Maybe the Assassin's Creed: Unity thing hits home a little bit more (especially with the 'historically accurate' argument) because when I was younger I always wanted to join a Napoleonic War Reenactment society.
Most wouldn't let you join until you were at least 16, and few would let you use the muskets unless you were 18 for insurance purposes.
When I was old enough I finally started applying to societies. Eager to join and be a soldier with a gun, I had no interest being a woman who stayed around the camp. I wanted to fight and fire guns and wear the nice uniform.
All the societies said I couldn't be a soldier. The reason? I was female and it wasn't historically accurate for women to be soldiers during the Napoleonic wars.
Some suggested I work in the camp. I said I didn't want to. I also said that some women did fight in the Napoleonic Wars, and even cited some examples.
Again, the excuse was; it wasn't historically accurate for a woman to be soldiers in OUR regiment.
I told them I would play a boy. Not being a girl character dressed as a boy. But just be a boy during the reenactment. Again they said no.
The reason? It would ruin the immersion.
These excuses seem awfully familiar. History is apparently exclusively a boys club.
The most upsetting thing was that I had never experienced anyone outright telling me I couldn't do something based on my gender. That literally what I was born as, something I can't help is the reason I can't do something. I just felt so helpless. This was supposed to be something fun. Something I've always wanted to do as a fun hobby. And purely what I am is why I can't do it. Why?
And yet again I'm hearing the same excuses. This time used for a video game about parkour assassins, using modern tech devices that didn't even exist in history. Oh right, women can't be assassin's because of historical accuracy and it would ruin people's immersion.
It has always stuck with me, and still upsets me when I think about it, and probably has something to do with why in a larping system that promotes gender equality I still don't feel comfortable playing a girl running around and fighting. Because it would ruin people's immersion.
[Seriously, Empire and PD are fantastic about promoting gender equality and are very serious about stamping out any sexism that might occur. For me, it really is a comfort thing.]
People have reasons to be angry about this whole ACU thing. This is only part of it. But it has seriously affected me since.
