player chooses a female character and picks Sugar as their summon beast, lesbian innuendo occurs. There are other girls, named Razzy and Sanary who also shares lesbian undertones when conversing with Pratty, the female main character. Though, less apparent in the sequel, Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, one of the female characters, Lynn, continuously tries to kiss the main character, whether they are male or female. The female playable character, 'Aera', shows the same romantic behavior that shows when the player play as 'Edgar', the male playable character, with some dialog changes.
In the 2003 title Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, a flamboyant mannequin is shown as the owner of the junk shop and makes frequent but comical references to his sexuality.
In 2003 Bioware's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the party member Juhani was written as lesbian, though bugged coding on the initial release allowed her to be attracted to the player character regardless of gender. In subsequent patches, she reverts to homosexual preferences. She and another female Jedi were also heavily implied to be lovers. (It is worth noting that this would make Juhani the first known gay character in the Star Wars universe).[23]
In the 2003 Mega Man X7 videogame there is one boss called Tornado Tonion, and when the character Axl finds him, he tells Axl that he considers him handsome, but he considers himself more handsome.
In the 2003 game The Spirit Engine, the character Angelina is a cross-dressing women who owns a high level company, and wears a men's suit. Though her gender identity was never questioned in the game, her role seemed that of a typical suburban business man.
2004's Fable allows the player character to flirt, marry and/or have sex with NPC townspeople of the same sex. If the player married a female character in addition to a male NPC, the personality status screen would label them as bisexual. While the NPCs in the game do not treat the player with any disgust if they choose to be gay, they do not get paid "dowry" for marrying any male characters but almost all female ones give such. One quest involves finding the deeds to a bordello so the player can free the prostitutes from the male owner. Like the other quests in the game there are several ways of solving this, but one option is to dress as a woman and have sex with the owner when he's drunk.
The 2004 Atari computer game The Temple of Elemental Evil has an optional storyline permitting a gay marriage. In the town of Nulb, a pirate named Bertram begins flirting with male characters in the party and offers a lifetime of love and happiness in exchange for his freedom.[24]
In 2004 the computer game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the player is able to play a female character and have implied (off screen) sexual relations with Jeanette, another female character. Also there is generally the possibility to flirt with same-gender partners throughout the game additionally there are also some more hints that several other characters have been involved in homosexual activities. There is also a vampiress character who doesn't say her name and she introduce herself with the name of a woman with whom she had a relationship long ago, Pisha.
In the 2004 GameCube title Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the player encounters a Shadow Siren named Vivian. In the Japanese version of the game, Vivian is said to actually be a boy. Her character description translates to "One of the shadow group, Vivian appears to be a girl but is really a boy." When Goombella uses Tattle on Vivian, what she says translates into "That's Vivian of the shadow group, she's the youngest sister... er, brother." Vivian's sister, Beldam also calls her a man at one point as an insult. All mentions of Vivian being a man were removed from the English version.
In Capcom's 2004 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations for the Nintendo DS, an effeminate chef called Jean Armstrong frequently confuses other characters about his gender. Although he is very effeminate in appearance, movement and fashion style, he clearly has a beard and mustache. Yet characters still become confused of his gender.
In Rockstar North's 2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas the police officers in San Fierro will say various things one would expect from a comically stereotyped gay character such as "Drop the soap, honey!", "Lets wrestle to submission!", and "I'm on your ass, Daisy!" In this model, homosexuality is a joke, attached to gender inversion and used to make fun of the police, an enemy in the game. There is a clearly gay employee working at the counter of an athletic apparel store who makes flirty comments toward the protagonist, CJ. A previous installment in the series, the 2001 Grand Theft Auto III, has construction workers who look like the similarly dressed member of the Village People, who shout quotes from the songs "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy".
The character Doctor N. Gin is portrayed as an effeminate character in Radical's 2005 Crash Tag Team Racing game. He is shown occasionally wearing a ballerina costume to boost his self-esteem and using pink fuzzy slippers in his inventions in the same game.[25] In the following Crash of the Titans, N. Gin reveals his desire for "chicks" over his factory's intercom[26] but is disgusted at the thought of girls in a later cutscene.[27]
In Eidos Interactive's 2005 sequel to Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War. One of the manners which the character can gain access to the apartment of Seattle's Minister of Culture is to flirt with the Minister of Culture at Club Vox (he will give the character his key). This only works if the character is male.
In Cavia's Drakengard 2, first released in 2005, the enemy character, Yaha got incredible beauty that can charm all men and women from his pact, in return of the loss of 'pleasure' of sex. He is in love with his male old friend, Urick who is one of playable characters.
In Bioware's 2005-released Xbox RPG Jade Empire, the main character can either be male or female. If the player chooses a male character, he can have a romantic relationship with the female characters Dawn Star or Silk Fox, or the male character Sky, a female character can romance either Sky or Silk Fox. Also, if the main character is male, it is possible for Dawn Star and Silk Fox to end up in a relationship with each other.
The computer and console game Indigo Prophecy from 2005 includes a gay stock market follower named Tommy. One of the game's protagonists is good friends with him and Tommy's knowledge of the stock trade is essential in progressing in the game. If asked, the character makes comments about homophobia in the workplace and gay acceptance.
Ōkami, released in 2006, stars Amaterasu the Sun goddess who takes the form of a white wolf. Amaterasu, both in the videogame and in Japanese mythology, is depicted ogling at voluptuous women.
The 2006 adventure game Broken Sword: The Angel of Death includes Brother Mark, a Catholic priest who is strongly hinted to be homosexual, although he denies this.
In the 2006 title Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, there is an unnamed female student NPC who has an intense lesbian crush on Mitsuru Kirijo, one of the main female characters. This crush goes as far as her having romantic fantasies about Mitsuru as well as threatening the main character with revenge if they're lying having pictures of Mitsuru in a bathing suit. During "Operation Babe Hunt" one of the NPCs that Junpei, Akihiko and the main character attempt to hit on is revealed to be a trans woman.
The 2006 Syphon Filter 5th series features a bonus mission showing the prequel's antagonist Mara Aramov and Dr. Elsa Weissinger having a secret love affair, where Stone sees the two embrace and kiss each other after conversation. The couple's killed by Agent Stone after Mara and Weissinger argues about Weissinger's affair with billionaire Mihai Niculescu.
The 2006 Rockstar Games title Bully (Canis Canem Edit in Europe) features the game's central character Jimmy Hopkins, who can kiss various characters, male and female, in order to regain health. Neither Jimmy nor any of the other six bisexual/homosexual male characters show any outward signs of overt femininity or other stereotypical homosexual traits, with the possible exception of the gay member of the 'preppy' clique who is depicted as being suave and somewhat effeminate. One of the female characters in the game angrily alludes to Jimmy's "experimentation" with the other boys in a cutscene in which she states, "I'm Helen of Troy and you're more interested in...boys called Troy!". In Bully: Scholarship Edition, developers added an achievement (an in-game award) called "Over the Rainbow", which the player unlocks by kissing a boy twenty times.
The 2006 title Enchanted Arms features Makoto, an openly gay male character.
Nintendo-published in 2006 Baten Kaitos Origins for the Nintendo GameCube features a transgender character, of sorts. One of the three main characters, Guillo, speaks simultaneously with the voice of both a man and a woman and is gender neutral throughout the entire storyline. Even though Guillo is a 'puppet', Guillo has a very masculine personality, yet also is clad in high heels and has breasts. Guillo is also part of a bitter love "quadrangle" for Sagi, the main character, between Guillo, Milly, and Lolo.
The 2006 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories features transsexual adult film director Reni Wassulmaier. Reni was born female and by the time of the game's events, he already had three sex changes and is back to being male. The objective for one mission, titled "So Long Schlong", is to take Reni to the hospital for his fourth sex change. Reni Wassulmaier previously featured in the 2005 sequel Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, set 14 years after the events of Vice City Stories, as a radio DJ. In between songs, she drops hints about previously being male.
