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The issues of representation in the LGBTQ+ wargaming community have been stirring for years, but recent events, especially including a certain paragraph in Games Workshop’s Horus Heresy book, have brought them to a head.

We wanted to take a deep dive into LGBTQ+ wargaming issues, so this week I’m interviewing several members of that community.

Today, we’re interviewing Hazel, known on Twitter as @butchturtle generally goes by FishyHazel (due to her love of Deepkin). She’s a trans woman (she/her) and identifies as queer. She says, “Generally I’m attracted to masc women, nb people and trans men but I enjoy a cis men from time to time! I’m also white and British.”

How Did You Get Into the Wargaming Hobby?

Hazel: So I guess two stories… First one I was about 7 years old and my dad woke me up after my sister had gone to bed so that we could play HeroQuest. I think he was a little disappointed that I picked the elf as my character! Secondly when I was at boarding school, we had to pick an evening “club” activity. They were all like very manly man type things, like golf or air rifles or whatever. Warhammer was the only one that didn’t scare me and had the plus that none of my bullies were attending. They wouldn’t let me paint my space marines pink so I just started collecting goblins because I thought they were cute. I’ve been a fantasy player ever since!

The Horus Heresy Statement

The Wargame Explorer: I want to talk about the recent Horus Heresy statement that Space Marines need “The hormonal and biological make-up of the human male”. What message do you think this sends to the community? How did you feel when you read it?

Hazel: Oh my god! I was like “are these guys for real?”. There are several reasons this sucked.

In the UK we’ve been dealing with moral panic and hostility towards trans people that’s been escalating for a few years now. What they put in that book is the exact same kind of language and argument used to call us trans girls “biological males” and imply we’re all predators.

There are no male or female hormones, we’ve all got the same stuff in different levels and it’s pretty flexible. It’s bad science and only used by bigots who are trying to justify misogyny or transphobia.

The other issue is we know 40k has a problem with intolerance. This just adds fuel to those taking pride in gatekeeping the hobby and is taken as an endorsement for keeping any minority group out the hobby.

Female Space Marines

The Wargame Explorer: We have long heard talk about better representation within the Space Marines. Why do you think we see female Stormcast Eternals and female Imperial Guard and female Leagues of Votann, but no female Space Marines?

Hazel: I think with AoS we had a real hard reset of the setting and all the baggage that WHFB had carried. It’s given creators the chance to build diversity into the lore from the start. The starter set gave us Khorne models who weren’t all white, then we had a big sylvaneth release with a focus on Alarielle as a major player in the story. Since then it’s gotten better and better, largely AoS fans like the game because of that diversity and see it as a plus.

That attitude is starting to trickle into 40k now, especially as GWs staff become more diverse, but I suspect there might be old guard fighting hard to keep space marines all male.

It has to change though. If 40k is going to keep being focused on space marines, and they want to live in the 21st century, they need to do something. Demographics are getting more diverse, not less. If they like money they need to bring women, queers and people of colour into the game.

Warhammer Is For Everyone

The Wargame Explorer: Games Workshop has famously said “Warhammer is for everyone”. Do you think that Games Workshop is being sincere, or is it a marketing message?

Hazel: Games Workshop is owned by shareholders and the upper management is accountable to them. Ultimately all they care about is profit for those shareholders. They care in so much as it’s beneficial for them to expand the customer base and generate more profit. From that perspective they are playing the balancing game of trying to bring more people into the hobby, whilst keeping their loyal base happy. Liberation and representation for minority groups is never going to be top down.

You also have to remember that those creating the game are actual human beings with a lot of passion for their work. The frontline and creative staff includes women, queers and people of colour. I’m sure they are fighting really hard to bring that representation into the game.

What Makes You Pessimistic About the Wargaming Hobby?

Hazel: I wouldn’t say that I have the energy to be pessimistic about the hobby, there is too much scary big stuff right now. That said if I had to pick one thing…

The escalating costs. Warhammer has always been a white cishet middle class hobby, but it doesn’t have to be. GW have made the choice to keep pushing for above inflation price rises over the last few years, despite record profits. It’s fine if you’re a hardcore fan and already invested, but how does a working class kid of a single mum get into the game when an army costs hundreds of pounds?

What Makes You Optimistic About the Wargaming Hobby?

Hazel: The rise of 3d printing. It’s affordable and allows artists, storytellers and all kinds of creators to put their stuff out there direct to the fans. If you sub to 3d print Patreon, the middle man takes 10%, but otherwise that money is going directly to the artists. Shareholders and upper management aren’t taking these big cuts out of the creative labour of others. Plus the artists retain ownership of their creations. It’s a model for what art and hobby looks like in a post-capitalist world.

What Message Would You Send to Games Workshop?

Hazel: Pay your staff better wages. Publicly credit your writers, artists, sculptors and rules teams. If you are relying on resources created by the community, such as event stats, to help make your games then give credit and thanks too.

P.S. send me free stuff and hire me as a playtester xxx.

P.S.S. Also more Idoneth!