GaymerCon: Everybody Games
So, I thought that the Readercon harassment conversation itself was amazingly useful, and would have remained so on its own merits even if it had stopped at the two year ban, because this talk was happening out in the light of day instead of being brushed aside and hidden as has so often happened with harassment incidents in the past. I was even more amazed when the board resigned, giving the con a chance to heal, but during that whole discussion I thought, "So, what cons get it right? What if I want to go to a con that's explicitly a safe space? Who runs those?"*
Enter GaymerCon, a Kickstarter that ends August 31 for a con to take place in San Francisco August 3-4, 2013:
We will also have events and activities that target other areas of geek and tech culture besides gaming. From tabletop gaming to geek chic, from panels by tech leaders to cosplay and live music- we hope to have something for everyone.
Oh look! A laundry list of lots of things I love! But I'm cis and straight**. Would I be intruding?
We want to be clear this isn’t just for gay white dudes either. We want all genders, races, and sexual identities including our straight friends and allies to come together and have a gay, geeky good time. We believe very strongly that creating a space like this is not only important for building a strong community, but also showing new generations of gaymers that there are others like them out there, they are not alone, and there is a welcoming place for them, not just at GaymerCon, but as part of the larger gaming community.
LGBTQ people get even more crap from the more recidivist parts of the gaming/geek communities than I do as a woman, and I am sick of it. I'm actually quite comfortable at my friendly local gaming cons, and I hope everyone else is regardless of their gender identity or orientation, but even still, an explicit safe space is a great thing, offers more cons for everyone, and this con is specifically also covering computer gaming, something the gaming cons usually don't. Maybe this can be my PAX?
Anyone on my flist planning to go to this one?
*Please suggest others! Who's got real harassment policies nowadays? Who takes this seriously and doesn't have the con-runners wringing their hands about how stopping harassment will somehow Outlaw Flirting Forever? Who has good guest diversity and panels that aren't afraid to bring up minority viewpoints? Particularly in Northern CA, though we might be able to range farther afield at some point, and I'd like to cheer them on even if they are far away.
**ish. Or less succinctly, pansexual but monogamous with a man so not only having straight privilege but never having had any struggles over orientation. I used to identify as straight because it was just simpler, but now I identify as pansexual (gender isn't binary) but don't feel like I can speak for LGBTQ issues because of my effectively straight life. I do want to be a good ally.
Enter GaymerCon, a Kickstarter that ends August 31 for a con to take place in San Francisco August 3-4, 2013:
We will also have events and activities that target other areas of geek and tech culture besides gaming. From tabletop gaming to geek chic, from panels by tech leaders to cosplay and live music- we hope to have something for everyone.
Oh look! A laundry list of lots of things I love! But I'm cis and straight**. Would I be intruding?
We want to be clear this isn’t just for gay white dudes either. We want all genders, races, and sexual identities including our straight friends and allies to come together and have a gay, geeky good time. We believe very strongly that creating a space like this is not only important for building a strong community, but also showing new generations of gaymers that there are others like them out there, they are not alone, and there is a welcoming place for them, not just at GaymerCon, but as part of the larger gaming community.
LGBTQ people get even more crap from the more recidivist parts of the gaming/geek communities than I do as a woman, and I am sick of it. I'm actually quite comfortable at my friendly local gaming cons, and I hope everyone else is regardless of their gender identity or orientation, but even still, an explicit safe space is a great thing, offers more cons for everyone, and this con is specifically also covering computer gaming, something the gaming cons usually don't. Maybe this can be my PAX?
Anyone on my flist planning to go to this one?
*Please suggest others! Who's got real harassment policies nowadays? Who takes this seriously and doesn't have the con-runners wringing their hands about how stopping harassment will somehow Outlaw Flirting Forever? Who has good guest diversity and panels that aren't afraid to bring up minority viewpoints? Particularly in Northern CA, though we might be able to range farther afield at some point, and I'd like to cheer them on even if they are far away.
**ish. Or less succinctly, pansexual but monogamous with a man so not only having straight privilege but never having had any struggles over orientation. I used to identify as straight because it was just simpler, but now I identify as pansexual (gender isn't binary) but don't feel like I can speak for LGBTQ issues because of my effectively straight life. I do want to be a good ally.