In the 2007 horror first-person shooter Clive Barker's Jericho, the Ancient Roman Governor Cassus Vicus claims it had been a while since "tasting" both genders after becoming aroused while confronting the Jericho Squad. Vicus is portrayed as overly perverted and morbidly obese and is said to practice cannibalism, Sadomasochism and "blood orgies". Also, Lt. Abigail Black, a telekinetic sniper and playable character, is also confirmed to be lesbian early on in the game through a joke among fellow team members upon gaining the ability to play as her. The game's author, Clive Barker, is openly gay and has created characters with a certain disposition toward Sadomasochism of every sexual orientation.
In the 2007 title Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, a character the player can get on their team named Heather is implied to be a lesbian and claims to have joined the army to 'meet all the pretty girls'. There's also the main character Ike, who's heavily implied to have feelings for another boy; Soren. This is made even more apparent in the Japanese version of the game.
The 2007 title GrimGrimoire has the protagonist Lillet Blan outright declare her love for Amoretta (a female homunculus) on multiple occasions. Throughout the game, various references are made that hint at a romantic love between the two characters, such as when Lillet threatens to sleep on the couch if Amoretta disobeys her (Lillet convinces her to share a bed with her) and various general displays of affection between the two. There is also journal entry in which Lillet explicitly states her love for Amoretta, and Amoretta's own comment before she sacrifices herself for Lillet implies that she loves Lillet deeply. In the epilogue, the two of them live together in the city.
In the 2007 game Mass Effect, the player can play as a male or female character. In both cases, there is an option for a subplot romance and sexual encounter with the alien Dr. Liara T'Soni, a member of an all-female race called the asari that is able to reproduce with any sex of any species. The game received a lot of criticism for the 'sex scene' although it was hardly explicit, showing only brief, blurred shots of Liara's buttocks twice in a thirty-second scene.
Abu'l Nuquod, one of the assassination targets in the historically based Assassin's Creed released in 2007, is strongly implied to be gay. He believes that the people hate him because he is 'different', is shown caressing the cheek of one of his male guards during his angry tirade and claims that he cannot serve the cause of a God who calls him an abomination.
The 2007 visual novel Fatal Hearts features a lesbian character named Lucy as one of the available love interests for the female protagonist.
In 2008-released Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, the main character, Raidou, confronts two Japanese disaster gods known as Binbogami and Yakbyougami who are both portrayed as effeminate and fiercely masochistic. Binbogami is shown to be pursuing Raidou sexually, even going so far as to encourage Raidou to 'whip' him when his life bar is reduced to half during two boss fights against him. The game also includes cross dressers in the Mannen-Cho location.
Fable's 2008 sequel, Fable II retains its ability for players to choose their player character's sexuality. The game also includes more lesbian, gay, and bisexual NPC townspeople to court and marry. A context-specific line is used in a conversation within the middle of the game, wherein Hammer asks if the protagonist was able to convince his or her partner, wife, or husband to wait for them when they must go away for ten years. The game also includes a quest in which the player character finds a suitable partner for a farmer's son who hints at being gay. The farmer is surprised but accepts that his son is gay and was unable to find an acceptable partner because the father had previously presented him only with female suitors. Reaver, the NPC known as the Hero of Skill, is bisexual, known to have simultaneous lovers named Ursula, Penelope, and Andrew.
In the 2008 game Fallout 3, players who opt to have a female character can employ the services of a female prostitute in the city of Megaton. In the city called Underworld, the player meets a female Ghoul named Carol who is suggested to be in a romantic relationship with another female Ghoul named Greta. They have apparently adopted a son, named Gob. While it is never made clear if they are romantically involved, if the player is a Female, Greta will jealously warn the player to stay away from Carol. In Rivet City, the player meets Flak and Shrapnel, a pair of weapons dealers whom the game identifies as "partners." The two run a shop together and share a single bed. It's only implied that the nature of their relationship is romantic. An NPC from another city refers to Flak as an "old queen."
In Rockstar North's 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV includes Bernie Crane, formerly Florijan Kravić, (Serbian Cyrillic: Флоријан Кравић), a flamboyant gay lifestyle coach and friend of the protagonist, Niko Bellic. He is one of three survivors of Niko's fifteen man squad who fought in the Bosnian War. In the 2009 Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, an episode expansion pack of Grand Theft Auto IV, the title Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince is gay, and a friend of the protagonist, Luis Lopez. He also features in a cameo in GTA IV.
The 2008 tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles has several optional squad members whose profiles indicate they fancy individuals of the same gender. For example, a male squad member named Jann has strong feelings for muscular men, particularly Largo. He wears makeup, has an effeminate voice and is flirty toward men, including the player character who is his commanding officer. Similarly, Dallas is a female squad member whose profile states that she 'fancies women' and 'hates men'. Dallas has a crush on Alicia, the game's heroine, and her profile states that she became upset after Alicia's marriage until she became infatuated with another major character, Rosie. The game also features a bisexual character, Ted, who has both the 'fancies women' and 'fancies men' potential abilities in his profile.
In the 2008 title Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, Kanji Tatsumi, a playable character, expresses interest in another boy (a cross dressing Naoto) and is shocked and confused about his own feelings towards him. At a later point, his Shadow Self manifests as an overly masculine and flamboyant gay caricature that rants about how he hates girls and likes boys and teases him about being gay. In actuality, Kanji fears being rejected by either sex. He still expresses interest in Naoto after finding out her true gender, though at the end of his social link, he outright states that his shadow self and him are one and the same, strongly hinting at bisexuality.
The 2008 visual novel Heileen features a female protagonist with three romantic possibilities, one male and two female.
In 2008 Square Enix released The Last Remnant which contains a minor character, the barkeep, who is known to flirt with the protagonist, Rush Sykes, when spoken to over the course of the game. He comments on Rush's physical appearance, refers to him with an affectionate nickname and offers a 'personal tour' of Athlum. He shows obvious attraction not only to Rush, but also fellow main character David Nassau, stating that "You just can't keep from looking at him," and calling him "the beautiful Marquis," also stating that he is jealous of Rush's interactions with David and even questions the relationship between the two.
The 2008 game Saints Row 2 and the 2011 game Saints Row: The Third, the female protagonist character has hints of bisexuality and that she has a sexual attraction to both Shaundi and Kinzie Kensington. The games also allow you to play as a transgender and transsexual character by leaving gender signifiers open to either gender.
In the 2009 game Dragon Age: Origins. the player may choose a male or female character from the start of the game. The main character has an opportunity to have sexual encounters with one party member of the same sex. There are also opportunities to have sexual encounters with NPCs of the same gender throughout the game and notably within the first 30 minutes of game play. As with Bioware's other flagship title, Mass Effect, there are brief sex scenes (about 30 seconds); however there is no visible nudity. It should be noted that the two party members who will have a same-sex sexual encounter with the main character identify (through innuendo or descriptions experiences) that they are bisexual; therefore making the main character the only potentially gay character (excluding NPCs). One example of gay NPCs in the game are the effeminate Wade and Herren. The couple own an armor shop in the games capital and give a quest to the main character. In a downloadable content episode released by Bioware it is possible to chase them from the shop to a back alley where Herren teleports himself and Wade to safety. The game designers confirmed Herren and Wade were lovers after the release of said DLC. Additionally, a dwarf character named Hespith admits to being a lover of Branka, party-character Oghren's ex-wife.
In 2009 game Tales of Monkey Island there are some hints captain Reginald Von Winslow might be bisexual. He has a relationship with a Vayalcan but does not want to reveal whether the person is a man or woman. The captain also says some things to Guybrush Threepwood which insinuates that he is attracted to him.
