If you are familiar with the gaming community, or even just the feminist community, Anita Sarkeesian most likely is not a stranger to you. However, if she is, here is a brief rundown: Sarkeesian is a Canadian-American who has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a master’s degree in social and political thought. She is a very well known media critic, blogger, and feminist, with a well known video blog, “Feminist Frequency” which includes the video series, “Tropes v. Women in Video Games”. She was also the first woman to have ever received the “Game Developers Choice Award” in 2014. Because of all the publicity of her work in studying and criticizing misogyny and female representation in video games, Sarkeesian is no newbie to receiving threats, especially frightening ones from many people within the gaming community who disagree with her strong convictions.
With that being said, Sarkeesian received by far the most terrifying and ruthless threat thus far in her career on Tuesday, October 14th, 2014. Sarkeesian was scheduled to speak about her work and studies on October 15th at Utah State University, until the school received an email promising extreme violence against Sarkeesian, all feminists at USU, but anyone attending the event. The man who wrote the email wrote that it would be “the deadliest school shooting in American history,” and that he would carry out a “Montreal Massacre-style attack,” if Sarkeesian did not agree to cancel her speech. He got incredibly specific as well, adding to the fear, claiming, “I have at my disposal a semi-automatic rifle, multiple pistols, and a collection of pipe bombs.” USU and authorities are not positive as to whether this threat came from GamerGate, an angry, online movement that wants stricter policies for journalists in specific relation to “political correctness” in writing about games. GamerGate has a history of making rape and death threats at many women in the gaming industry and even forced developer Zoe Quinn to leave altogether.
As of right now, it is believed that the person who made the threat is just a very enraged USU student, based off this part of his email: “We live in a nation of emasculated cowards too afraid to challenge the vile, misandrist harpies who seek to destroy them,” he claimed. “Feminism has taken over every facet of our society, and women like Sarkeesian want to punish us for even fantasizing about being men. This is why I’ve chosen to target her. Anita Sarkeesian is everything wrong with the feminist woman, and she is going to die screaming like the craven little whore that she is if you let her come to USU. I will write my manifesto in her spilled blood, and you will all bear witness to what feminist lies and poison have done to the men of America.”
Due to the open carry gun law in the state of Utah, USU was going to allow people with permits to bring their guns into the venue, regardless of the threatening email. While Sarkeesian was willing to continue the speech if USU agreed to use a metal detector on attendees and forbid firearms inside, the school would not agree, forcing her to cancel in order to ensure everyone’s safety. Sarkeesian took to twitter, saying, “Forced to cancel my talk at USU after receiving death threats because police wouldn’t take steps to prevent concealed firearms at the event.” However, even after all of these horrifying threats against her, Sarkeesian continued and remained being an admirable woman and feminist, sticking to her strong convictions despite the fear she must have felt. “I’m safe,” she tweeted. “I will continue my work. I will continue speaking out. The whole game industry must stand up against the harassment of women.”
Read more about the incident and related incidents targeting women in the gaming industry in this New York Times article: Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign
Watch Stephen Colbert‘s interview with Sarkeesian below: