Panel at Gen Con Goes Awry, Backlash Begets Harassment

Comic conventions have a reputation for having reputations. Some of them are good: A convention is a place where thousands of people who have been picked on and bullied their whole lives for being nerds can come together to celebrate their fandoms openly. Some of them are bad: If you’re a woman or a minority, you’re probably still going to encounter at least some bullying or harassment. This is not to say that being a geek is still the same tired, old boys club it used to be, but women and minorities still often have to prove themselves before being taken seriously as a “real” geek, and representation is still something we have to fight for. This is why seeing panel discussions about diversity and representation in comics, movies, gaming, etc. at a convention has such a deep meaning. Recently, however, one such panel at the well-respected Gen Con in Indianapolis (you may remember earlier this year when the convention threatened to leave Indiana over their ‘Religious Freedom Bill’) has received quite a bit of controversy.

From the moment it was announced, the Writing Women Friendly Comics panel at Gen Con was getting press. While the panel sounded both interesting and compelling, it lacked a pretty essential component – women. The panel moderator, Bill Willingham, author of Fables comics (a series praised for its inclusiveness and popularity with female readers), and every other panelist were male. Thankfully, after The Mary Sue brought this issue to light, female writers Delilah Dawson and Alina Pete were added to the panel. It felt a lot like a win. Rejoicing occurred. At least, that is, until the panel actually happened.

Apparently, Willingham took issue with the panel being modified, and was not at all shy about voicing his contempt. From the moment he opened the panel, Willingham set the tone by making his feelings about The Mary Sue’s article crystal clear:

“This is NOT a women in comics panel…A certain rabble-rousing website with no journalistic integrity whatsoever tried to redefine this as a women in comics panel…”

From there, he moderated the panel with an iron fist: repeatedly interrupting any woman who spoke, refusing to call on women or people of color for audience questions, and defensively rebutted any mention of male, white privilege. Several first-hand accounts of the panel from shocked audience members immediately began popping up online. One in particular, a blog post by Candice Huber, has not only been shared repeatedly, but has caught the attention of journalists and internet trolls alike. In addition to being a woman and a geek, Huber also happens to be the owner of the popular, geek-centric bookstore, Tubby & Coo’s in New Orleans (you can read more about the bookstore in the article I wrote when they opened). She was so upset by Willingham’s behavior at the panel that she has made the decision as a small business owner to pull his books off her shelves. I spoke with Huber to get a bit of clarification on her decision and how it’s been received:

MechaCon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

One of New Orleans' largest nerd-centric conventions, MechaCon entices anime fans, gamers, scifi/fantasy geeks, and everything in between to converge on downtown New Orleans in a colorful display of pastel wigs and impossibly oversized weapons. This year's convention took place during a weekend of shared events and heat advisories. Thankfully, the oppressive, Southern heat didn't seem to scare anyone off, and the convention was full of great vendors, impressive cosplay, and even a few games.

Harassment is Alive and Well at MomoCon

Since it's creation in 2005, Atlanta's MomoCon has grown to be one of the largest anime conventions in the Country. According to their webpage, this all-ages convention prides itself on being a welcoming and fun environment for everyone:  

"From parents bringing their curious “young’uns” to the most dedicated old-skoolers, everyone is welcome.  Based out of Atlanta, extending Southern Hospitality is important to us.  We would like everyone to enjoy what we do best: having fun!"

For many attendees, however, the harassment they experienced at MomoCon made the convention far from hospitable. One cosplayer in particular, Luna Lanie, took to YouTube to share her experience and the reaction she received from security and the convention organizers:

How to Not be a Creeper (Cosplay Edition)

I was recently added to a fantastic social media group for female geeks, with a heavy emphasis on cosplay. In addition to the serious levels of talent the ladies in this group have, there is also an incredible level of support for one another. It's inspiring (to say the least), but it also means I've been reading several stories from group members who are struggling with issues like online harassment and stalking. All I want to do for these women is wrap them up under a wing of protection, find the individuals responsible for their pain, and cleanse them with fire.

Clearly, though, that's not an option (also, possibly not the healthiest of reactions). Instead, let's try to discuss this like rational human beings, ok? Ok, here we go:

The Open Harassment of Geek Women is Absolutely a Thing

Internet trolling is not new. Nor is it exclusive to women. Those facts, however, do not mean that it is any less important to discuss it. There is an alarming amount of vitriol and hate pouring out of every nook and cranny aimed directly at women who dare to refer to themselves as geeks, and (even worse) decide to openly speak about their fandom. This happens regardless of what these women are speaking about, but it is particularly harsh and abundant if/when a woman speaks critically about an aspect of gaming or comics. Recently, I had a rather disturbing back and forth on Twitter with a guy who apparently saw nothing wrong with the Milo Manara Spider-Woman variant cover. It seems that some guys still feel the need to mansplain just how much women everywhere have over-reacted to the now infamous cover art (often completely misunderstanding or blatantly ignoring why we’re upset about it). In this particular instance, the guy started off with a common argument: claiming that she’s supposed to be posed like a spider. When I pointed out just how not spider-like the pose is, his true feelings quickly emerged in a string of tweets that essentially called my intelligence, knowledge of the subject, and even my own sexuality into question:

IT LIVES!! (NYCC Anti-Harassment Policy)

It's official, cats and kittens! Not too long ago, I posted about a fantastic panel I had been invited to join by The Mary Sue to co-author the Anti-Harassment Policy for New York Comic Con. Well, ReedPOP (the event organizers) apparently liked our policy so much that they will be using it for ALL of their conventions from now on!

Along with the great ladies at The Mary Sue, the panel consisted of the following (shamelessly stolen from The Mary Sue because their formatting was flawless):

• Rachel Edidin, RachelEdidin.com, @RaeBeta
• Eris Walsh, She Geeks and @SheGeeksBlog
• Nicole Stark, M.A. Candidate, Facebook
• Mark Oshiro, @MarkDoesStuff
• Siobhan P. Lynch
• Tina Beychok, Founder and Resident Loudmouth, Backup Ribbon Project,@backupribbon
• Ivy Noelle Weir, Women Write About Comics, Tumblr, @ivynoelle

I was honored to have been invited onto the panel with so many incredible people. Everyone was a delight to work with, and it was lovely to share ideas and work together so seamlessly. I cannot suggest strongly enough that you check out the others on this panel; they all do wonderful work!

The policy itself can be found on the NewYork Comic Con's webpage, here, or via The Mary Sue's article, here.

Some Exciting Announcements:

Thank you to the Super Guillory Brothers for having me on their show to discuss common issues facing female geeks!

Thankfully I haven't had to endure the kind of abuse and harassment wonderful people like Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency is currently experiencing as a backlash for her fantastic video series about the (often harmful) representations of women in gaming, Tropes vs Women, but we have all felt varying levels of harassment throughout our lives. Such instances are why I created She-Geeks and work to shine a much needed spotlight on women's issues in geek culture.

This is why I am also delighted to announce that I have been invited by The Mary Sue to join a panel created to author the new harassment policy for New York Comic Con (and possibly all ReedPOP conventions)! I am honored to have been asked to participate, and am excited to work with other, like-minded individuals to help keep conventions a safe place for ALL geeks!

For those of you enjoying Dragon*Con back in my hometown, stay safe and have a blast! I'd love to hear about your experiences and maybe see some of the fantastic cosplay I know the Atlanta crowd is capable of!