According to an Associated Press (AP) report, a 26-year-old gamer, Josh Moore, from Fort Gay, West Virginia, was suspended by Microsoft after he listed his location - “fort gay WV” - in his Xbox Live profile. As per the report, Microsoft though that Moore’s listing of the location was a crude and pejorative slur!

The mix up of sorts resulted from the fact that Fort Gay, which till 1932 was called Cassville, is a little-known town that lies on the banks of the Big Sandy and tug Fork rivers. The town, as per the 2000 census, had only about 800 residents.

Talking about the suspension, Moore, an unemployed factory worker, told AP: “At first I thought, ‘Wow, somebody's thinking I live in the gayest town in West Virginia or something.’ I was mad. ... It makes me feel like they hate gay people.”

Moore, however, complained about the suspension to Microsoft customer service; and even told the seemingly unconvinced Microsoft employee to Google the city's ZIP code – 25514 – to confirm the location. But, the employee refused.

Incidentally, even when the mayor of Fort Gay tried to mediate in the clash between Moore and Microsoft, he was apparently told that the use of the word ‘gay’ “was inappropriate in any context.”

Finally, once it was fully confirmed that Fort Gay was a real place with real people, Microsoft tendered an apology for the mix up, and promised to “make it right”!