In the 2009 game Borderlands, the buxom bartender, Mad Moxxi, is very open about her bisexuality, referencing her many male and female lovers.
The 2009 game Wet stars the female bounty hunter Rubi Malone, who gets hit on by one of her female clients, Kafka.
In the 2010 Nintendo DS video game Glory of Heracles, one of the main protagonists, Leucos, is very ambiguously gendered and is possibly a transgender boy. They call themself a boy, but the other characters either don't buy it or are confused about whether to use he or she when addressing them. It is sometimes used as a source of humor and is further obscured by descriptions on armaments made for Leucos. It is eventually revealed that Leucos was raised as a boy because their father wanted it, so it is unclear whether that is the only factor in Leucos being transgender.
In the JRPG Resonance of Fate it is implied that one of the cardinals, Pater, is in love with Zephyr, the male protagonist. It is later revealed that he was in fact interested in Leanne, the female protagonist. Additionally, the barkeeper of the Chit-Chat Noir is flamboyant and feminine, uses make up and flirts with Vashyron, the second male protagonist.
In Red Dead Redemption, one of the minor characters, Quique Montemayor acts and moves flamboyantly. He appears to be in love with Captain Vincente De Santa, a more major character in the game and a captain in the Mexican Army. De Santa seems to be quite open about his relationship with Montemayor and both major and minor characters make suggestive comments about De Santa's inclinations, such as "He'll do a lot of things when men are on their knees," by the protagonist. After De Santa's death, another major character comments that, "a lot of young boys will sleep safe in their beds." Red Dead Redemption also features a very minor female NPC seen in a side mission involving a stolen horse. After the side mission is completed, the women can be seen flirting with female prostitutes in a nearby bar on occasion.
In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, based on the graphic novel series, Kim Pine can perform a special move in which Knives Chau appears and kisses her, giving her health while damaging enemies. Kim's ending in the game also implies she gets together with Knives. Like in the graphic novel series, the character Roxanne Richter is a lesbian who had previously dated Ramona Flowers. Wallace Wells, Scott's mature gay roommate from the comic, also appears in the game as both a background character and running an item shop. A downloadable content released in 2013 added Wallace as a playable character in the main game, with some moves that highlight his sexuality (such as a punch move which creates a rainbow).[28]
In Nier, Emil, a player companion, is hinted to have feelings for Nier. Also in Nier, the character Kaine has been confirmed to be a hermaphrodite, but chooses to present herself as female. Being born with both genders caused her to be harassed and ultimately shunned while growing up, the only one showing her love to be her grandmother. Kaine chooses to wear lingerie, as they make her feel more feminine.
In Mass Effect 2, Shepard, regardless of their own gender, is able to romance Yeoman Kelly Chambers, the asari Justicar Samara, and Samara's daughter Morinth. There are no male characters who express interest in a male Shepard.
Fable III continues the series' option of being a lesbian, gay or bisexual hero and includes more LGBT NPC townspeople. Reaver returns, this time inviting the hero (of either sex) to have a 'private party' in his bedchamber (though the player cannot accept this invitation).
In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the protagonist's lifelong friend Leonardo Da Vinci is implied to be homosexual, based on similar historical evidence. On one occasion, he assures Ezio Auditore da Firenze that "Women provide little distraction" from constructing upgrades for him and pats him on the back, to which Ezio replies "Wait, I don't get it.". In the downloadable content The Da Vinci Disappearance, Ezio appears to know of Leonardo's historically romantic relationship with his pupil Salaì, stating that "You do not need to lie to me. Salaì fits you. I approve.".
Fallout: New Vegas contains at two NPCs who are not heterosexual, and has other references to homosexuality. Furthermore, the main character, the unnamed Courier, can be chosen as male, with the perk (character trait) Confirmed Bachelor, giving him several advantages with other homosexual male NPCs (and, following the stereotype of the homosexual as more understanding and perceptive about emotions, grant him the ability to better understand the plight of the otherwise mute companion Christine) . This perk has a female equivalent, the Cherchez la femme perk. The same game features the character Veronica Santangelo, a young Scribe from the Brotherhood of Steel, who confesses to the main character to have nursed a crush for another girl in the Brotherhood (hinted to be Christine Royce, another joinable NPC, mute and enslaved, who references having been in a relationship with a girl in her Brotherhood days) which ended badly because of the disapproval of her girlfriend's parents. Arcade Gannon, a doctor with the Followers of the Apocalypse is clearly gay, discussing his orientation if certain dialog paths are chosen. Furthermore, if the Courier is male, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, another joinable NPC, will jokingly tease him, and if the player has the Confirmed Bachelor perk, will hint that the Legion of Caesar, a paramilitary formation in the Mojave Desert, is mainly staffed by homosexual soldiers. On the other hand, if the player plays as a female Courier with the Cherchez la Femme perk, Rose of Sharon will simply state that when she's drunk enough she doesn't care about who she gets in bed with, and drops the dialog abruptly. Another NPC, Corporal Betsy, a sharpshooter for the NCR, is openly gay and will flirt with a female Courier that has high enough charisma. With the Cherchez la Femme perk the Courier can acknowledge her advances, however ultimately nothing comes out of the conversation.
In Dead Rising 2, it's hinted that two minor villains, twin sisters Crystal and Amber Bailey, are in an incestuous lesbian relationship.
Blaze Union features a character named Eater with dual personalities, one male and one female. Although Eater's body is female, she is treated as male when the male personality is in control as this is how he identifies himself. One route of the same game portrays the lead character Gulcasa and his close friend Nessiah in a questionably intimate relationship. While it is never stated outright that the two are lovers, the possibility is implied. Yggdra Unison, a 2009 game from the same series, supports the possibility by showing a number of Nessiah's personal effects (e.g. clothing) in Gulcasa's home, through a number of conversations between the two characters with affectionate overtones, and Gulcasa's inability to use an item only equippable by virgins.
In A New Beginning the player has to control Fay and Dr. Bent Svensson. Bent never made time for his family and now finds out his son Duve, also present in the game, is gay and frequently visits a gay hotel in Barcelona together with his boyfriend.
In Dragon Age II the player may choose to play as either a male or a female version of the protagonist, Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall. Four of Hawke's companions (Anders, Fenris, Isabela, and Merrill) will express romantic interest without regard to Hawke's gender, with Anders and Isabela even identifying as bisexual or pansexual. The player can also sleep with male or female prostitutes regardless of Hawke's gender. The prostitute Serendipity, though intended by writer Mary Kirby to be a male crossdresser and not a transgender woman, was read by many players as the latter; BioWare received criticism for Serendipity's portrayal, which inspired more thoughtful creation of two new transgender characters in subsequent installments. Zevran Arainai, a bisexual character from the first game, makes a cameo appearance and propositions Hawke and/or Isabela. In the "Mark of the Assassin" DLC, Hawke attends a hunting party hosted by Duke Prosper de Montfort of Orlais, and Hawke can flirt with the duke's son Cyril regardless of Hawke's gender.
Gloria Union features a character called Kyra who is intergender and treated as such in the game's interface, which determines unit formation based on gender. Kyra's formation is a combination of the male and female versions.
Magical Diary, an RPG and life simulation set in a school for wizards, features a female protagonist who can date male or female characters. Several background characters are depicted as gay or bisexual, and one student is mentioned as having two fathers.
In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has an option that allows the player to marry any character, regardless of gender.
In Catherine, Erica, the waitress at The Stray Sheep, is a trans woman.[29]
Star Wars: The Old Republic initially did not feature any same-sex romance or flirtation options. Such options were added in later patches after considerable backlash from fans, many of whom noted that the lack of diversity flew in the face of Bioware's previous record. The 2013 expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel features a same-sex flirtation option for both factions (a lesbian for the Republic and a gay male for the Empire). 2014's Shadow of Revan introduces Republic agent Theron Shan and the Sith lord Lana Beniko, both of whom will react favorably to the advances of a player of either gender (and either faction). The 2015 expansion Knights of the Fallen Empire sees the return of Shan and Beniko, and introduces Koth Vortena; all three are fully realized romance options for characters male or female characters. All expansions have also featured background characters and flavor lore mentioning same-sex romances and even marriages.
