I actually had to check to see if this was The Babylon Bee or some other satirical site. Sadly, it’s not. It’s just your pure modern day every day insanity of 21st century America.
This is the face of tolerance.
A teenage player was disqualified from a Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, after an exchange with a judge regarding his preferred pronouns.
Makani Tran, who took time off school and spent $800 to participate in the tournament, was brought to tears when the head judge told him he was disqualified from the event due to allegedly violating their inclusion policy by making someone feel unsafe and uncomfortable.
He gave his side of the incident in a lengthy post shared from his Twitter account.
On our way over to the stream area, the judge asked us for our preferred pronouns. I said “Um he or him or uh” and I paused trying to think of the third pronoun (the third pronoun being his). As I just stood there looking stupid trying to think of the third pronoun, I felt embarrassed because I was failing to think of a simple word. Due to the nerves and me being embarrassed, I let out a little laugh just a normal nervous laugh. My response together ended up being “Um he or him or uhhhh haha his.” That’s it.
It appeared that the judge became uncomfortable after Tran had an awkward laugh upon being asked his pronouns.
“OK, I just wanted to check to be safe. I go by they/them so don’t be a jerk about it,” the judge apparently responded.
Tran was escorted off the game stage by the head judge, to whom he explained that his nerves had caused him to laugh. According to the teen, he was 5-0 at the tournament and was given a sixth-round matchup against well-known player Alex Schemanske.
“I remember saying ‘Wait what?’ I was so confused. I had just explained very calmly what had happened and he seemed that he was listening,” Tran wrote, adding that he was brought to tears after his request to appeal was denied.
I’ve never cried the way I cried that night. I told him that I didn’t even have service and I had no way to contact anyone and didn’t even have a key to my hotel room that I would’ve had to walk to. I’m being completely honest with everyone when I say I have never been this upset in my entire life.
The teen also clarified that he does not have a problem with using pronouns nor did he have any negative intentions.
