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."
Can’t you tell people to call you whatever they think? Personally, if they don’t guess right, I’ve done something wrong.
it didn’t matter because at the end of the day, someone was offended and upset.”
That describes every day. That is just life. People need to stop treating everyone like children.
Being normal and believing normal will be criminalized in the former United States.
Well, queers make me feel unsafe and uncomfortable..
Can we kick them out of the country now?
You people don't care, you just want to type with your elbows and FRacebook gripe gripe gripe.
I think it‘s just the fringe that uses them now. Most are past these games and on to other interests.
BTT
Everyone should laugh that this kid got several thousand bucks in donations for laughing at these nonbinary hexaimbecile faeggots.
Over 50 yrs ago a friend commented “Give some people a little power and they just go Haywire.
Too long to explain the situation he said that in but that saying fits here just right.
So this was the “Judge”?
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