Don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story contains two same-sex relationships (one lesbian couple, one gay couple).
In Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, Fenrich is heavily implied to be deeply in love with the main character, Valvatorez. Together they made a promise that Fenrich would serve Valvatorez for as long as the moon shines, making them (for all intents and purposes) canonical life partners.
Mass Effect 3 includes twelve romance options for the player character, with an additional three included in a DLC. Of these, five (the humans Maj. Kaidan Alenko, Kelly Chambers, and Diana Allers, and the asari Liara T'Soni and Samara) express interest in Shepard without regard to the player's gender, while Spc. Samantha Traynor and Lt. Steve Cortez are only interested in Shepard if they are of the same sex. Cortez's personal storyline revolves around moving past the relatively recent loss of his husband. There are also minor same-sex couples seen or discussed throughout the game. As will the previous games, there is no direct indication that such relationships are considered in any way unusual in the galaxy in general, particularly given the authority of the monogendered, pansexual asari.
In the autobiographical Dys4ia (2012), the player controls a character undergoing hormone replacement therapy and transitioning from her natal sex. Journalists for The Guardian and the Penny Arcade Report observed that the game featured observations of the politics and personal development of those experiencing gender dysphoria.
In The Secret World, a 2012 massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Funcom, there are gay characters present in each of the games major areas. Moose, a biker who yearns for police officer Andy, in the games starting area, two gay archaeologists in Egypt, and the Braga brothers, who hit on the character regardless of gender in the games third act, Transylvania. Additionally, the game features an implied lesbian encounter should the player choose a female Dragon player at the start. There are more characters like Zaha (lesbian) or Kaoru (transgender); the sexual identity is there, not as a label, but rather as part of the character.
In the 2012 action role-playing game, Dragon's Dogma, the player will get a love interest in the game and said love interest can be practically any of the NPC's in the game, regardless of gender.
In Guild Wars 2, a 2012 massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by ArenaNet, the minor characters Caithe and Faolain are depicted as being in a lesbian relationship. Both are of the Sylvari race, a plant-like people who do not reproduce sexually. As such, the Sylvari people do not base their relationships upon reproduction, but rather love, sensuality, and finding beauty in one another.[30] Furthermore, if one chooses "The Green Knight" as part of one's storyline during the creation of a Sylvari character, the first quest after the prologue involves saving young gay couple Eladus and Dagdar from said knight in magical armor who challenges young Sylvari to duels and kills them. There is also an implied relationship between the NPCs Kasmeer Meade and Marjory Delaqua throughout the game. Their sexual relationship was confirmed by the developers ArenaNet in the installment "The Origins of Madness". Arenanet has now added a male to female transgender character named Sya, previously known as Symon. She can be found in the main city hub of Lion's Arch.[31]
In the 2012 Enhanced Edition of the RPG Baldur's Gate, the newly introduced character Dorn Il-Khan can romance the player character regardless of gender.
In the 2012 adventure game, My Ex-Boyfriend the Space Tyrant, the majority of characters, including Tycho Minogue, the main character controlled by the player, are gay.
Borderlands 2 includes an audio-log in the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve that mentions two same sex couples (1 gay couple, 1 lesbian couple) who were forced to run experiments on their partners, as well as a sidequest given by Sir Hammerlock that involves finding his ex-boyfriend's audio logs on hunting for use in his almanac. The character Mad Moxxi is also openly bisexual and speaks of having relationships with both men and women. In the DLC Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, it is revealed that Axton, one of the playable characters, is bisexual. While his flirtatious lines with male characters were originally a coding error, Gearbox Studios decided to confirm his bisexuality with overt references in the DLC.[32] There is also an implication that the 13-year-old character Tiny Tina may be gay when she confesses to liking Maya, asking if Maya likes her in turn. Additionally, her original motivation for helping the Vault Hunters train for Mad Moxxi in a DLC was due to her having a crush on Mad Moxxi. It was later confirmed by lead writer Anthony Burch on his ask.fm [33] and also his Twitter that she is a lesbian. Additionally in the Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, it was alluded to that Mr. Torgue was bisexual, and later confirmed via an interview.[34]
In the 2012 visual novel game Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair by Spike Chunsoft, the Ultimate Nurse Tsumiki Mikan states that during her time at Hope's Peak, she fell in love with the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima, whom she claims truly loved her back. Before Tsumiki's execution, she calls out to Enoshima and asks for forgiveness as she is about to die with the 'Hope' of seeing her again. Through the in-game "free time events", the male player character is capable of getting closer to other characters. During the last of Nagito Komaeda's free time events, he attempts to confess his love to the player character, but ends up changing his wording at the last minute to avoid it. During the first chapter, the character Teruteru Hanamura flirts with you occasionally when you go to ask him questions. If you ask Nekomaru to hang out with you, he will refer to it as a date, and if the date ended up badly, he straight up stated that he won't fall for you with these kinds of dates. In Nekomaru's Island Ending, he says he has feelings for you if you point out that it's love he's feeling.
In Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the player can pick their character's gender and marry two female characters. One in the main game and the other in a DLC. Other female NPCs will also hit on the player character regardless of the player's gender.
In the 2013 visual novel game This Is Where I Want To Die by Marcel Weyers, the protagonist is revealed to be a homosexual man who is attacked by two homophobic people, whilst out with his boyfriend. The message of the game is stopping homophobia. In the 2014 visual novel To Kill A Black Swan by Weyers, which was created for the 2014 Indie Game Development Contest and which is loosely based on To Kill a Mockingbird, a detective investigates in the murder of a transgender woman.
The 2013 visual novel game Yousei by sakevisual features a gay character called Aaron Vanich.
The 2013 Nintendo game Fire Emblem: Awakening has a playable character named Tharja, who is in love with the players Avatar, regardless of player gender.
The 2013 interactive story adventure game Gone Home is a lesbian coming of age story that centers around the protagonist's younger sister and her girlfriend.
The 2013 PlayStation game The Last of Us features a character named Bill who helps Joel and Ellie during their journey. It is heavily implied he is gay and had a partner named Frank, who is later found dead, much to Bill's dismay. A note left by Frank claims he did not love Bill anymore. Also, in The Last of Us main story DLC Left Behind, it is implied Ellie has feelings for Riley, culminating in a kiss between them near the climax of the game. The developers Naughty Dog later confirmed they have romantic feelings for each other and the writer for Ellie's character, Neil Druckmann, said he wrote her to be gay.
The 2013 survival horror game State of Decay has two gay characters, Jacob and Eli, who are implied to be in a relationship. Jacob is available in the story mode and DLC, but Eli, is available only in the DLC.
The 2013 Nintendo game Animal Crossing: New Leaf has an NPC called Gracie the giraffe that looks like a female character and it is stated to be male in the original Japanese version of the game. The NPC Saharah the camel is also male in the Japanese version. Another NPC, the secretary Isabelle, is also stated to have a crush on the player character, regardless of what gender the player chose at the start of the game. The player themselves can also opt to dress themselves in clothes of another gender, and if you go to Shampoodles, a hairdressers, enough times then they can choose to get hairstyles that would normally only be available to another gender to complete this.
The 2013 Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto V features a main character in the series that has attraction towards the same sex; Trevor Philips. He abuses meth and because of this there is confusion as to whether or not his sexuality is genuine or due to his drug use or past traumas. Rockstar has not stated nor have they denied Trevor's sexuality, but it's very implied that Trevor is bisexual or Pansexual due to him having and mentioning sexual exploits with both women and men throughout the game.
