Game Developers Fear Anti-Trans Measures Could Hit Their Industry Next

Being anything other than a cisgender game developer in the U.S. is more dangerous than ever.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming developers are harassment targets at the whims of reactionary grifters railing against anything socially progressive or the result of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Developers fear their own employers could follow suit.

The State Department is no longer issuing documents with “X” gender markers.

It has begun confiscating passports and related documents indefinitely when people attempt to renew theirs.

Many developers fear they may be trapped in the US and lose their passports.

The video game industry has a poor history of standing up to targeted harassment.

WIRED reached out to companies that have previously participated in corporate pride events or included trans or nonbinary characters in their games.

Devolver Digital said that it respects the rights of all individuals and does not tolerate discrimination, victimization, or harassment based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, or gender expression.

Even before the current administration, trans and gender-nonconforming developers faced discrimination.