A major Terraria update has done away with gender identity, and right-wingers are practically frothing at the mouth with rage.
The incredibly popular 2D sandbox game – the fourth most played PC game on the marketplace Steam – released its highly-anticipated 1.4.5 update earlier this week.
One of the biggest additions to the game in its 15-year history, the “Bigger and Boulder” update’s overwhelming list of changes, fixes, and additions include over 650 new items, as well as new bosses, game mechanics, and much more.
The update includes a plethora of changes to the game’s character creation menu, which has scrapped gender in exchange for additional options such as changing a character’s body type and voice.
Naturally, a game allowing further customisability by scrapping a decades-old gender mechanic has anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing gamers absolutely raging online.
Terraria’s community page on Steam is now filled with users complaining about the minor change and accusing the developers of, you guessed it, making the game “woke”.
One user went so far as to claim removing gender symbols from the game’s menu would impact player experience because they might get confused and “accidentally choose the female body type”.
Responding to the ongoing furore, fans of the game brought up incredibly valid questions, such as: “Who f****** cares?”
One user was so bored with the frequent debates about gender options in video games, they instead asked others what they were having for dinner.
“I’m personally making Spaghetti all’Assassina,” another person responded.
Most infamous was the public meltdown from streamer “Heel vs Babyface”, who, after encountering a pronoun option in the game Starfield, began screaming about how “woke” he believed gaming had become.
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Bridgerton fans are calling Benedict Bridgerton an “icon” after his latest queer adventure in the first episode of the latest season.
Spoiler warning for Bridgerton season four, episode one.
The fourth season of the Regency-era series debuted on Thursday (29 January) and sees the second eldest Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) take the reins as the lead as he searches for the mysterious Lady in Silver/Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).
The first episode sees Benedict and Sophie meet at the masquerade ball hosted by Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell). Though what Benedict doesn’t realise is that the masked Sophie is actually the maid of Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung).
Luke Thompson in Bridgerton season four. (Netflix)
However, Benedict arrives late to the ball because he fancies a “dose of merriment” at a bohemian club where things are much more liberated than the rest of the ton.
As well as giving a small but warm nod to another handsome man, possibly an indication of another past dalliance, Benedict reconnects with Louis (Sachin K. Sharma) who greets the Bridgerton by placing his hand on his hip.
“I cannot tonight,” Benedict says as Louis caresses his side and arm. After Louis disparages whatever “shocking society event” Benedict must have to go to based on his outfit, Benedict repeats that he can’t stay for long. “Well, I don’t need you for a long time,” replies Louis. “And much merriment can be had in a rather short time,” he adds flirtatiously before the two then kiss and the scene cuts away.
The scene is a small but appreciated acknowledgement from the show’s creators of Benedict’s queerness, especially as it seems the majority of the series will focus on the Cinderella-esque story with Sophie. Of course, even if that is the case, Benedict’s still a queer character and series lead.
Benedict Bridgerton and Lady Tilley Arnold in season three. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
Other fans of the series have voiced their interest in the series – not in Benedict’s story, but that of Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd).
Showrunner Jess Brownell has previously said that Francesca will begin a gay relationship in season four. At the end of season three, Francesca met her husband John Stirling’s (Victor Alli) cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).
Thompson expressed his joy that Benedict’s sexuality is allowed to exist without question while speaking to Out recently.
Thompson said: “He lets it be this sort of mysterious force that’s just sort of like moving him through the world. I think that’s really lovely because I think that’s not often portrayed.” He added: “He has angst, and he has problems with categorising, as we find out in the season later on. But sexuality or sex, more specifically, is not one of them, and I think that’s quite a positive, different thing to see.”
Bridgerton season four, volume one is streaming now on Netflix.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
The “Born in the USA” singer released the new song, which recalls the tragic events, on Wednesday (28 January).
Titled “Streets of Minneapolis”, the protest song pays tribute to Pretti and Good, while denouncing “King Trump’s private army”, who have “guns belted to their coats” and who “trample on our rights”.
The lyrics partly read: “Citizens stood for justice /Their voices ringing through the night /And there were bloody footprints /Where mercy should have stood /And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets /Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
“We’ll remember the names of those who died,” Springsteen sings later in the song, which also condemns Trump’s “federal thugs” for the deaths of Pretti and Good.
