October 5, 2023
Representation matters and these players and organizations are making sure their voices are heard. They stand up against hate and push for more diversity in heteronormative esports spaces.
Amanda Stevens
Amanda Stevens is a black trans woman who works in esports and the fighting game community. In her efforts to bring more inclusivity and diversity to gaming spaces, Amanda works as an inclusivity ambassador for Cloud9, is an affiliate of AnyKet, and is an ambassador for Trans Lifeline. She is also a media trainer for XO Academy.
Amanda has been vocal about the difficulties trans individuals experience and has helped pave the way for further inclusion in esports. In an interview with Cheddar News, Amanda is quoted as saying, “I think when you have broadcast becoming more diverse, and you have more people like me getting into roles in companies trying to promote diversity and inclusion…really getting communities involved in esports, I think we’re going to see… overtime that diversity and inclusion is going to happen naturally whether they like it or not.”
Cloud9
Cloud9 has been making moves to diversify esports better. This can be seen through its all-female team known as Cloud9 White, whose players have been dominating in the North American Valorant Champions Tour Game Changers by cementing themselves as the four-time champions.
The organization has been focused on creating a diverse space by creating initiatives as allies to the LGBTQ+ community. It has also worked with the LA LGBT Center, Trans Lifeline, and the Ali Forney Center, all LGBTQIA+ organizations. Additionally, in a partnership with Aimlab, Cloud9 gave away three LGBTQIA+ scholarships in 2021 through their Training Grounds Program. The recipients of these scholarships were given the opportunity to grow and develop within the Training Grounds community.
In 2022, Cloud9 continued its Pride outreach and reopened applications for the Cloud9 Training Grounds Pride Scholarship in partnership with HyperX. The three scholarship award winners will be selected for free enrollment to a camp of their choice.
Emi ‘CaptainFluke’ Donaldson
Emi became the first openly transgender caster to cast a tier-one esports major. Emi has been outspoken against hate speech and transphobic remarks, especially those faced by her during the May 2021 Siege Invitational (SI) cast on Twitch. “Obviously it’s my first Siege Invitational, it’s a day of huge celebration and it’s an honor to be here after the years I’ve loved this game,” she said. “It’s been marred by the toxicity that’s come through and I want to say thank you to the people who’ve stood up for me. I expect to see horrible things Twitch chat says, and I shouldn’t have to. I want to highlight to anyone out there who’s LGBTQ+, to not let this get to you too much. I may be the first doing this sort of event, but I know I’m the first of many, and I’m gonna be here tomorrow, and every f****** day of SI. Then the rest of the year, doing Siege events.”
“Yes there are d***heads out there, but there’s a huge amount of love and support, and it’s gonna grow. So if you’re out there and you feel like chat is beating you down, try not to let it get to you. Keep grinding. I’m here off my own merit, regardless of what the fuckers are saying, so I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Through her efforts, Emi won the award for Best LGBTQ Contribution to Esports in 2022.
Dominique “SonicFox” McLean
Described as a ‘fighting game extraordinaire,’ McLean is noted as being one of the greatest esports players of all time. They are a member of the queer, nonbinary, and furry communities. They have conquered four different fighting games and are a five-time Evolution Championship Series champion. Out of 129 tournaments, they have placed first in 69. They are currently ranked number 205 among the highest esports earners worldwide.
They were named the Best Esports Player at the 2018 Game Awards and listed in Forbes “30 Under 30” in the Games category in 2021. At the Game Awards, their acceptance speech reverberated around the internet as they declared, “I’m gay, I’m black, a furry… And the best esports player of the year, I guess!”
McLean has been captivating audiences due to their willingness to own their identity. “I stopped caring what other people think about me,” they quoted in an article by The Washington Post. “I never expected to be so happy. When I really came to terms with myself, everything changed for the better.”
Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn
Scarlett has been a dominant presence in esports over the last decade. In 2015 The New Yorker dubbed her the “most accomplished woman in esports,” and in 2016 she entered the Guinness Book of Records for having the highest career earnings for a female competitive video game player.
In 2018 Scarlett became the first woman to win a major Starcraft II tournament and was named to Forbes’ list of the most powerful women in international sports that same year. In 2022 she appeared on Forbes again as one of their “30 Under 30” in the gaming category.
During one of her victories for the Iron Lady, Scarlett was faced with backlash from transphobic players outcrying her involvement in the exclusively female StarCraft II tournament. In response to a fan blog, Scarlett stated, “It is true I am transgender, and I kinda expected this reaction. I have never tried to bring attention to myself for anything other than my play, so I don’t feel like this should be a big deal. In terms of actual play, there is (as far as I know) no advantage to being born male or female.”
Final thoughts
There are definitely more players and organizations out there working to diversify the realm of esports. They continue to pave the way for queer voices to stand up and stand out in the heteronormative field of esports. LGBTQ+ players continue to face homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry, but we are continuing to move forward and see progress as more players and organizations work together to silence the hate.