Egale Canada, an organization for LGBTQI2S people and issues, and Overactive Media, a global esports and entertainment organizations, are teaming up to bring LGBTQI2S inclusion to esports, focusing on youth and young adults.
The partnership is receiving a $71,600 CAD Seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which it was awarded back in the spring.
The two organizations will work together to improve diversity and inclusion and figure out the particular needs of young LGBTQI2S people in the competitive and grassroots gaming space.
According to research reported by Danielle Vitali’s “From Bullies to Heroes: Homophobia in Video Games,” 97 percent of teens playing video games have experienced cyberbullying. Egale and OverActive Media will research and consult with communities to figure out the needs of LGBTQI2S youth, allies and others that are active in eSports and online gaming.
The findings from this collaboration will be focused on Ontario and be used to inform the future of esports initiative and included in policies, youth-led solutions, best practice reform and interventions that focus on the development of emotional and social skills of these young people that face barriers in online communities.
“Tangible action can only be taken once we can name and address the challenges faced by LGBTQI2S youth, and Egale Canada is the right partner to help make our organization and industry a safer and better place,” said Paulo Senra, the global head of public relations at OverActive.
Source: OverActive Media
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