The 2013 Namco visual novel/dating sim game Namco High deliberately avoids identifying the gender of its playable character, Cousin, as to allow the player to interpret Cousin's sexuality any way they desire. Cousin can date male, female, or other gender-ambiguous characters, ranging from anthropomorphized space ships and taiko drums, aliens, humans, ghost-human-bird hybrids, talkingcats and birds, and even a zombie. The game's writer, Andrew Hussie, is also well known for his webcomic Homestuck, which also ranges from hinting at to outright stating several of its characters are gay or bisexual, including Terezi Pyrope, an alien girl who is datable in Namco High. In the society she hails from, the concept of distinct sexualities is treated as a foreign concept.
In 2013 visual novel game Rising Angels: Reborn (IDHAS Studios) there are multiple romance options that you can have independent of gender. Natalie, the protagonist says "love is love" while asked for her sexual orientation.
In 2013, Capcom released Dead Rising 3 where one of the side bosses was shown to be bisexual. Dylan Fuentes takes two prisoners into the adult store, one male and one female, showing that he is bisexual.
The 2013 2K Games videogame, Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea features a NPC homosexual couple in Market Street, in front of a window, hugging each other and looking at the sea.
The 2014 game Saints Row IV allows the player to romance all the companions in the Romance option, however in the Saints Row series the Caucasian female Protagonist voiced by Katie Semine and Laura Bailey would appear to be bisexual as her dialogue shows that she is attracted to females and males, all other Protagonists dialogue is heterosexual by default. However, all relationships are portrayed in a goofy, over-the-top manner, as is the nature of the game.
The 2014 RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth contains many references to gay characters from the TV series of the same name. Mr. Slave also has a prominent role, being the subject of an early quest, then coming back to help the main protagonist during fights. The last quest of the main storyline also takes place in a part of Mr. Slave's anatomy.
The 2014 visual novel Coming Out on Top features a gay protagonist who finds himself in erotic situations with other men, which is often illustrated with explicit graphic images.
The fitness app/game Zombies, Run! features two same sex couples; Jack Holden and Eugene Woods, the hosts of Radio Abel, and Doctor Maxine Myers and Doctor Paula Cohen.
The Story of Seasons franchise frequently features androgynous characters. In Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns there is a male cafe owner named Howard who wears make-up and has a pink bedroom; his sexuality is not explicitly mentioned. In Story of Seasons the androgynous male doctor Marian refers to herself as "big sister" and is often addressed with female pronouns.
The second episode of season two of The Walking Dead Video Game from 2014 features the characters Matthew and Walter, who are portrayed as a sympathetic and generous couple.
The main character of 2014 horror game Enola is a woman named Enola who wants to help her traumatized girlfriend Angelica.[35]
In Dragon Age: Inquisition the player character may romance a character of the same gender; unlike the previous game in the series, each romance option has a clearly defined sexual orientation. Sera, a female elven archer, is gay and can only be a romance option if the player picks a female character; the two of them can also get married in the Trespasser DLC, the first confirmed same-gender marriage in the franchise. Dorian Pavus is a gay male mage whose upbeat personality hides a dark family secret relating to his sexual orientation. The Iron Bull, a male qunari warrior is openly pansexual and can be romanced by both genders. The Inquisition's chief diplomat, Josephine Montiliyet, is bisexual and can also be romanced by male and female characters. If neither Dorian nor Iron Bull are romanced then they can optionally enter a relationship, and if Sera is not romanced she will enter a relationship with a female dwarf named Dagna. Another "unofficial" romance option for an Inquisitor of either gender is the dwarven scout Lace Harding (though her "romance" consists entirely of flirtatious dialogue with no additional cutscenes). The game also features BioWare's second transgender character (in an non-romantic role), Cremisius Aclassi, who was not made for a joke situation or as a monster.[36] Empress Celene of Orlais, whose potential assassination is a critical plot point in the game, was formerly in a relationship with her spymaster, the female elf Briala. While the two are currently separated (and at war), the Inquisitor can facilitate their reconciliation. Their relationship was originally documented in the tie-in novel Dragon Age: The Masked Empire. The game also sees the return of the established bisexual character Leliana, although she is not a romance option. The bisexual Cyril de Montfort also cameos as the new Duke de Montfort in the Trespasser DLC. Other NPCs encountered throughout the world are shown to be in same-gender relationships, such as Inquisition scout Ritts and the apostate mage Eldredda in the Hinterlands, Commander Jehan and Chevalier Fabienne in the Exalted Plains, and two unnamed Orlesian noblemen at the Winter Palace (one of whom accuses the other of flirting with Duke Cyril). In addition, discoverable Codex entries reveal that certain historical figures were known to have been in same-gender relationships, including the "barbarian" Avvar matriarch Tyrdda Bright-Axe (subject of an epic poem in which her female elven lover plays a major role), and Arl Jacen Guerrin who built a villa in the Hinterlands for his lover, Ser Corram the Bard, centuries earlier. Other characters who appear or are mentioned in-game have their sexual or gender identity addressed in tie-in material: The female elven spy Charter, who is depicted in the Dragon Age: Magekiller comic book in a relationship with a woman; also, Maevaris Tilani is a transgender woman who first appeared in the comic book Dragon Age: Those Who Speak as a cousin-by-marriage of Varric Tethras, while in the game she is mentioned as a friend and political ally of Dorian's, though she does not physically appear except in Dorian's epilogue slides at the end of the Trespasser DLC.
In the 2014 adventure video game Dreamfall Chapters, one of the main protagonists, Kian Alvane, is gay.[37] Likho, a Resistance member, can reveal to Kian that he too is gay but would be ostracized if his family ever found out, if "an intimate moment" between them is unlocked. The game also features a lesbian couple, Hanna and Abby.
In the game Regicide, the main character "The Forgotten Thief" wakes up with all of her memories lost. As the game progresses, she begins to have past memories of same-sex relationships.[38]
The Legend of Korra is a 2014 third-person beat 'em up video game based on the animated television series The Legend of Korra. Though her sexuality is not referenced in the game, the protagonist, Korra, is bisexual.[39]
In the 2014 RPG shooter Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! one of the playable characters, Athena, is a lesbian[40] and is flirted with numerous times by the female NPC Janey Springs, to which she replies by becoming embarrassed.[41] Their relationship is confirmed later in a conversation between Athena and another character Tiny Tina, who asks whether or not Athena and Janey ever "hung out", to which Athena replies that it is "none of her business" in a very defensive tone, however when Tina then demands that Athena give her a high five because she "hit that" Athena does in fact give her the high five. In the Claptastic Voyage DLC, it is revealed that Athena and Janey moved together to Hollow Point, a subterranean city on Pandora. Also during a quest in the Triton area, a character named Rose talks about her ex Gabby during the Recruitment Drive mission. She repeatedly refers to her ex as female which in turn indicates another same-gender relationship in the game.
In the 2014 episodic adventure game Tales from the Borderlands a side character, Athena, is in a relationship with another woman, Janey Springs. The first scene where this is revealed is only available depending on the player's choices. In this scene Janey kisses Athena on the cheek and refers to her as her girlfriend. Later in the game there is an unmissable scene where Athena is interrupted by a call from Janey, referring to her as her girlfriend.
Supergiant Games' Transistor features a married gay couple, Grant and Asher Kendrall, two of the founding members of the Camerata which serves as the antagonist of the game. They are never interacted with in person, committing suicide together before the protagonist reaches them. It is also implied that another antagonist, Sybil Reisz, had romantic feelings towards the protagonist, which were not reciprocated.
Assassin's Creed Rogue has voice files about two Assassins: Harlan Cunningham, an ex wrestler, and his disciple Arend Schut, a mixed martial arts champion. After Harlan joined the Brotherhood, he found Arend, who was having trouble with his career after coming out. They bonded about the homophobia they faced in their original fields, and became lovers.