The singer further calls out White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and homeland security secretary Kristi Noem for spreading “dirty lies”.
“Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice / Crying through the bloody mist,” the song continues.
The moving track captures the devastation sparked by the deaths and the fear instilled in Americans, while also paying tribute to the protests: “In chants of ICE out now / Our city’s heart and soul persists.”
‘We hear you’
The song has already garnered nearly three million views already, with YouTube comments from people around the world uniting in support for Minneapolis.
One person commented: “Just two weeks ago I cried because it felt like we were living in an isolated bubble here in the Twin Cities. Now, everywhere I look people are talking about what is happening here. To everyone sending their love and support, thank you for hearing us. We hear you.”
Someone else, who claimed to have known Pretti, wrote: “This song, and the comments I’m reading, make me feel like this little midwestern mill-town just got so much bigger, and in the best of ways. Thank you Bruce! And thank you to everyone who stands in solidarity with us around the globe! Bruce is absolutely right… this is ‘our Minneapolis!’”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
Gay British wheelchair tennis player Greg Slade has shared a heartwarming response to his coming out post.
On 19 January, Slade took to Instagram ahead of the Australian Open to share with the world that he’s gay.
“As one of only a handful of gay men playing at the highest levels in tennis, I want to use this privilege and uniqueness of my position to help bring about positive change,” he wrote.
The post, which was in collaboration with Pride in Tennis, saw the 23-year-old announce that he would be working with the organisation to “further amplify their important work”.
Speaking to the Press Association, Slade said he had contemplated whether coming out was right for him.
“I doubted whether it was right for me, of course, because, across any sort of issue within society or any minority, it’s always really difficult to be one of the first because actually you’re going where so few people have been before.”
‘It’s been really lovely’
He said that he was concerned about the reaction, but added: “There’s been a couple of [negative] things here and there but there’s always going to be.
“And actually, you’re talking about a handful of people compared to literally thousands of people who have either reached out or liked it or seen it, or followed and offered their support. The reaction has been largely very, very positive. It’s been really lovely.”
Slade’s coming out follows Brazilian tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva coming out in late 2024. Silva came out as gay by sharing a sweet snap of his partner Gui Sampaio Ricardo to celebrate his birthday.
The Cinderella-esque story follows the second eldest Bridgerton as he meets and falls in love with Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), who attended his mother’s masquerade ball as The Lady in Silver despite being the maid to Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung).
The season is based on the third book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman. That sees Benedict meet Sophie Beckett at the masquerade ball, fall in love and their relationship develops from there.
So far, the first couple of episodes of the TV series adaptation have followed the same story. However, besides the change in Sophie’s surname, there is one big difference between the book and the TV show: Benedict’s sexuality.
Benedict Bridgerton was always going to be queer. (Netflix)
But in Quinn’s novels Benedict is presented as an exclusively heterosexual character. Benedict’s queerness made sense to a lot of fans due to his artistic sensibilities as well as his ambition to be known as someone beyond being a Bridgerton. His search for something else is a relatable one for many who have also been on a journey with their identity.
Speaking to Glamour in 2024, showrunner Jess Brownell explained that she and the show’s other writers had planned Benedict’s sexuality reveal since season one in 2020.
“We just had never found the exact right way to execute it. I felt like it was this dangling thread that I wanted to make sense of, because I do think it makes sense for Benedict’s character,” Brownell said citing Lady Arnold as the perfect excuse to explore Benedict’s identity. Though a label has never been given to the character’s sexuality.
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton. (Netflix)
Bridgerton‘s queer fans won’t be disappointed though as Brownell has previously said that Francesca will begin a gay relationship in season four. At the end of season three, Francesca met her husband John Stirling’s (Victor Alli) cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). And at the season four premiere Brownwell confirmed a queer love story was still coming.
Bridgerton season four, volume one is streaming now on Netflix.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
A free-for-all Pride organisation in the East Midlands has condemned a group of businesses for scheduling an event – using the same name – for the same day as its annual Pride, leading to confusion amongst members of the local LGBTQ+ community.
