For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,186
you were announced as a new dev, I didn't think anything of it. Not until the crap started being posted on the forums. There I was, crying in my room as I read the horrible stuff people were saying about people like us. And then your post popped up. The one where you introduced yourself. Right there at the top, you proudly said you were trans.
Since then, I've watched all of the devs, and I've kinda been stalking you online. Every article about you, I've read. Seeing you be so upfront and proud of being trans was that little push I needed. So, last night, I sat my parents down and came out to them. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever done, but they said they'd guessed, and now I'm going to be starting hormones and beginning my transition. When I go back to school next year, I'll be enrolled as a girl!
This is just me letting you know that I never would've done it if it wasn't for you! I've never met another trans person. I don't know anyone else to talk to about this, but I'm going to figure it out. I mean, today my mom bought me some makeup and she helped me paint my nails! Probably sounds stupid, but I guess I figured that if anyone could understand, it would be you.
Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you for giving me hope that I can do this. Thank you for being the reason I no longer have to lie.
Just, thank you for being you.
Leila
Rhaven read the whole thing with tears in her eyes, but as soon as she reached the last line, she pushed her chair back, stood, and headed to the front. The picture now made sense. It was Leila's first day out as a girl. The first day of her new life, and all because she'd realized she wasn't alone. All because of such a little thing, like Rhaven admitting that she was trans. Oh, she hadn't been brave when she'd written that post. She'd been mad and lashing out. She'd been passive aggressive all over it, just like she'd been when she'd told her friends she had a dick so bluntly, but it had helped someone.
Her being a mess - a complete fuckup in some ways - had changed someone else's life because Rhaven had been given the support to tell her own truth. Now Leila was able to start living hers, and who knew how many others were in the forums right now doing the same. How many of them were seeing nothing but the hate, though? How many people thought they were still alone?
Without slowing, Rhaven headed right to Chance's office and knocked on the door. "Come," he called from the other side.
She opened the door and stuck her head in. "I need to do a press conference."
He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. "Come in." Then he gestured to a chair. "What are you thinking?"
"The forums are filled with hate," she told him. "The news is showing pictures of those protestors, right?"
He pointed to the other side of the room where a muted TV was showing the news. "They're also running our prepared statement, but yes."
The screen was filled with the mob outside the gates. The Deviant Games logo could be seen on the front of the building in the background, but it was easy to miss behind all the signs. And along the bottom of the screen ran a banner talking about whether or not this would be the end of Deviant Games.
"The end?" she asked.
Chance waved that off. "It's sensational. At most, we'll see a slight dip in subscriptions, and then more will come in to take their place. In the end, it'll work as a lot of free advertising, and we'll end up doing better than when we started. Before you ask, no, that's not why I hired you."
"Then why did you?" she asked.
Chance leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Because Dez told me to. Now, her reasons? Because no matter who hit you, you always found a way to stand back up. Because you have skills we need and a personality that works with the team. Because she sees something in you, Rhaven, and I don't ask questions when she's this adamant about it. There's a reason she's called a god to gaming. That woman lives and breathes for this stuff, and she's twice as good as