EA Executives Make Statements Supporting Trans Rights

Respawn Entertainment head Vince Zampella and The Sims executive Lyndsay Pearson have both made statements in support of the rights of women and transgender people amid internal pressure on Electronic Arts to make a statement of its own.

"Trans rights are human rights. It is as simple as that," Zampella tweeted Tuesday. "Respawn has grown on the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion that strives to uphold those values. Let's be better humans."

Pearson expressed similar sentiments in her own tweet.

"Women's rights are human rights. Transgender rights are human rights. Maxis and @TheSims value diversity, equality and inclusion in our core and we strive to bring this to life through our teams and our work. We see you and we stand with you," she wrote.

The tweets come after an internal roundtable discussion at EA, Kotaku reports, in which employees once again pressed EA leadership to make a statement in support of women's rights and transgender rights.

The stakes are high for both groups. The Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, per a preliminary decision that leaked last month, and anti-trans legislation and enforcement continues to grow nationwide, with Texas governor Greg Abbott leading the charge by classifying gender-affirming treatment as child abuse.

EA has previously told employees it would avoid making a definitive statement on the issues because of divergent opinions within the company.

"These are incredibly complex personal issues and part of being an inclusive company means being inclusive of all those points of view," Chief People Officer Mala Singh reportedly said at an internal company town hall last week. EA's chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer, Asha George, and Chief Operating Officer for EA Studios, Kate Kellogg, continue to toe that line.

The games industry has seen varied responses to the latest round of attacks on women's rights and trans rights. Sony ordered studios not to comment on the Supreme Court leak, but matched a $50,000 donation made by Insomniac to a charity supporting abortion rights. Bungie and Certain Affinity, on the other hand, made forceful statements in support of women's rights and trans rights.