AGDQ 2023 will be online due to Florida’s LGBTQ+ and COVID-19 policies

pcgamesn.com:

Charity speedrunning event AGDQ 2023 will not be held in Florida next year or at any in-person venue, although the event will go ahead virtually as it has in recent years.

The official Games Done Quick Twitter account has said that it is holding this year’s AGDQ online as it wants to provide a “safe and welcoming event,” which it believes it cannot do in Florida.

Originally, 2021’s AGDQ event was to be held at a venue in Florida, but since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the speedrunning charity’s events have been held online. Games Done Quick then cites the state of Florida’s aggression towards LGBTQ+ people and lack of COVID-19 vaccine mandates as reasons for it not wanting to the hold the event in the US state next year.

Particular mention is made of the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law in Florida, which was signed earlier this year and prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identities at primary grade levels, essentially halting these discussions around young children.

Games Done Quick then outlines how it cannot cover both the cost to cancel its contract with the venue in Florida and to relocate to another in-person venue elsewhere. So next year’s AGDQ will be online between January 8 and 15.

“While the move to online will allow us to save some on expenses, we still have considerable costs to recover,” adds Games Done Quick on Twitter. “We are looking to recover it wherever possible, including community support via Twitch subs. We thank the community for their support!”

AGDQ has been remote since 2021, with fellow charity event Summer Games Done Quick returning in-person after a two year absence earlier this year in Minnesota.

Back in June SGDQ raised an incredible $3.01 million USD for