Prepare yourself for ranting.
(This is an old cartoon, but it suits my topic for today)
So I had fun at Space City Con this weekend, although more hanging out with my friends and people-watching than actual con activities, since I’m neither a Babylon 5 nor a Game of Thrones girl, and the panels were overwhelmingly about those two shows. Still, large gathering of nerds=fun.
There was one thing that pissed me right the hell off, though, and now you get to hear about it. I think I’ve been fairly clear that I don’t think size or colour or gender should determine cosplay opportunities, but let’s say it again — dress up as who you want & have fun, and fuck anyone too petty and narrow-minded to support you.
So, the Rebel Legion Kessel Base had a booth not far from ours in the main room, and they planned to do a Slave Leia photo shoot. I find those skeevy and gross, but sure, whatever, have fun if skeevy and gross is your thing. As it happens, the only slave Leia I saw came with the group, so I have a feeling the photo shoot was probably something of a bust. The thing that really pissed me off was that the description in the program book specifically stated that all FEMALES (their capitalization, not mine) in a Slave Leia outfit were welcome. Thanks for putting your open gender discrimination in all-caps, douchebags! It might not have caught my eye otherwise. I know for certain that there were at least a few trans or possibly crossplaying fans at the con (nope, didn’t ask them directly, because THAT”S RUDE), and what a lovely message to send them. How nice of you to make sure that they feel excluded and belittled. And, I don’t know, maybe no one from the con actually read the copy they typed into the program, but I doubt it. Surely someone could have raised the point that that listing was, at the very least, a dick move? I can’t help but wonder how they would have reacted to a fat Leia, or a Leia of colour, since they’re clearly not ok with non-traditional cosplayers.
Anyway, fuck you, Kessel Base. We, as people who have often been outcasts ourselves, should be MORE open and accepting and joyful for every fan who shares our obsessions, not less. We should be open to everyone. Why is that so hard?
Neurotic Owl 