Posted in: Bungie, Destiny, Destiny 2, Games, Video Games | Tagged: Bungie, destiny 2, gay, LGBTQ, Osiris, saint
Bungie Confirms Two Destiny 2 Guardians Are Gay
After a lot of suspicion and hints, Bungie has confirmed that two Guardians in Destiny 2 are in fact gay and in love. The topic has surprisingly been around for a while among fans as there was much discussion as to whether or not Saint and Osiris actually were gay or were just being portrayed in a different way. Both sides had their own arguments as to why or why not that have flooded Reddit for a while. Today, the news was confirmed by Bungie Narrative Designer, Robert Brookes.
Brookes posted a lengthy read on Twitter in which he talked a bit about his own experiences and coming to work for Bungie. Apparently, ever since he joined, he felt the two characters were gay and continued to write them as such. In his own words taken from Twitter…
"I've been writing Saint and Osiris as gay since I started working at Bungie, because that's who they were before. They are private and nuanced characters. There was never a space in which to unequivocally state their identities. But nuance is lost in an age of queerbaiting. When I saw how much the community was unclear on something as obvious as "is Zavala an Awoken" I realized I should probably just say something. Because it's not a secret, it's not a point of speculation, and it's not some puzzle designed to be solved by the community. It's them. So yes, Saint and Osiris are gay. Always have been."
Does this really change anything for the game? Gameplay-wise, no. However, it puts in some added context and some LGBTQ representation, it does enrich the narrative experience as it builds these two characters up, and adds depth to the story we've seen so far from the Guardians. There are, of course, people on social media ranting and raving about it because they don't like it, but that's pretty much to be expected as homophobia still exists in gaming, and there are always people accusing the industry of everything under the sun to get more players. But the fact it's been in the game for over three years as if it were natural for the characters without Bungie making a big deal about for the sake of PR has to be reaffirming for some LGBTQ players.