[thread]
Someone recently sent me a DM asking me why I bother getting involved in trans stuff when all it's going to do is reduce my potential following.

Basically, if you're transphobic, or racist, or misogynist or discriminatory in any other way, I don't want you following me.

I make no bones about the fact that I've absolutely needed Twitter in order to remain relevant ever since I left Future. This site has been mainly responsible for my constantly growing follower count and my ongoing journey to make my games work profitable enough to live off.

It's no secret that a decent percentage (certainly the vocal section) of the gaming population is right-wing. After all, practically everyone's a gamer these days so naturally many different demographics fit under that large umbrella. That's a lot of potential readers.

The 'sensible' thing to do, as far as some would be concerned, is to keep my mouth shut and keep 'politics' out of my online presence (because apparently wanting something as basic as everyone having human rights is being political now). Let everyone enjoy my work regardless.

But here's the thing: I am extremely privileged to be where I am. I've been privileged since day one. I may have grown up in a working class town but I was still white and male. I was lucky to have good teachers, I went to uni, and I got my dream job within a year of leaving.

I've done so many things in my life because of that job, and at no point have I ever felt like who I am has held me back (other than the odd dick who slagged my Scottish accent or the fact that because I was tee-total I didn't go to many 'networking' nights out, which was on me).

Now, here I am. I've got my own site due to step up a gear (next year is going to be big for it), I get regular freelance work with big, well-respected sites, I've written two books with a third on the way, I'm married, I have a kid, a house, a car. I'm happy and I'm privileged.

There are LOADS of people who haven't been as fortunate as me, and many of them are made aware of this on a daily basis. Whether that's because they're women, or because of their skin colour, or because they're LGBTQ, they get a bumpier ride to say the least.

I do pay attention to the demographics of the folk who follow me: among these 11,800+ are plenty of men, women, gay people, trans people, Black people, Muslims, Asians and everything in between. I'm not arrogant enough to think this is a one-way street where I talk and you listen

One thing I also notice is that not many of the people who follow me are outwardly discriminatory. I don't see many who are anti-trans, hate women, say that "all lives matter" (when we know what they really mean), dislike Muslims etc. This isn't a gap, it's a success story.

I appreciate that I'm not exactly BTS or Lady Gaga here and I don't have tens of millions of people hanging on my every word. Still, nearly 12,000 followers isn't anything to sniff at, and if something I say gets a lot of RTs it can still go a long way.

So yes, the smart thing to do would be to keep my head down and shut up. My site is still growing, new followers are arriving every day and I've got a book out this week: surely this is the worst possible time to be speaking out about something like trans rights?

Fuck that.

I appreciate that LGBTQ people don't need people like me speaking out on their behalf. That said, I firmly believe that there's strength in numbers and showing that I'm an ally can only be a positive thing. I've earned this following and want to use it in a decent way.

So that's where I'm at. Will I miss out on followers because of my stance? Of course I will, but I don't want their support. Will I sell fewer books when arseholes discover what I'm like on here? Probably, but I don't want their money anyway.

If any of you ever need to talk about anything privately, my DMs are and have always been open.

Until then, that's all I've got for now: this Mega Drive book isn't going to write itself

Huge love to everyone, and enjoy the rest of your days

Chris