XSET player Bob ‘Bob’ Tran claimed in a Twitter post that the Game Changers community has “never been a safe space” for players following backlash from using a non-binary player as a substitute in a co-ed tournament.
XSET player Bob put out a lengthy Twitter post following community backlash from their team using a non-binary player in a co-ed Knights Monthly Gauntlet tournament. In the post, Bob recounted why XSET decided to use the substitute player, former Moon Raccoons player ‘Soto,’ and the backlash they got from competing with the team.
“They were subjected to hate simply by doing us a favor and subbing for us in a co-ed event,” Bob said.
Soto had not yet publicly come out as non-binary and Tweeted about the backlash they received for subbing in for XSET after the match.
“What a sh*t night,” Soto said.
Bob went on to talk about her experience playing in Game Changers and how it hadn’t been pleasant dealing with community hate.
“I have been subject to a neverending amount of hate since the start of my involvement in GC – this scene has never been a safe space for me, and I assume a lot of players currently in the scene, and even players who are reluctant to join the scene share this sentiment, as well. The level of immaturity and entitlement currently in the GC scene is reminiscent of a daycare; I can only hope that eventually, this won’t be the case,” Bob said.
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Bob calls out Valorant Game Changers community
The XSET player said she believes some in the community are not “genuinely inclusive” of transgender and non-binary players. This has pushed Bob to increasingly distance herself from the community according to her account.
I'm not here to gatekeep anyones' presence in the (supposedly) inclusive safe space of GC; I respect Anykey's decisions as the main and only form of verification available to the space and I do not take it upon myself nor do I have the insane level of ego and entitlement required…
— 🐸 Bob 🐸 (@QueenBobsta) June 29, 2023
However, Bob did not wholly condemn the scene and pointed toward positive interactions and experiences because of her involvement in Game Changers.
“I don’t regret competing in Gamechangers. The people I’ve met from joining this space have helped shaped me as a player and person for the better, but the community has always kept me doubting if I want to keep competing in it,” Bob lamented.
Soto said on Twitter a day after the match that they understand how it might have looked strange, seeing them compete as a non-binary player in a co-ed tournament, without publicly coming out.
“Just to put it out there I’m not really mad at anyone or anything like that, though I am a bit disheartened and sad. I understand how sus it looked, especially with the timing of everything,” she said.
This also isn’t the first time transgender and non-binary Valorant players have been targeted by the community or dealt with backlash from competition while competing in the Game Changers circuit.
