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."
To find out if he'd been properly indoctrinated. For this class of louts the goodies only go to One Of Us.
I want to see these pussies apply the “unsafe and uncomfortable” rule to poker.
Or the NFL.
Fascist thought police. look what happens when one of these sick bastards get just a little bit of power. The more power they get the worse it will be. They would put a bounty on Christians if they could.
If someone wants to pretend they are “non-binary”, that is their problem. No one else has to agree. It is the whole woke “gender is fluid” ideology that is “threatening” and which threatens EVERYONE else who disagrees with it. They are the “gender” Nazis.
Here is the company who promoted the events Twitter if ya wanna express any thoughts.
https://twitter.com/Overload_Events
Yeah, he should go join Milley and Austin’s circus freak show instead 🏳️🌈 🤡 🏳️🌈
Raise your hand if you’ve had just about enough of this shit.
So the participant was also upset and uncomfortable. Why didn’t the other guy get tossed out, too?
Hand up!
Time for Pokémon boycott nationwide.
Booted out? He’s better for it.
Poor kid. What an Orwellian policy.
Shouldn't this organization be held responsible for kicking a minor out?
Yes and I hope others bow out of these Pokémon tournaments. Turnabout is fair play. Boycott Pokémon!
It’s in the rule book says the article. I want to know who wrote the rule book. The Pokémon Company or the promoter Overload-Events.
Who the hell puts this in a rule book for any kind of tournament?
If it wasn’t for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all.
Meanwhile a bakery can be shut down for not producing a gay-themed wedding cake.
Get a lawyer who will take half of your settlement and sue them, now.
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