Another day, another hugely popular streamer showing their arse on Twitter. The latest culprit is Nick ‘Nickmercs’ Kolcheff, who has reiterated homophobic and transphobic dogwhistles on the platform in response to a video showing anti-LGBT protestors fighting.
Overwatch League host Chris Puckett hadretweeted the videoof clashing protestors, who were outside a school board meeting which was discussing whether or not to recognise Pride month in the Californian school. “Americans are in a sad place right now. Let people love who they love and live your own life,” he wrote. Kolcheff responded, saying, “[LGBT people] should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.”
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Kolcheff refused to live his own life, weighing in on the topic with an archaic argument that right-wing anti-LGBT personalities have been rolling out for decades. It almost doesn’t deserve a response, but if you really need it explaining I’ll give it a go.
Content warning: this article contains references to sexual abuse and paedophilia.
The idea that gay people are paedophiles has roots back in the ‘60s, and likely beyond, as LGBT people fought for their rights. It’s baseless parroting of outright lies in order to discredit LGBT people and turn others against them. “There is a long-standing, homophobic and transphobic tactic of inaccurately comparing LGBTQ people to pedophiles and being LGBTQ to pedophilia,” Rich Ferraro, the chief communications officer at GLAAD, toldUSA Todayin a report debunking the myth that ‘P’ (for paedophilia) had been added to the LGBT acronym. “It’s debased and vile.”
The same report cites a study that showed the alleged offender in 82 percent of child sexual abuse cases, “was a heterosexual partner of a close relative of the child”. Just two of 269 children were abused by gay or lesbian adults. The study found that children are “unlikely” to be molested by a gay or lesbian person.
However, the facts have never got in the way of creating a good moral panic, and the same accusations that were commonplace in the ‘80s are now being repeated, most often targeted at trans people. Nickmercs isn’t alone in amplifying this tripe, but he’s a very high profile example.
Most people who follow streaming celebrity culture won’t be surprised that Nickmercs holds these views. He’s the man who hosted a$300,000 antivax partywhen TwitchCon announced its vaccine requirements and mask mandate, offering an alternative with no such safety measures while the pandemic raged on. However, his most recent comments are especially egregious compared to the video game he currently competes in.
Apex Legendsis openly, and proudly, gay. I’ve written a whole article about it for TheGamer’sPride Month coverage, so watch this space if you like conversations about FuseHound and Valkyrie’s flirtatious voicelines with Loba. It’s the most LGBT-friendly first-person shooter out there. And one of its most famous esports stars is suggesting that LGBT predators are coming for your children. Something doesn’t add up.
I’m not suggesting that Kolcheff’s Pro League spot should be revoked, or that he should be ‘cancelled’ – he’s done far more damage to his own reputation than I could ever – but Respawn and EA have a problem on their hands. The developers have carefully curated an inclusive game, and the most influential name in its esport is undermining that. There’s no wonder we have so few pro players who are openly LGBT when this sort of thing is said, and lauded by his peers. Fellow FaZe Clan member and Apex Legends player Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona liked (and later unliked) Kolcheff’s tweet, showing support of his views and further disappointing LGBT Apex fans across the world.
If there’s any silver lining to all this, it’s Puckett’s eloquent response to Kolcheff. “Who is this ‘they’ and what terrible act is everyone afraid of? I think/hope the goal of most of ‘them’ is to reduce child suicides. This is done through acceptance and removing the stigma of feeling/being different. As a dad I’m struggling to see the harm. Gay doesn’t = pedo. [sic]”
I doubt anything will come of this, Kolcheff won’t face repercussions, and his anti-LGBT audience will be emboldened by the whole ordeal. But how long is it before they spam slurs in the ALGS Twitch chat, and Respawnreallyhas to do something? In the meantime, how many LGBT pros will be put off from competing or coming out by the views of the game’s biggest stars?
Kolcheff is alienating a large portion of fans from his own audience and from competitive Apex Legends. He’s got it all, the man is likely a millionaire and plays video games for a living. He has legions of supporters screaming his name at live events. And yet he still can’t help putting down minorities with unfounded claims. Maybe he should just take Puckett’s advice and stop commenting on other people’s lives. “Let people love who they love and live your own life.”
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