Gaylaxicon is in its 11th year of bringing together lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sci-fi fans and the annual convention hits Minneapolis this weekend for the first time. This year features writer Andy Mangels, author Margaret Weis, painter Marc DeBauch, writer and editor Lawrence Schimel and DC Comics writer Terrance Griep.
For many in the Twin Cities, Gaylaxicon will be their first sci-fi convention. One of the local event organizers, Jason Tucker, shares an inside look at the convention, why you should attend and what you should expect from Gaylaxicon.
Gaylaxicon is an opportunity to let your inner geek shine. We all have our secret nerdiness that we hide from other people, whether it’s reading comics on the sly, playing World of Warcraft late into the night, or having an addiction to Heroes, Lost or Buffy on DVD. It’s ironic that so many in the LGBT community are interested in Sci-Fi, but instead of embracing that, the gay nerd is almost an outcast amongst outcasts. Have you ever been flirting with a cute guy, and it’s going well until you mention that you read comics? The eyes glaze over, the shutters come down. Of course, that same cute guy has probably watched every big budget super-hero movie that’s come out recently. I’d say it’s harder to come out as a geek among gays, than a gay among straights. At Gaylaxicon, you don’t have to worry about that.
Gaylaxicon is the place to be, whether you’re a hardcore fan, who watches every movie, every tv show, and reads everything, or the casual fan who just has a crush on the new James Kirk. There will be people who you can geek out with about the latest episode of Smallville or Dollhouse, you can introduce people to your favourite author, and get in heated discussions over whether Dark Knight ruined or reinvented Batman. Even if you just want to hang out with people without hangups, Gaylaxicon is a much better atmosphere for that than the bar.
The Twin Cities has a huge fan community, with a large number of those fans being a part of the LGBT community as well. The other sci-fi conventions are great, but they don’t provide the LGBT content that we’re craving. When you have four days of nearly non-stop programming, and there is only one or two hours of panels that are of interest to the GLBT fan, there’s something missing. Gaylaxicon fills that void. Whether it’s a panel based around GLBT characters, or just viewing sci-fi from the queer perspective, we have what the other conventions lack.
Even if you’re not really interested in the panels, we’ll have tons of games available for attendees to play, the ConSuite where you can relax and enjoy all the tasty food available, the Chocolate Symposium for people to bring and share their favourite chocolate, the Saturday night Cabaret (which includes a dessert buffet), and the film room, with a Sunday night special film event. I’ll also mention the parties that numerous people will be hosting in the convention hotel!
Visit galaxicon2009.org for more information about this weekend’s event.