Notts Pride, which celebrates Nottinghamshire’s LGBTQ+ community, is set to host it annual Pride event on 25 July 2026 in Nottingham, which is home to one of the most LGBTQ-friendly universities in the UK. However, Groovebox, Live Republic, Binks Yard and Horlock House are all jointly running their own event on the same day, entitled Nottingham Pride Fest.
Whilst the Notts Pride event is free, as it is every year, Nottingham Pride Fest is paid for, with tickets ranging in price from £16.75 to £29.95.
In a statement, Notts Pride called out the businesses using a similar name and scheduling their event for the same day, which the organisers say has caused confusion, “reputational harm” and “false impression of affiliation”.
“Since 1997 Nottingham Pride has existed with one purpose: to support, uplift and represent the LGBTQ+ community in Nottinghamshire. Nottingham Pride is a small authentically LGBTQ+ volunteer run charity,” the statement reads.
“No one takes a wage and every hour of work is given freely out of love, solidarity and commitment to our community.”
The organisers went on to outline how they work to deliver a Pride which is “free, accessible and safe”, adding: “Nothing Nottingham Pride does is easy, quick or done for profit.”
Noting that, they said it is “now time to publicly address the ongoing use of the name Nottingham Pride by the commercial event Nottingham Pride Fest, operated by Groovebox / Live Republic / Binks Yard / Horlock House”.
“Nottingham Pride is a registered, volunteer led, LGBTQ+ charity that has served Nottingham community for over two decades.
“Nottingham Pride Fest is a ticketed commercial venture.”
The statement continued: “Businesses are entitled to run events, and many do but, using the name Nottingham Pride and scheduling it on the same day misleads the public and performers, causing confusing, reputational harm and the false impression of affiliation.
“Other than a tenuous and superficial partnership with an LGBT+ charity that has no link to our city, Nottingham Pride Fest does not support Nottingham Pride (Notts Pride) or its community work.
“This is a commercial event whose purpose is to generate revenue.
“Not to provide a free Pride, not to fund community safety and not to support the work that Nottingham Pride and other local LGBTQ+ charities deliver year round.”
The organisers urged the group of businesses to stop referring to the event as ‘Nottingham Pride’ as it is “misleading, and it disrespects our LGBTQ+ history”, adding the event remains free “because it must be accessible for everyone, not just those who can afford a ticket”.
The organisers concluded: “We hope you will listen and choose to engage respectfully by ending the use of Nottingham Pride in your event branding and communications.”
None of the businesses mentioned in the statement appear to have issued public comments on the matter.
However, a spokesperson for Live Republic Ltd told PinkNews that the brand is “seeking to do the best we can with the resources and partnerships we have”.
A spokesperson noted it has held a Pride event in Nottingham alongside Groovebox since 2024, with 2026 being their third year hosting such an event.
“Previously, we have supported The Spencer Trust, a local, Nottingham-based charity – last year we provided them with a donation of £1,000,” the spokesperson said. “Following our 2025 Pride event, we reached out to Notts Pride to discuss a partnership with them for upcoming events. They choose to refuse a partnership.
“As such, we are now partnered with a national charity that also functions in Nottingham, LGBTQ Foundation, and will be donating £2 per every ticket sold to them – in the interest of transparency, £1 of this will come from ourselves and £1 will come from the venue, Binks Yard. We are aiming to raise £3,000 in support of LGBTQ Foundation, which will help fund services locally and nationally.
“As a national company ourselves, holding events up and down the UK, we value supporting whole communities as well as local communities. The partnership with LGBTQ Foundation fulfils both of these objectives and we will be working with LGBTQ Foundation closely to ensure that the maximum benefit from the donations is received – as such, donations will be fully invested in the helpline that they operate in Nottinghamshire so that all individuals can have access to advice, guidance, and a listening ear.
“A formal request to the head office regarding a change of event name has never been sent from Notts Pride – we first heard of this request today when they issued their statement. We value feedback, however, and are now considering alternative events names to increase clarity for the general public.”
PinkNews has also approached Groovebox, Binks Yard and Horlock House in regards to the claims raised in Nottingham Pride’s statement but has not yet received a response.
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