Gay esports champion SonicFox announces LGBT charity marathon stream

The fighting game esports community hasn’t had a stellar go of it as of late, but one of its most popular and positive members is planning a charity event that should bring back those good vibes.

Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, fresh off his Mortal Kombat 11 championship win at Evo 2019, will hold a charity stream on his Twitch channel to benefit a number of charities focused on LGBTQ people and people of color.

SonicFox announced his plan via Twitter last week. “I am planning on doing a practically 48-72 hour-ish or so nightmare charity stream next week,” wrote SonicFox, adding, “I will be donating all proceeds to at least 3 LGBTQ+ charities and will be streaming MK9-MK11 Story Modes! Blow it up!”

The stream is set to get underway on August 23 at 5PM EST and last between 48 to 72 hours. SonicFox pointed to a similar marathon charity stream held by popular YouTuber Harris “Hbomberguy” Brewis as inspiration for the event. Brewis raised $340,000 for U.K.-based trans youth non-profit Mermaids back in January during a 57-hour long live stream in which he attempted a 101% completion run of Donkey Kong 64. The broadcast drew the attention of celebrities and political figures alike, highlighted by a guest appearance by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The impact of having guests on during the stream was prescient on SonicFox’s mind as well. He plans to have a number of LGBTQ figures, both within the gaming community and beyond, to discuss LGBTQ rights, growing up LGBTQ and to have some fun battling back the forces of Outworld. “I definitely am gonna be inviting hella people onto the stream big or small to talk about their lives and experiences, etc, about growing up LGBTQ+ [and] stuffs,” he wrote.

SonicFox hasn’t named all of the charities his trek through the Mortal Kombat saga will benefit just yet. The Trevor Project is the only one that has been named outright to date. But he put out the call for suggestions on charities, especially those that impact LGBTQ people of color and the trans community, to add. “If you have a good charity for POC LGBTQ+ peeps and a good charity for trans rights that’d be hella helpful for me to look into,” he wrote.

Oddly enough, SonicFox’s stream will begin on the same day as another charity stream held by YouTuber Oliver Thorn, the creator of the “Philosophy Tube” YouTube channel. Thorn’s Twitch stream will benefit Samaritans, a non-profit that promotes suicide prevention and awareness. While SonicFox’s stream will feature fighting game action, Thorn plans to read through the complete works of William Shakespeare.

SonicFox’s marathon Mortal Kombat stream should be a good time for all. Hitching an extremely good cause onto it makes it that much better. No matter how long it lasts, it should be a fun time that will promote a large number of LGBTQ voices and experiences. Here’s hoping SonicFox can replicate the success of Brewis’ stream, nay go further.