I have never understood the Republican Party’s focus on outrage over the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender people. You might think they focus on things that might make people’s lives better.
But here we are. This aversion and hasty dismissal of anything different is so ingrained in conservative dogma that it has trickled down to the video game industry, where it is rapidly gaining ground. It seems like gamers who are used to playing as elves, ogres, and all sorts of other creatures have suddenly decided that people of color and LGBTQ+ characters are “woke” and should be hated.
With the disappointment of my fellow gamers in mind, I decided to reach out to the man who modeled and played the first non-binary character in the Call of Duty series, arguably the biggest franchise in the world’s biggest entertainment industry. I did. Global gaming revenue is estimated to be close to $500 billion last year. In comparison, the global film industry is expected to reach $86 billion in 2025.
Introducing Kimber London, the California actor who is the model for the character Volta Rossi. The character became available when Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched in October. Call of Duty players can use Rossi in online play after first ranking up and unlocking the character.
I spoke to London about what this moment in the game means for them, the LGBTQ+ community, and the haters who have been calling them out directly online.
We spoke a week before President Donald Trump took office and news broke of his intentions to target transgender and non-binary people. Obviously, the president’s obsession with it is ridiculous. But that means people like London are about to suffer even more of the kind of hate that Republicans enjoy.
Here are my questions and London’s answers:
What was it like when you finally saw yourself in Call of Duty?
I don’t think I was really prepared for how great it was going to be. We started filming this two years ago, so it was like it was going to come out at some point, and then all of a sudden it came out at the end of October 2024.
When it was leaked a few days before release, I made the mistake of going to X to see the reaction. When people saw that character, they said how ugly it was and all these very transphobic and homophobic things about that character. The characters and how “woke” the game is.
So at first I thought, “Wow, things aren’t going as I expected at all.” I expected a backlash. I just wasn’t ready.
As you expected, what surprised you about the backlash?
With the level of backlash against being non-binary, I was ready to embrace it. I wasn’t ready for personal attacks on my character’s appearance.
So there was a comparison of characters similar to Quasimodo or Sloth from “The Goonies” or those disabled characters, and that was another thing that really bothered me – there’s ableism going on, you know. Are you there? Quasimodo has a heart of gold.
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These are wonderful characters, but if you compare them visually, obviously, according to our beauty standards, they are not the most physically beautiful. I mean, it was a little bit rough, but it gave me an idea of how a lot of people deal with it online when it comes to bullying about physical features and everything else.
We talked about messages of support. What was that like?
Knowing how many queer gamers there are out there and how many fellow gamers are like, “We don’t care about that, we like the fact that there’s diversity in gaming.” , that was really encouraging. ”
I think that’s great. That’s a very positive thing. So, like I said, toxic fandom isn’t the whole story of fandom. There’s a whole other side to fandom, and I think it’s really important to be aware of that. So many people want to know how important that character is to them, how much they love having the character be the main character, and it shines a light on this side of the fan base that is really passionate and loves the game. It was great to see people commenting and saying how they could guess.
What do you think about the ongoing debate about gender?
If you know anything at all, you know that LGBTQ+ people, transgender people, and non-binary people are the current scapegoats of certain political parties. Unifying the focus of the story is tragic.
But strategically, it also makes sense for people who have nothing else to bring to the table. If you’re relying on picking a minority and rallying around it, I think that should be very enlightening.
I have dealt with it in my daily life. I’m a little numb to that, but I recognize that a lot of people aren’t. It’s very shocking and very scary to see these things being perpetuated, especially at the legislative level. Because no one deserves to experience having their own rights. stripped away.
Do you have a message for children who are experiencing hate?
Our LGBTQ2IA+ youth are seeing all of this legislation passed. They know what’s going on online.
They recognize that there are people who are emboldened to increase their voice over their identities and who they are, and this can be a scary time for them. So I think it’s important to show them that there’s hope and there’s light at the end of the tunnel and that we’re not going to back down from here.
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They have a supportive community. There are influencers out there who are speaking out against this kind of thing, creating safe spaces online, and continuing to be a light and provide leadership that can be respected.
What is your message to parents? “Why do you want to be your child’s first bully?”
First of all, listen to your child as much as you can. Why do you want to be your child’s first bully?
Why do you want to be like that? If your first reaction is, “I’m cutting you off, you can’t be like this,” force the other person to be someone they’re not. It will only push the other person away from you. It will be a lifelong separation and one that will be very difficult to repair.
So even if the parents don’t necessarily agree or think this is the right thing for their child, the child is going through this situation. So no matter what you think about it, they’re experiencing it. So I think first and foremost, it’s important to listen and be a listening ear.
If your child feels like they can’t come to you…just like school rules, oh, counselors have to talk to parents about these things…maybe you’re wondering why not You should ask if your child is the kind of parent you want to talk to about such things.
Louie Villalobos is Opinion Director at Gannett. You might find him playing as a non-binary character in Call of Duty: Warzone. Because imagine being a snowflake about something like that.