We wanted to fight homophobia in gaming, so we went on Twitch. We adapted the initiative to the platform by creating an event with major influencers streaming, but we also created a movement that many streamers appropriated. Instead of giving lectures on the LGBT cause, we adopted the Twitch codes, and turned Mario Kart’s most iconic races into a symbol of Pride. Our operation was really native, it looked like a huge Mario Kart tournament, with just one special rule: only play on the Rainbow Roads. It gave the opportunity to LGBT streamers and allies to show their Pride on

Urgence Homophobie is an association that fights against all forms of LGBT discrimination. As our world is changing, homophobia is changing too, becoming more and more digital and anonymous, giving Urgence Homophobie new issues to fight, such as the representation of LGBT online and the fight against online harassment of LGBT gamers and streamers.

They asked us to support the LGBT community in the world of gaming, increasing their representation, and create a symbolic act for Pride.

We wanted to encourage LGBT communities to support LGBT streamers, and get streamers everywhere to join our movement as a sign of tolerance and support, acting as allies.

We decided to fight homophobia right where it is, on Twitch. The day of the Parisian Pride, we created the first virtual Pride, by asking streamers to play Mario Kart, but only on the Rainbow Roads. We turned the most iconic races since the creation of the game into a symbol of Pride. We turned Twitch into the colors of the Rainbow.

You can only really reach people on a medium if you adopt their codes, and 67% of the Twitch audience are 15-35 year olds, who only get involved in native communication. So to fight homophobia on Twitch, that is what we had to do.

This is why we chose a current, popular game, partnered with one of the most followed streamers, and created a challenge that everyone could take part in. We turned Mario Kart’s Rainbow Roads into a symbol of Pride, creating the first truly virtual Pride. We partnered with NewTiteuf, a star on Twitch, for a live gaming event, streamed on Twitch and encouraged streamers to join the movement. And it was very effective.

We launched the movement with NewTiteuf, one of France’s most followed streamers (1.3 million followers), but also the most relevant. He was the first to come out publicly, and has since been a victim of homophobic attacks. He teased the operation on his social media.

We immediately received the full support of the LGBTQ+ community.

On June 26th, the day of the Parisian Pride, he hosted a live stream in the biggest French gaming room, where he played on the Rainbow Roads with other influencers. The stream went viral via their communities. Even Twitch highlighted The Pride Race on their homepage, and the media talked about our initiative. Therefore, more and more streamers joined the movement and streamed on the Rainbow Roads with their communities. The Pride Race became a truly online Pride reaching millions of people.

This operation raised awareness about LGBT gamers’ situation, and created a chain of solidarity. The LGBT community went massively onto Twitch and many streamers joined the movement. Together, they created the first virtual Pride on the Rainbow Roads, and LGBT streamers finally felt supported. Thanks to NewTiteuf, the support of Twitch and the streamers who joined us, Twitch was painted in the colors of the rainbow. The Pride Race reached 3.5 million people. Its success went beyond Twitch and generated 6.5 million media impressions. And for a day, Mario Kart was the most streamed game in France.