In the story mode of Mortal Kombat X, there is a conversation between Kung Jin and Raiden, during which the former is apprehensive of the Shaolin accepting him. Raiden encourages him by saying, "They care only about what is in your heart. Not whom your heart desires." Also when beginning a fight with the DLC character Tanya he says "You face the shaolin." To which she replies "Quite a handsome one." Kung Jin's response to this is "Barking up the wrong tree sister." After speculation by fans of Kung Jin's sexuality, the game's cinematic director confirmed that the new kombatant is indeed gay.[42]
Fire Emblem Fates is the first in the Fire Emblem franchise to feature a same-sex marriage option for both the 'Birthright' and 'Conquest' versions of the game (Zero and Syalla, Niles and Rhajat in the American version).[43] The same sex options, however, are restricted to one character per game, where the Conquest edition contains a man who may be romanced by male or female main characters, while the Birthright edition has a woman who may be romanced by male and female protagonists. In the DLC, Revelations, both Rhajat and Niles are available to be romanced by the female and male main characters. However, they can still marry characters of the other gender so it is implied they are bisexual. [44]
In Fallout 4, the player character can romance their companions, regardless of their sex.[45]
Undertale includes a romance between royal guard Undyne and scientist Alphys, two female characters.[46] There are also two male minor characters who, depending on the player's choices, can start a romance. Mettaton also says in his quiz show, if ASGORE is the answer selected for the final question, that Alphys craves the tender embrace of a burly man, and she has the same response as if UNDYNE was chosen. Mettaton is heavily implied by items found within his home to be transgender. Mettaton's cousin, Napstablook, and Monster Kid, a character in Waterfall are both exclusively referred to with they pronouns and are considered nonbinary. The protagonist's character is referred to exclusively as they, as well as Chara, Asriel's sibling, and are considered nonbinary, or at the very least androgynous.[47]
Read Only Memories features a gay couple (Majid and Gus) as well as a lesbian cop who previously dated the player's sister (Lexi). There is also a genderfluid character (TOMCAT), a non-binary character (Katelyn), a bearded non-binary woman (Sympathy), and two trans women (Melody and Nina). The game was made by the creators of GaymerX and features overarching themes that deal with discrimination, transhumanism, and the evolution of LGBTQ communities.
Life Is Strange plays with ambiguity in the relationship between its two female leads, Max Caulfield and Chloe Price.[48] Max and Chloe end up together romantically in either two of the endings if the player chooses to during the game. A part of the plot of this game is about Max and Chloe and their relationship together which you as a player see develop throughout the game.
In the Academy campaign, Tanis tells the story of Fahada the Wizard and her lover Djinn Khalida in Might & Magic Heroes VII. Fahada the Wizard had to choose between Power and Love. The Circle of the Seven Cities do not approve of her activities in the bedchamber with a female lover.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, the prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order, has two minor characters that are in a lesbian relationship.
Lead Writer on Assassin's Creed Syndicate, indicated that the team explicitly avoided giving Jacob Frye, one of the game's two protagonists, a female love interest during the main storyline. He also hinted at the idea that Jacob needed to "figure himself out to some degree" after his brief partnership with Maxwell Roth.[49] This led to speculation regarding Jacob's sexuality, with the official Assassin's Creed Tumblr later confirming that the character was canonically bisexual.[50][51] The game also has a minor character named Ned Wynert, who is transgender. In modern storyline, Arend Schut Cunningham from Assassin's Creed Rogue sends an e-mail that mentions his honeymoon with his husband, Harlan Cunningham.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ciri, a secondary playable character, when asked about her about her feelings towards a certain man, may answer that she prefers women (this is in line with the novels which the games are based on, where Ciri is bisexual and has sex with a woman). Game also features a gay hunter, Myslav, who is encountered in the prologue.
Tales of Zestiria features a male lead, Sorey, and his male best friend, Mikleo, who are strongly implied to be in love with each other. In the game's skit-style dialogue, the player can see that Sorey finds Mikleo attractive (the word in question being a "babe"). A later skit also finds Sorey and Mikleo confirming that "things like [love] come up" for them; however, there are no female characters that could potentially be love interests for either of them—the game very clearly shows that. In an interview with the scriptwriter, it is said that an "m/f romance wouldn't work for Sorey." Multiple in-game titles show that Sorey and Mikleo are of the utmost importance to each other; Mikleo has the character title "Soulmate" in Japanese (translated to "Peas in a Pod") and Hideo Baba, the brand manager and producer of the series, calls Mikleo Sorey's "one and only," another title in-game. Explicit confirmation is lacking, as Bandai Namco feels they cannot outright state it, but these implications are virtual confirmation.
In Technobabylon, one of the main character, Max Lao, is a transgender woman. The game also features a married gay couple, Giel and Dakarai Van der Waal. Furthermore, the character of Nina Jeong is a lesbian, having been in a relationship with the character of Imogen.
In the English release of the previously Japanese only visual novel Kindred Spirits on the Roof, the main character Toomi Yuna helps a female ghost couple, create other yuri couples at her school. This game is notable for being the first erotic visual novel released on Steam not to be censored.[52]
In The Walking Dead: Michonne, there are two characters—Zachary and Jonas—who are a couple.
In Tom Clancy's The Division, the character Jessica Kandel in the Medical Wing talks about her ex-wife, Alexis Kwan. Jessica Kandel gave the player a side mission to find her, and then found her playing piano under the highway. Since there wasn't any response from Kandel at the end of the mission and she was nowhere to found after, many players presumed she had committed suicide. But in a later game patch, she can be found at the Base of Operations playing piano alongside another NPC, Heather Lau playing guitar.
In Firewatch, the player can find various notes about two characters - Ron and Dave. Dave is said to have crushed on Ron, who never reciprocated his feelings.[53]
In Stardew Valley, the player can romance and marry any unmarried towns person regardless of gender.
Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, an expansion pack for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition released in March, includes a transgender woman named Mizhena, who explains to the main character that she picked her strange name after transitioning. The character, among other aspects of the game's writing, was met with significant criticism from fans, and Beamdog, the company that developed the game, announced they would be expanding the character's story a week after the expansion pack released, saying in part, "In retrospect, it would have been better served if we had introduced a transgender character with more development."[54]
In The Technomancer, the player, Zachariah Mancer, can choose to romance Andrew, one of the male companions available in the game. Two female companions - Amelia and Niesha - are also able to be romanced by the player.[55]
In Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei, the player, Ares, can confess his feelings to the guys along with the girls to unlock different perks.
In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, divorce papers found in the apartment of Adam Jensen's boss Jim Miller reveal he has an ex-husband.
See also[edit]
- ^ "GLBT History in Video Games: 1980s". Gaming Bus. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
- ^ a b Cobbett, Richard (February 20, 2011). "They Did It First". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ Winkie, Luke (June 9, 2014). "A Q&A With The Designer of the First LGBT Computer Game". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ Loguidice, Bill; Matt Barton (2009). Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time. Focal Press. p. 280. ISBN 0-240-81146-1.
- ^ Kevin Burra (2012-06-06). "Electronic Entertainment Expo Inspires Look At 10 LGBT Video Game Characters". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 December 2013. "Although the name change never took effect and later franchise installments dropped mention of Birdo's gender, it was widely discussed by gaming magazines."
- ^ "Top 10 Underrated Games". Crave Online. 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ Capcom staff (2000). Capcom Design Works: Early Days (in Japanese). Enterbrain. p. 197. ISBN 978-4-7577-0412-1.
- ^ Staff (March 2007). "The Making of Final Fight". Retro Gamer (37): 52.
- ^ スタジオベントスタッフ; スタジオベントスタッフ (2000). ALL ABOUT カプコン対戦格闘ゲーム 1987-2000 (All About Capcom Head-To-Head Fighting Game 1987-2000) (in Japanese). スタジオベントスタッフ. スタジオベントスタッフ. p. 339. ISBN 4-88554-676-1.
