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Microsoft Hires Comedian To Introduce Xbox One, Humiliates Trans Gamer Instead

f50928bec271bb75dcf758b76381257cSony has seriously been squashing Microsoft in hype, hardware, and sales statistics ever since the company announced the December release of PS4 to rival Microsoft’s Xbox One. The Japanese company has always been an authority when it comes to top-notch gaming consoles, but apparently, they’re lightyears ahead when it comes to equality, too.

We know this because this weekend, at the Eurogamer Expo in Earl’s Court, London, Microsoft hired a “comedian” named Fraser Millward to completely humiliate and dehumanize a transgender woman on stage. We guess this is one of the many reasons why you should never hire comedians to talk about your technical products?

The shocking attack came during an Xbox One presentation, where trans Destructoid contributor Laura Kate Dale was invited to the stage for what we assume to be an interactive demonstration. Once on stage, Dale was called “he,” “it,” “thing,” and “this one” by Millward, who stood beside her and begged the audience to find a “real” woman: “We need a woman on stage, any women here?”

Enraged, Dale took to Twitter and said it was the “most embarrassing moment.” She also says the transphobia she experienced on stage is rife, and the reason why she often “considers dropping out” of the tech industry altogether.

After the presentation, Microsoft reportedly refused to speak with Dale but offered a half-assed apology that went something like ‘We’re sorry you’re offended by us being hilarious.’ Today, Microsoft is “looking into the issue.”

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