[quote=@Zeroth] I disagree that it adds anything useful to supplement the character at all, because I see it as being like the corpo-pandering that says stuff like "Our game has a GAY character!" but then has no answer for "Okay, but what about this character makes them relatable, fun to play, or endearing to the audience?" In 90% of character interactions it's never going to be relevant, and it's the kind of thing that can be obvious without being stated---if a character's commentary or internal monologue notes their attraction to other characters, or two characters develop romantic chemistry through interaction, then their preferences are self-evident. The only thing I can see it being useful for in a romance-focused RP (which is really rare outside of 1x1) is to tell people at a glance who they SHOULDN'T have their PCs develop relationships with because there will be no attraction present---which I would think would ruin half the premise of a "will they won't they" plot line because you already know the answer from the beginning of the game. Having a bunch of goofy teens trip over themselves to blurt out their crushes, then get shot down because their crush isn't into them, is probably where at least 50% of the interesting character drama/development would come from in such a story. So plastering a label over everyone's head at the start to immediately take some of that "would he/she/etc accept me?" element away is probably why I've seen those RPs fall off even faster than the hordes of generic Medieval Anime Fantasy games. [/quote] Not sure about the "pandering" aspect. This is RPing. Not Hollywood. Openly allowing people to play a character of a specific orientatiom doesn't equate to "Hey we have a gay character" the way it migbt in a pre-scripted movie or show. Even if it was that way, by your outlook, wpuld it not be just as much of a pander to play a character as bi/gay or build up to a come out without explicitly mentioning it OOC? Having it openly labeled doesn't change how well a person plays the character either, and just because the people in the RP are aware of it doesn't mean the characters need to be. Rarely am I venturing into an RP and looking to throw people for any kind of loop based off of undisclosed information; not in situations like that. In my personal experience, the RPs wherein sexuality has a spot on the CS, things like relationships are planned and plotted (mostly) ahead of time anyways. So the "will they, won't they" isn't a factor OOC... usually. So being open about which way one's character(s) swing(s) becomes useful in ironing those matters out. I agree to the extent that a characters' personality should be able to stand without leaning on sexual orientation. But I don't think it inherently detracts from an RP if the option to specify it is present in the CS. I'm sure as Hell not gonna abandon an RP that I find appealing over such a minute detail of the process. But that's why it's your pet peeve and not mine.