In this day and age, one would like to believe that they are doing good by promoting and supporting a cause such as breast cancer, especially during breast cancer awareness month.

Unfortunately, an Xbox Live user’s “Save the Ta Tas” Susan G Komen bumper sticker which was selling in the Auction House/Store Front for the newly released Forza 3 ended up in the user being banned for violating the Xbox Live terms of service. And it wasn’t even the Xbox team that banned him, it was the fellows at Turn10, the game’s developer.

This logo is available to buy on Amazon, is on t-shirts, bumper stickers, keychains, magnets, socks. You name it, its on it. Breasts are a part of the human anatomy and the word is a commonly used one. Everyone sees them, they stick out from our shirts.

But for some reason this word is censored from use on Xbox Live and is deemed offensive. Apparently, so is the term ta ta.

While I understand that certain words can be used in a very offensive matter, I still do not believe in a blanket ban for any person who chooses to use these terms. There is a moderation team in place, and as human beings, I would have thought that the people on these teams would look at each case individually. If they thought that what was being posted could possibly be deemed offensive, why not shoot that user a warning message, asking them to politely remove the content so as not to ban them instead of blindly hitting the suspension button?

Yes, I know the Terms of Service are there for a reason. But isn’t it possible that there is such a thing as going to far or being a tad overzealous with the rules? Agreed, no one wants to be tangled up in a lawsuit, but in this case who in their right mind is going to be offended by one of the most common marketing campaigns for a serious women’s health issue? It’s definitely not the millions of women who are affected by breast cancer and their families and friends.

Before locking the thread that was posted on the official Forza 3 forums, Turn10 posted the following:

Currently we are banning users who have created an item that contains any of the following elements:

• Depictions of nudity and/or sexual themes and suggestions. This includes “censored” designs or items that are deemed inappropriate.
• Depictions of racism, hate crimes, bigotry, and discrimination. This includes any references to the Nazi regime.
• Depictions of drugs and/or narcotics.
• Fraudulent depictions used to trick players into purchasing your item.
• Derogatory comments or remarks targeted at another user, person, or group.
• Offensive language and profanity.
• Any political references that we deem as inappropriate or offensive.

How is supporting breast cancer seen as inappropriate? It seems Turn10 has decided not to comment any further on the issue, hoping that locking any more activity in the thread will silence the voices who are outraged with this turn of events.

I for one believe that Turn10 is in the wrong for removing the item and banning the user, and I hope they change their minds and apologize. As a female gamer, hell, just as a female, I find what they did offensive. I also hope they go home and tell their wives, girlfriends and daughters that they won’t openly support a cause that might one day affect their personal lives.

You can see what SLIM135 wrote on the Official Xbox Forums regarding his suspension here, or read the locked thread on the Turn10 forums here.

EDIT: So apparently Turn10 responded to Destructoid, and the user has been un-banned. They decided to look into it & found out the slogan is legit. I am still hoping for a personal response from Turn10 to GamingAngels.

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