Somebody get Fox News on the horn, they’ll want to hear this: Following the trend it set in the Dragon Age series, Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 will allow same-sex romantic pairings for game hero Commander Shepard.

Depending on player choice, Shepard can be male or female. Female Shepards were able to have same-sex romances in the first two games but this will be the first time a male Shepard can do so, too. Mass Effect Executive Producer Casey Hudson tweeted the news to his faithful followers. As with previous games, your relationships will develop through conversations and storyline choices.

While Microsoft may preach tolerance throughout its Xbox Live service, that message must not have applied to Teresa, an Xbox Live player who, according to Kotaku, had her account canceled based on her admission that she was a lesbian.

A disrespectful action, to be sure, and one that she did not take lying down. Teresa expressed her anger in a letter to Consumerist.

Microsoft, for its part, has taken similar actions for individuals with questionable XBL names…