I understand this is to prevent people from creating offensive clans, but it is doing just the opposite. You allow the word gay as a prefix for clans, as there is a Gaymers clan, yet do not allow the same for transgender individuals. In fact, this forbids words such as transdimensional and so forth. The word gay has much more room for offensive and harmful clan names than trans does and deletes the possibility of safe spaces for transgender people to get together and enjoy your games. This creates a harmful environment for people like myself who wish you play your game and know that I will be a respected member of my clan, regardless of my gender identity, presentation, how my voice sounds over Vent/Skype, and so on. This sends a message that gay people are allowed to create their own clans and freely interact on your servers, but trans people are not. Please reconsider your ban of the prefix trans- and thus banning all transgender related clans and groups.

Banning the prefix trans while allowing the word gay sends a message. You can be an openly gay gamer, but you cannot be openly trans. They allow for clans to be created around being gay, such as the Gaymers clan, but will not allow a similar TransGamers clan (which is what was trying to be created). This creates an environment that allows for people to be openly gay, but not openly trans, and requires people to create codewords, and in community buzzwords to create a similar clan for a similar experience, gaming with people who share the same identity and will respect you for who you are. Blizzard is sending a very poor message to the trans gaming community by not allowing people to create safe clan experiences for themselves while allowing others to do that with words which can be used in a much more harmful sense (such as gay).

The gaming community, as a whole, is relatively hostile to trans people. Look at how Scarlett is generally treated by the Starcraft II community. She is constantly misgendered, has slurs slung as her, and worse. The words gay, f****t, and so on are slung on the daily in League of Legends. Gaming culture is a hotbed for bigotry against queer people, especially trans people. Safe spaces allow us to enjoy the games we love while being able to be separate from these people and among those who will respect us and the lives we live.

They also provide visibility. They allow people, non-members, to realize that yes, there are queer and trans people who play these games. They allow people to realize that we are indeed everywhere and enjoy the same games too. We can freely discuss our lives and not have them criticized. It allows for a free sharing of information among people who may need it. It provides support for those of us who are just coming out or struggling with family issues. It allows a sense of belonging and escapism, even more complex and in-depth than simply playing a game. We can not only escape our realities through the game, but we can also be among people who will accept us and not harass us for existing. We can be among people who understand us without having to educate along the way. It allows us to engage in education and discourse if we want, or even weed out toxic players if they decide to harass us for simply existing. This visibility also shows that we will not exist in the shadows if we do not want to. They allow us a sense of pride in our lives and identities, something the majority of society still tells us we should be shamed of.

Please also show your support in the official Diablo III thread I have created here: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/12426542923

Original thread: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/12371697365

To learn more as to what I've experienced and a more in-depth look as to why these types of safe spaces are needed please read this: http://t.co/D7RrTL2PP6