- ^ Leone, Matt (January 2008). "The Big Comeback". Electronic Gaming Monthly (224): 68.
- ^ Josh Flaherty (24 June 2012). "Homosexuality in Video Games".
- ^ Flanagan, Jack (May 16, 2014). "The complete history of LGBT video game characters". Daily Dot. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "GLBT History in Video Games: 1990s". Gaming Bus. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
- ^ a b c d Winkie, Luke (April 18, 2014). "From a pink dinosaur to "Gay Tony": The evolution of LGBT video game characters". Salon. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Earthbound and the first Gay Tony". gaygamer.net. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ "Phatasmagoria 2 Interview".
- ^ "Surprisingly Sexual Pixels (or — The Lady, or the Old Homosexual?)". backofthecerealbox.com. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- ^ LeJacq, Yannick. "A Brief History Of Gay Marriage In Video Games". Kotaku. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Jim Sterling. "Homosexuality and Fallout: New Vegas: A gay marriage made in gay Heaven". GameFront.
- ^ "Gaming Made Me: Fallout 2". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
- ^ "Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Star Trek". Webpan.com. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ Colette Bennett & Simon Carless (September 18, 2010). "Opinion: Sex and The Male Psychology - Catherine". GameSetWatch. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ "A Gay History of Gaming".
- ^ Matthew D. Barton. "Gay Characters in Videogames". Armchair Arcade. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ Radical Entertainment. Crash Tag Team Racing. PlayStation 2. Sierra Entertainment. Level/area: Midway (Slipperly Slope).
Doctor N. Gin: I'm sorry, but Doctor Cortex is very insistent that I finish my latest creation as soon as possible. It is a weapon of horrible power, but I... can't finish it! Please, Crash! You've got to help me! Bring me the secret component! / Crash Bandicoot: Hoonevebinevieueh... / Doctor N. Gin: That's right! Fuzzy slippers!! Only the raw, uncontrollable fury of fuzzy slippers can bring my creation to life! Please, Crash! Find me the slippers, and I will reward you greatly.
- ^ Radical Entertainment. Crash of the Titans. Wii. Sierra Entertainment. Level/area: Episode 11: Shock and Awesome.
Doctor N. Gin: Someone take out the trash, and by trash, I mean Crash! Hey, that rhymed. I should start a record label. Then I could get some chicks! I'm tired of monkeys!
- ^ Radical Entertainment. Crash of the Titans. Wii. Sierra Entertainment. Level/area: Episode 13: Doomraker.
Doctor N. Gin: That's right, stupids! You need to go to Uka Uka's lab and stop him! That's where they make all the delicious mutants! Maybe your revolting sister is there, too. Eugh... girls...
- ^ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/11/scott-pilgrim-dlc-adds-online-multiplayer-wallace-wells
- ^ "The Transphobia At Atlus Needs To Stop". Nightmare Mode [Archived]. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "ArenaNet: The Sylvari Soul – Angel McCoy on Writing the Sylvari - Page 2 - News, Interviews & Articles - Guild Wars 2 Guru - Page 2". Guild Wars 2 Guru. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
- ^ "Aid Worked Sya". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ "Inside the Box: Inclusivity". Gearbox Software. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
- ^ http://ask.fm/reverendanthony
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-WJEC3VfhE
- ^ Estrada, Marcus. "Review: Enola". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ Weekes, Patrick (2014-12-04). "Building a Character: Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi". Bioware. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ Tørnquist, Ragnar. "Well…that choice had NOTHING to do with his sexual orientation! Kiss or no kiss, he's always been (and will always be) gay!". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ http://regicidegame.azurewebsites.net/
- ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (23 December 2014). "The Legend of Korra achieved more in under a minute than most shows do in their lifetime". Polygon. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ http://ask.fm/reverendanthony/answer/125850221128
- ^ http://www.themarysue.com/talking-female-characters-friendzoning-and-representation-with-the-writers-of-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/
- ^ https://twitter.com/domcianciolo/status/588059135759020033
- ^ http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/23/8836513/fire-emblem-fates-same-sex-relationships-nintendo
- ^ http://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-fates-has-same-sex-marriages-2-versions-officially-confirmed-for-the-west/
- ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/07/24/new-fallout-4-details-emerge-from-quakecon.aspx?utm_content=buffer35141&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- ^ http://aminoapps.com/page/anime/3365313/undertale-review
- ^ https://40.media.tumblr.com/c3adaf08145064ea594b3a704a33fcae/tumblr_inline_o0g2wjHFQk1th1axb_540.png
- ^ "About That Life is Strange Ending - Spoilers - Gameindustry.com". 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBIkGNJMkaU&t=1hr12m42s
- ^ http://assassinscreed.tumblr.com/post/138683053677/solasthewolf-doumichan-rozunderpressure
- ^ "Is Jacob Frye Gay or Bisexual? - remeshed.com". 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ http://kotaku.com/steam-is-getting-an-uncensored-sex-game-1728006494
- ^ https://www.reddit.com/r/Firewatch/comments/46oo0r/spoilers_can_we_talk_about_ron_and_dave/
- ^ Chalk, Andy (April 6, 2016). "Update: Beamdog cuts "ethics" joke from Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear".
- ^ "The Technomancer on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-05-31.


text:
Department of Natural Resources scientists measured the amount of PCBs - short for polychlorinated biphenyls - in chinook and coho salmon from Lake Michigan. They found that PCB levels went down 4 percent per year in chinook salmon and 2.6 percent per year in coho salmon from the mid-1980s to 2010. Those numbers compare to a yearly decline of 16.7 percent per year in chinook salmon and 23.9 percent per year in coho salmon from 1975 to the mid-1980s.
Manufacturers used PCBs in the process of making carbonless copy paper, electrical transformers, cutting oils and hydrolic fluids. The PCBs were dumped into waterways, but they are slow to break down in the environment. Eating fish contaminated with PCBs has been linked to developmental disorders and reduced birth weights, increased cancer risk, diabetes and thyroid problems.
PCBs were banned in the United States in 1979.
"Although the rate of decline has slowed from the early days of the ban, the continuing improvement is significant," Candy Schrank, an environmental toxicologist and fisheries expert with DNR, said in a news release. "PCBs remain the contaminant of greatest concern for the health of people who eat fish from Lake Michigan and these findings will help us evaluate ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of chemical contamination entering the lake and to learn about how PCBs move in the environment."
The DNR does not expect the reduction of PCB levels found in fish to lead to an immediate change in recommendations of how much salmon people should eat from Lake Michigan. Right now, the DNR warns people not to eat more than one meal per month of chinook and coho salmon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Child HELP Partnership, develops and operates trauma-specific mental health programs with its innovative, scientifically supported protocols: 1) On the local level, to provide culturally adapted therapy and prevention services free-of-charge to underserved children and families in the surrounding communities. 2) On the national level, to develop and provide trainings, consultation, and oversight on these therapy methods and prevention programs to mental health professionals as well as the general public. These outreach strategies, evaluation tools, therapies, and prevention trainings are improving care across the country.To ensure remaining on the scientific cutting edge, the programs incorporate evaluation systems for correcting, refining, and enhancing treatment so that the methodology can be continually modified and improved. The goal is to replicate the Child HELP Partnership Center's well-documented results across the United States and abroad. The Partnership subscribes to the belief that all children deserve safe and happy childhoods, so each and every one can grow up to be a strong and healthy adult. The name Child HELP Partnership reflects an integrated approach in four areas of focus:• Healing children after trauma using evidence-based therapies.• Empowering multicultural communities with access to the finest culturally sensitive mental health programs• Learning programs—both live and virtual—to educate professionals in the most innovative and effective methodologies• Public education for parents and others who interact with children on a regular basis, including educators, coaches, and people within their sphere of influencePartnerships are formed with children with trauma histories, their families, the community as a whole, colleagues in the mental health field, and caregivers, parents, and others who interact with children regularly. These partnerships unite across cultures with all programs created to be language-accessible and culturally informed.
