Valorant gamers clap back at bigots as leaks tease ‘non-binary’ agent
Valorant is rumoured to be introducing a ‘non-binary’ agent, Clove. (Riot Games)
Valorant, Riot’s popular first-person shooter game, could be getting its first non-binary agent in the form of a character named Clove.
Valorleaks, a popular leaks account, posted on X/Twitter what it said was a peek at the new agent. The leak claimed that the agent’s name is Clove, and revealed their outfit, which includes various shades of blue, pink and white – the colours of the trans flag.
Clearly this alone isn’t proof of their gender identity but another established news account, ValorantUpdate, also took to X, posting an image of Clove’s hand with a butterfly perched delicately on the top of their finger with the caption: “Our new agent is non-binary.”
Even if true, Clove won’t be the first queer representation in the game, but would be the first non-cisgender agent.
What is Valorant’s history of LGBTQ+ representation?
Valorant’s first LGBTQ+ characters were Raze and Killjoy in 2022. The lesbian couple were announced with an image of them sharing a kiss.
Despite attracting a large number of fans from the LGBTQ+ community, the game has also seen other players spew homophobic, transphobic, ableist and misogynistic hate towards others simply trying to play.
And the news of the reported new representation has upset some of them again, with one user vowing: “I’m boycotting Valorant. They got purple hair and pronouns.”
But it also sparked a wave of gamers highlighting the importance of representation from minority groups in games.
X user @JaneIsLive used the opportunity to call for trans representation in multi-player horror Dead By Daylight, which has found itself at the centre of controversy over a trans character.
We hope to hear more official news about Clove next month, after Riot’s winner’s tour in Spain, the Masters Madrid.
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