The Real Reason Halo's Announcer Went Viral On Twitter
The announcer for the "Halo" series, Jeff Steitzer, is pretty iconic — after all, he's been the announcer in every multiplayer mode in the series (via IMDb), so if you've ever played multiplayer, then you've heard his voice. Steitzer recently went viral on Twitter after he decided to use a Cameo recording to help the "struggle of trans people."
Twitter user tanis shared a video on August 3 of Steitzer addressing the user in a Cameo video. For those not in the know, Cameo allows people to pay for short video messages from celebrities. In this case, tanis — who is trans, according to her Twitter bio — got a video from Steitzer, and Steitzer chose to respond with a lengthy speech in full support of trans rights. In the video, Steitzer says — in his infamous "Halo" voice — "trans rights," and Twitter loved it.
Steitzer explained that, in his almost 70 years of life, "the struggle of trans people reminds [him] so much of all the other struggles that [he's] been a witness to over the many years." He went on to list other marginalized groups that he's seen struggle over the years: "Black Americans ... the Asian Americans, the Hispanic individuals ... gays and lesbians and Native Americans."
In order to show his support for the trans community, he explained, he wanted to say "trans rights" in the place of the standard "Halo" voice lines he normally records. He ended the video by specifically addressing the trans community: "You are all un-freaking-believable."
Not only have "Halo" fans reacted enthusiastically to the message, but even Xbox joined in on the celebration.
Fans loved Steitzer's message
The official Xbox account tweeted, "He's absolutely right," providing its own support for the trans community at the same time.
People in the Twitter thread following the Cameo clip were beyond pleased to hear these words from Steitzer. One user was over the moon with excitement at being called "un-freaking-believable." Others were just happy to hear some love and support for a community that's not represented often in the gaming industry. There was even talk about how this specific Cameo "feels genuine" when compared to other, similar videos.
User @TerrorIncognita responded with a video from Steve Downes, most famous for voicing Master Chief (via IMDb), that also raised awareness and gave support to the trans community. In the video, Downes said, "Trans rights are human rights. Master Chief out."
As noted by publications such as Fast Company, the LGBTQIA+ community rarely sees significant support within the video game industry. When support or representation is shown for trans gamers — whether it's in short Cameo videos or in modern platformers like "Celeste" — it's exciting to see.
The love and support that the "Halo" community was given here is enough to make everyone else even more jealous of the upcoming installment "Halo Infinite" — and don't worry, Jeff Steitzer will still be the announcer in multiplayer. Fans might even hear him in the leaked battle royale mode.