The Center for Trauma Program Innovation at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services (JBFCS) develops, adapts, and disseminates trauma-focused assessment and treatment services for traumatized children and adults, with special emphasis on those from low-income and racially diverse neighborhoods who have been exposed to interpersonal and community violence, and who present with the consequences of both acute and chronic traumatic stress.The Center helps to build the evidence base for promising treatments for trauma in collaboration with other NCTSN member sites, as well as with JBFCS programs. It works to build the capacity of organizations to provide best practice in assessing and treating trauma through training, implementation, and consultation on evidence-based practices. Working with the New York City mental health, child welfare, and educational systems, the Center enhances the ability of professionals within these systems to provide trauma-informed services to the city's children, and reaches out to businesses and community organizations to provide training in psychological first aid, active coping, and crisis intervention. JBFCS, an affiliate member of the NCTSN, has been focusing on sustaining evidence-based practice since their renewal grant ended in 2009. Sustainability has been challenging in this fiscal climate and JBFCS has relied on the expertise gained through their involvement with the NCTSN in implementing and sustaining practice in community settings. JBFCS has been able to expand the Sanctuary model to five programs including residential treatment, group home, and domestic violence shelters serving over 1,600 youth and families since 2008. The use of evidence-based practice has also grown from the original implementation of STAIR and Life Skills/ Life Stories to include TFCBT, CPP, SPARCS, and AFCBT in use in 16 programs system wide with over 200 clinicians trained. We have provided crisis interventions to 35 community programs, including schools, synagogues, and community mental health programs reaching over 500 individuals, to help stabilize systems following a critical incident. We have also trained 112 professionals and community members in psychological first aid in order to further create crisis response capacity within the community.
The NYU Center on Coordinated Trauma Services (NYU CCTS) in Child Welfare and Mental Health will be developed by the New York University Child Study Center, in collaboration with the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the New York City Administration on Children's Services (ACS).The NYC CCTS will be an NCTSN Treatment and Services Adaptation (TSA) Center focusing on child abuse services, Child Protective Services, and child welfare. The overarching aims are to provide national expertise, and to support the specialized adaptation of effective treatment and service approaches for children and families with trauma-related mental health needs in the child welfare system across the United States. The four main goals are to: 1) raise public awareness of the scope and serious impact of child traumatic stress on children and families in the child welfare system; 2) disseminate effective services and interventions that improve the standard of care for children and families in the child welfare system; 3) advance the capacity of and improve processes in the child welfare system so that the needs of children and families can be better served; and 4) foster a community dedicated to collaboration within and beyond the NCTSN so that knowledge of the needs of children and families in the child welfare system can be improved over time, and so that interventions and services designed to meet these needs can have the greatest possible impact.


text:
24 Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids: Lovely Kids Craft Ideas and Projects
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Glass Love Box
By: DecoArt
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Create yourself a love box for Valentine's day this year, this also makes for a great gift. You can give it to a friend or to your daughter. Fill it with candies or jewelry, either way, it's a special gift.
- DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamels DAG01 - White
- DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamels DAG67 - Black
- DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamels Tuscan Red
- 1/2" round foam pouncer brush
- Round brush
- 1" high adhesive letters
- Foam plate
- Paper towels
- Glass heart-shaped box, Hobby Lobby #251108
Referring to photo for placement, adhere letters to top of box lid, with edges secure.
Use pouncer dipped in Tuscan Red to pounce over letters and lid within heart shape; let dry.
Remove letters carefully. Use round brush and White to paint letter shapes. Let dry.
- Use end of brush handle dipped in Black to dot on letters and let dry.
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text: The March issue of Citrix Perspective, an e-newsletter for and about Citrix customers, is now available in the Citrix Customer Success Center. In this issue, learn how to save on desktop virtualization with new solutions from Citrix and Microsoft; put consumer technology to work in the enterprise; and get the latest details on the Hands-on Learning Labs that will be available at Citrix Synergy San Francisco. You can also enter the XenDesktop Twitter contest and vote for 2010 Citrix Innovation Award winner.


text:
on July 14, 2013 - 9:06 AM
That's Not Funny, That's Sick: The National Lampoon and the Comedy Insurgents Who Captured the Mainstream by Ellin Stein; Norton, 448 pages ($27.95). They began at Harvard, as so many American writers do (Emerson, T.S. Eliot, e.e. cummings, John Dos Passos, John Updike, Robert Creeley). Specifically, they began in a three-story building topped by a tower with a pointed roof affectionately known as "The Castle."
That's where you'd find the Harvard Lampoon, a "combination social club and humor magazine" with a long prankish history and an astonishing influence on American culture of the past half century. That's where Henry Beard and Doug Kenney sprang from to create the National Lampoon that, in turn, helped, in Stein's words, to "trigger a chain reaction of ground-breaking projects that would spread to theater, records, radio, television and movies, making satiric and subversive humor a gateway to commercial success … It was a pebble thrown into a pond, with ripples ultimately including 'The Simpsons,' The Onion, 'This Is Spinal Tap,' 'South Park,' 'The Daily Show,' '30 Rock' and 'Superbad' but its most significant and proximate influence was on 'Saturday Night Live,' the breakthrough television show that, for over 35 years has been the premiere launching pad for American comedy talent." And, one might say, tidal quantities of comedy and satire provided part of the basic attitude and value system of almost every current American under the age of 70.
No one has ever told the story better than this, traveling all the way up (beyond the book's scope but implicit) to "This is the End" at your current megaplex. All the figures, famous and otherwise, are here – Kenney, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Lorne Michaels, Harold Ramis, John Landis, P.J. O'Rourke, Tony Hendra, George W.S. Trow, Gilda Radner, Ann Beatts, and Bohemian anarcho-elitist Michael O'Donoghue, who, in the very first skit of "Saturday Night Live" played a language instructor teaching John Belushi, as a foreigner, how to say "I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines."
Stein did interviewing for the book in the '70s and '80s, but there is no explanation why the book took so long to write. But, bless us all, here it is. – Jeff Simon


text:
It's hard today to remember, imagine or believe it, but there was a time when Williamsport and Divine Providence hospitals competed for patients.
The two hospitals, a five-minute drive apart, offered duplicate services using similar equipment.
It cost both hospitals a lot and had a trickle-down effect on the cost and efficiency of health care locally.
That's all changed. Sister Jean Mohl, who died recently, was perhaps the person most responsible for the alliance of Williamsport, Divine Providence and Muncy Valley hospitals into what is now known as Susquehanna Health.
Long before the Susquehanna Tower was even envisioned, Mohl had the foresight to realize the continued competition among the hospitals was ultimately going to be the wrong approach for local health care.
While the alliance took all parties to happen, with Divine Providence being run by the Sisters of Christian Charity, the philosophical barriers were the greatest for Mohl, then the leader of Divine Providence.
But Mohl's quiet persistence and her sense of purpose ultimately moved Divine Providence Hospital toward its merger of services with Williamsport and Muncy Valley in 1994 into what is now Susquehanna Health, nearly a decade after she was named chief operating officer of the hospital.
The best summation of Mohl's ultimate contribution was made recently by Steve Johnson, president and CEO of Susquehanna Health.
"She shaped the delivery of health care in our region."
And she did it without stripping Divine Providence Hospital of its guiding principles or its identity.
All the while, Mohl maintained an understated, unassuming, comforting leadership style that made people of all philosophical bearings want to work with her.
This community was forever blessed to have the wisdom, vision and care of Sister Jean Mohl as a guiding force.