Wizards of the Coast Deadnames Trans Employees During Magic: The Gathering Arena Union Election

Twenty-three employees affected. That's a huge screw-up. Wizards of the Coast still can't get it right, despite an initial apology, and it's clear the company needs to do more than just issue a statement to fix the harm caused by deadnaming trans employees during the Magic: The Gathering Arena union election process, a mistake that was repeated during in-person voting and has left a lasting impact on the affected individuals. No excuse.

You'll notice a real feel of inclusivity with the Magic: The Gathering Arena team, it's one of their strengths. They've got a good thing going. The team is usually honest. But in this situation, they've dropped the ball with sensitive info, which is worth mentioning, especially for a company like Wizards of the Coast, where honesty is key, and with the union election ongoing, it's a key time for them to get it right, considering the NLRB and the CWA are involved, for them, it's about getting the little things right, like using preferred names, which they could have easily done, and it's not like they didn't know, they've just messed up.

WotC Erases Trans Staff in Arena Union Vote

You'll see it's a big deal. WOTC made a mistake. They gave the NLRB a list with legal names, which outed trans employees' deadnames. It's the real feel of honesty that's lacking here. For Xib Vaine, it was very violating, like sharing personal stuff with the whole company, they've got a key issue to fix. The list was internal, so all employees saw it, that's a problem.

"It feels really comfortable [working here]. I have a lot of queer coworkers. Everyone’s an ally..."

Xib Vaine

WOTC apologized after complaints. They resent voting info with employee details on BCC for privacy. It's the real feel that matters. In the in-person vote, though, the list hadn't changed - they've still got the same issue. This meant several trans employees had to validate their legal names publicly, which is worth mentioning, and it caused them distress all over again. You'll notice the NLRB rep tried to make the next session more private, for the employees' sake, with a different verification process, it's key to respecting their privacy.

WOTC's Icy Reply to Trans Worker Claims

WOTC made a mistake. They used wrong names. You'll notice it's not the real feel they usually give. We've seen it with Magic: The Gathering Arena - they've messed up. It's key that WOTC owns up to it, they did, saying they didn't share the right names, giving the least info possible, with honesty, for compliance.

Team, As part of the ongoing union election, in early May we shared a list of employee legal names with the NLRB and CWA as part of the legal process of identifying the bargaining group that would be voting. We did not share preferred names of individuals at that time and instead opted to provide the least amount of personally identifying information as possible while complying with our obligations to provide employee information. That list of legal names was subsequently approved for use in the voting process by both the NLRB and the union representatives seeking to represent Arena workers. Last week, internally we provided voting directions to the group of employees eligible to vote and it included that same list of legal names. In our rush to provide clear voting instructions, we overlooked the use of legal names and not preferred names in this internal communication. After employees raised concerns about this use, we acted immediately, re-sent the information with employees on BCC, and apologized. Yesterday, as planned and approved in early May by the NLRB and union representatives, that list was again used in the course of on-site voting and in mail-in ballots sent by the NLRB directly to voting employees. The use of those legal names versus preferred names was part of a legal process. But we understand the emotional toll on the affected employees who may have been asked to validate their legal name rather than their preferred name, or who may receive their ballot from the NLRB addressed to their legal name in the coming days. Going forward through this process, we will approach this issue with heightened care and ensure that we use preferred names in communications wherever possible and as permitted and approved by the NLRB and CWA.

You'll notice they're talking about using the right names now. It's the real feel that matters. WOTC says they'll do it in future communications, with honesty, for the most part. They've got some conditions, though - it's all about what the NLRB and CWA allow, we've seen this before. The thing is, they didn't explain why they had to use legal names in the first place, it's worth mentioning, the NLRB is pretty flexible with this stuff, you'll see.

<strong>WotC Union Vote Reveals Deadnaming Scandal</strong>

It's bad. Xib Vaine and Kaylee Rose were affected. You'll notice they got deadnamed. The Magic: The Gathering Arena team is usually pretty cool with everyone. They had a meeting, with a formal apology, which was a good start. We've seen the team try to make things right. But with the union election, it's clear that the team's leadership and the folks from Hasbro, including the lawyers they hired, didn't quite see eye-to-eye, which is worth mentioning, and it's a key issue that needs to be addressed with honesty.

WotC's Deadnaming Backfires During Union Vote

It's done. The Magic: The Gathering Arena in-person election is over. We've got results coming on June 23. You'll get the final tally then, after they count the mail-in ballots. The real feel of Wizards of the Coast is being questioned, for good reason, with them deadnaming trans employees - that's key to the whole controversy, it's worth mentioning. They've messed up, and it's a problem, in a workplace that's supposed to be all about honesty, with employees who expect a certain level of respect.