Microsoft's Xbox unveiled its support for LGBTQIA+ players.

Xbox unveils support for LGBTQIA+ players for Pride Month

Microsoft’s Xbox unveiled its support for LGBTQIA+ players in advance of Pride Month in June.

According to the advocacy group GLAAD, 66% of LGBTQIA+ players agree that gaming allows them to express themselves in a way they don’t feel comfortable doing in the real world.  

This impact is not lost on Xbox. Today, Microsoft’s Xbox group announced via several activations in celebration of Pride.

Supportive activations

Microsoft continues to support the Trevor Project.

These include: 

  • Xbox’s standing partnership with The Trevor Project, a U.S. nonprofit providing lifesaving and life-affirming services to LGBTQIA+ young people. Since 2019, Xbox and its safety teams have been partnering with the Trevor Project to connect players with resources to support their well-being, and ensure they feel safe when they play.  
  • Exciting ways to play during Pride Month, including Tell Me Why being made available for free to all players for the entire month of June; highlighting games available with Xbox Game Pass that spotlight LGBTQIA+ creators, lead characters and/or have inclusive gender and relationship options; and new, Pride-themed content in Forza Horizon 5 and Overwatch 2. 
  • In partnership with wider Microsoft organization, Xbox announced a combined $200,000 donation to LGBTIA+ nonprofits across the globe. This is in addition to the $1.3 million Microsoft employees have donated to LGBTQIA+ nonprofits since last year alone. 
  • Sharing how Microsoft Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, including GLAAD, Outright International, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. 
  • Spotlighting stories, experiences, and game recommendations from Xbox Ambassadors in the LGBTQIA+ community, Xbox Pride Gear, and more. 

Check out a complete rundown of Xbox’s Pride celebrations via Xbox Wire.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.