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Teen who laughed when asked for 'preferred pronouns' booted from Pokémon card tournament
The National Desk ^ | 3/23/2023 | ZACHARY ROGERS

Posted on 04/01/2023 10:30:27 AM PDT by chuck allen

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TND) — A teenager who plays the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) at a high competitive level was reportedly disqualified from a tournament after he laughed when an official asked for his pronouns.

Makani Tran was out $800, a couple of flights and missed school time after he offended a nonbinary Pokémon TCG judge, cutting his tournament run prematurely short "for a bizarre reason," according to Dexerto.

The teenager says in a Twitlonger post that he never meant to offend anyone and was close to tears when he was disqualified.

The Charlotte-based tournament was livestreaming the TCG matches online, and when Tran approached the livestreaming booth for his match, he says he was stopped by a judge who asked for his "preferred pronouns."

Tran says that he was set to face off against one of the United States' best Pokémon TCG players, Alex Schemanske, and nerves had him laughing "awkwardly."

On our way over to the stream area the judge asked us for our preferred pronouns," Tran says. "I said 'Um he or him or uh' and I paused trying to think of the third pronoun (the third pronoun being his). As I just stood there looking stupid trying to think of the third pronoun I felt embarrassed because I was failing to think of a simple word. "

Due to the nerves and me being embarrassed I let out a little laugh just a normal nervous laugh. My response together ended up being 'Um he or him or uhhhh haha his,'" Tran adds. "That’s it. That’s all I said”

However, the judge who was asking for Tran's preferred pronouns took offense to the laughter, according to the young Pokémon TCG player.

Okay just wanted to check to be safe," Tran says the judge told him. "I go by they/them so don’t be a jerk about it," the judge allegedly added.

After some more talking, Tran says that the head judge pulled out the tournament's rulebook on his phone and told the young TCG player that he was disqualified for "violating their inclusive policy," as he had made someone feel "unsafe and uncomfortable."

I was disqualified from the event. I was just in disbelief," Tran says. "I remember saying 'Wait what?' I was so confused I had just explained very calmly what had happened and he seemed that he was listening. At this point I’m at the verge of tears but I tried my best to keep my composure," Tran adds. "I just couldn’t understand what was happening." Tran says that he asked the tournament officials if he could appeal the disqualification, but they refused.

I have NEVER been treated so unbelievably unfairly and had such an opportunity just taken from me. For something I didn’t even do," Tran says. "The judge said that while he believed that I had no bad intentions, it didn’t matter because at the end of the day, someone was offended and upset."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: diversity; faggotsaresensitive; fascism; globohomo; globohomoagenda; groomersgonewild; homofascism; okgroomer; transagenda; transmafia; transnazis; transurrection
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1 posted on 04/01/2023 10:30:27 AM PDT by chuck allen
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To: chuck allen
"violating their inclusive policy,"

"Inclusion" means "kill normal people".

2 posted on 04/01/2023 10:32:30 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: chuck allen

It doesn’t matter what pronouns one “prefers”. Stop kowtowing to deviant queer culture. There is no cost too great to protect our society and particularly our children from those demons.


3 posted on 04/01/2023 10:32:48 AM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
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To: chuck allen

Time to boycott Pokémon cards.


4 posted on 04/01/2023 10:33:30 AM PDT by chuck allen
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To: chuck allen

Bastards.

Where is the gofundme to reimburse this student his losses from being disqualified for absolutely no good reason?


5 posted on 04/01/2023 10:34:25 AM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: chuck allen

What’s the judge’s name?


6 posted on 04/01/2023 10:34:44 AM PDT by fretzer
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To: NorthMountain

I say, son, you’re pursuing the wrong hobby here. Find a pursuit that takes place among a better class of people, whydontchya?


7 posted on 04/01/2023 10:34:45 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: chuck allen
Makani Tran was out $800 [...]

Boy should have been give a pass - solely on the basis of his surname!

Regards,

8 posted on 04/01/2023 10:35:43 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
I say, son, you’re pursuing the wrong hobby here. Find a pursuit that takes place among a better class of people, whydontchya?

The trannies are infesting everything and then demanding everyone else acquiesce to their mental illness.

9 posted on 04/01/2023 10:37:23 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President 2024. A real conservative.)
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To: chuck allen
The lad's reaction was perfect: laughter.

The left can't stand to be the subject of humorous ridicule.

10 posted on 04/01/2023 10:37:34 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: chajin; chuck allen
Never mind; the account is here. He has more than recouped his losses, but I'm putting in a donation anyway. (P. S. I'll still help fund this site as well.)
11 posted on 04/01/2023 10:37:44 AM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: chuck allen

Law suit.


12 posted on 04/01/2023 10:39:15 AM PDT by Bullish (Either we don't see it coming or they don't... But somebody's got it coming.)
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To: chuck allen
Don't provoke the wrath of the Pikachu Brigade!


13 posted on 04/01/2023 10:39:37 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: bk1000

This kid was 14, who the hell asks kids that age this kind of question? And Why?


14 posted on 04/01/2023 10:39:41 AM PDT by chuck allen
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To: chuck allen
These special people should be wearing pink or lavender Nazi uniforms so they are easier to recognize. Sounds like there was no right answer the mentally ill person in charge of collecting pronoun compliance.

Is the entire Pokemon universe populated by stranger people?

15 posted on 04/01/2023 10:40:19 AM PDT by Bernard (“the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." JFK 1-20-61)
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To: chajin

He has a gofundme, it’s in the article.


16 posted on 04/01/2023 10:40:40 AM PDT by chuck allen
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To: chuck allen
who the hell asks kids that age this kind of question?

Perverts.

And Why?

They're groomers. They're ALL groomers. Especially the ones who deny being groomers.

17 posted on 04/01/2023 10:41:25 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: NorthMountain

Young folks these days seem to be proving they don’t deserve the freedoms in our bill of rights. They would throw them all away just so nobody gets triggered by some stupid shit.


18 posted on 04/01/2023 10:41:25 AM PDT by Bullish (Either we don't see it coming or they don't... But somebody's got it coming.)
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To: NorthMountain

“F” and “U” are my pronouns, Sweetie! would be a reasonable response.


19 posted on 04/01/2023 10:42:26 AM PDT by Aevery_Freeman (Wow, they shut down FOX News pretty quickly!)
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To: Bullish

I wonder how old the unnamed pervert “judge” is.


20 posted on 04/01/2023 10:42:40 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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