Welcome to Pride, the month-long celebration of all things LGBTQIA+ and the same month that kicks off E3. Coincidence? Yes, because Pride month started as a response to the Stonewall riots and the ongoing fight for queer equality whereas the ESA picked June for E3 just because of the nice weather.
And what better warrior to have at your side in that ongoing fight for equality than Halo’s Master Chief? As the universe’s most celebrated warrior (arguably), there’s nobody I’d rather march with.
“Spartans work best when they stand together,” wrote 343 Industries. “We’re proud to stand by our LGBTQIA+ community and colleagues, who help us make Halo better every single day. #Pride.”
Note that Master Chief is waving the most recent iteration of the Pride flag which includes the trans colors along with marginalized people of color and those living with HIV/AIDS. So yes, Master Chief does indeed say Trans Rights.
I know that finding representative games can be pretty difficult, and the Mass Effect trilogy is far from perfect, but modders are trying to bring more inclusivity to BioWare’s sci-fi epic. There are definitely gay voice lines present in Mass Effect games that could have been used to create a much more LGBTQIA+ sci-fi epic, but BioWare cut those lines before release. Now modders are bringing those lines back and making Mass Effect the true queer icon that it always should have been.
That’s just one example of how this month is going to be fabulous. We’ll be sure to share more as Pride Month goes on.
