Bioware to release first anti-lgbt(glbt) MMORPG?

Bioware is a company that has a history of telling some of the best stories in the video game world. From it's Mass Effect, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Knights of the Old Republic series, video gamers have been entertained by their fantastic brand of immersive game play complete with companions to play with and even romance.

With the exception of KOTOR, their games have been genre breaking and boundary breaking. Introducing same-sex relationships in all of their other story heavy games, with the exception of KOTOR.

Bioware has a fantastic record in it's previous games in being open minded about how it's stories develop taking into account it's entire audience.

A recent article from The Globe and Mail wrote:

"Liberal-minded gamers, meanwhile, have generally applauded BioWare’s efforts to provide more inclusive romance options. However, the precedent of offering homosexual relationships in some games has led to criticisms of other BioWare games that don’t include same-sex couplings. Mass Effect 2 didn’t offer gay relationships (though, it's worth noting, players could flirt with characters of the same gender), which forced the studio into a defensive position, explaining that different games have different needs and different character focus. But that didn’t stop some from speculating that BioWare had been forced into adhering to more “mainstream” notions concerning sexuality thanks to its new owner, Electronic Arts.

But is Star Wars: The Old Republic going to be one of those games adhering to more "mainstream" notions concerning sexuality?

SWTOR is the first attempt at a MMORPG. It is the next evolution in Bioware's KOTOR series of games. Taking the Bioware brand of story telling to the next level.

As all Bioware games, companions will play a huge role in your characters development:

While traveling the galaxy, your Companion Characters will provide commentary, information on plots and directions to points of interest-- all from their own unique perspectives. Companion Characters may act as your conscience, and try to influence your decisions. In turn, you will influence them, and change how they develop as the story progresses. Based on your choices, some Companions will become your closest friends, others may become your lovers, and a few may even become your enemies!
(Companions Overview)

"Others may become your lovers." But are all lovers equal access? This is a question that has come up again and again in the official SWTOR forums including an official poll from Bioware's Donna Prior. We know the game will have the flirt options, and that you can buy your companions gifts, but what is not publicly known is whether or not you will be able to flirt with your same-sex companions.

Why this is important, is that being able to romance through game mechanics is unprecedented in the MMO world. While no other mainstream MMO has ever encouraged LGBT relationships in game, there has never been a mechanic in place to prevent it. Even in Everquest where players were allowed to marry, same-sex marriages were happening as early as 2001. But the question that has still not officially been answered is if Bioware will allow players of the same sex as a companion "flirt" with and carry out in game romance arcs, or will Bioware prevent characters from even flirting with their companions if the companion is the same sex.

Time will tell, and the current state of the game, is in flux. We will see when Bioware officially answers the question, or when the game launches and the first time a player tries to flirt with their same sex character.