We’re all familiar with the mega-event known as Comic Con, the wildly costumed affair which takes over the Convention Center for several days in July. But did you know there is a convention designed with the LGBTQ geek in mind? Bent-Con proudly acknowledges and celebrates the presence and contributions of LGBTQ creators and their “ungay” allies. The three-day event provides a safe environment where attendees can interact and build community with established as well as up-and-coming creators of comic books, games, sci-fi/fantasy/horror film-makers, writers, directors and other related visual artists.
Bent-Con 2014 presents a wide variety of panelists and guests. Panel topics range from “Wonder Woman: The Kink in the Golden Lasso”, to “Why Diversity Matters: The Interaction of Popculture and Art in Diversity and Tolerance”, to “Surviving Self-Pubbing”. Guests include best-selling author Anne Rice, Jeffrey Reddick who created the Final Destination series, novelist Marshall Thornton, and award-winning filmmaker, Rob Williams.
The fifth annual “celebration of pop culture and geekdom for everyone” happens Nov. 7 – 9 at the Los Angeles Burbank Marriott Convention Center, 2500 N. Hollywood Way in Burbank. A three day “membership” costs $60, with youth memberships for $30. Daily memberships are also available.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Michelle Lagos, Bent-Con’s director of programming and talent relations. Lagos, a self-identified queer woman with years of experience in project management and conference programming, has a passion for working with non-profit organizations. She is also a journalist and a writer under the name Gisela Lagos.
Lance Ryder: Why Bent-Con? Do LGBTQ geeks not have a home at Comic Con?
Michelle Lagos: I think LGBTQ geeks have a home everywhere, or at least they should. That’s why Bent-Con creates a safe space for everyone, regardless of how they identify, to enjoy and celebrate their individual passion. The president and founder of Bent-Con, Sean Z. Maker, is present on Comic Con panels every year, and I personally attend as many LGBTQ panels as I can during Comic Con. It’s not about taking from the Comic Con experience – it’s about expanding the reach of the LGBTQ community.
The panelists and workshops for 2014 are amazing and frankly provocative. Which guests and workshops most excite you?
Personally it’s really hard to pick. As the director of programming I become very familiar with each panel, and while sometimes my brain gets a little cluttered, I find them all fascinating. But, as a writer and a journalist, I’m very excited about the Inkslingers writers track, which takes writers from character development to self-publishing and more.
Many workshops focus on “how -to” (self-publishing, gaming, etc.) for aspiring LGBTQ artists. What would you want attendees to take away from their Bent-Con experience? Is the future bright for young LGBTQ artists?
I’ve been going to conventions for many years and they are what helped me get over serous PTSD from a domestic violence relationship. So for me the how-to’s are the heart of any convention. I see how-to panels as a gift from one creator to another. They fuel budding dreams and help move them from aspiration to being able to make their dreams happen.
I think we are in such a great place for LGBTQ artists and creators. It has never been easier to put your work out for the public to see. It’s all about networking and pushing your passion forward every day, and conventions, such as Bent-Con, help make it happen.
Bent-Con has continued to grow in popularity since its inception in 2010. What will Bent-Con look like in five years?
For me it’s not so much what Bent-Con will look like, but what the industry will become. Bent-Con is and should be a movement that helps push all creative industries into not just accepting a token LGBTQ person, but instead where having LGBTQ content, out actors and out creators is just the norm. Bent-Con is working toward diversity and equality throughout every creative industry, which includes programming, engineering, etc. We’re not just about one or two sub-cultures, we want to see the rainbow of LGBTQ geeks and sub-cultures come together.
I know there are still industries and sub-cultures that were left out this year, but not because we didn’t want them, simply because we aren’t popular in these areas yet. When everyone realizes that Bent-Con isn’t just about one topic we’ll be able to create a truly encompassing convention. We’re working on it, and in five years I truly hope we become a convention for everyone, every sub-culture, every geek, and every identification.
Bent-Con has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a target of $15,000. How can readers participate? What are the advantages of contributing?
Bent-Con is a non-profit organization run completely by a handful of volunteers. All donations are tax-deductible, but the best way to support Bent-Con and diversity is to talk about Bent-Con with everyone you know. Share a link, come to Bent-Con, visit our Web site or join our Facebook Bent-Con Community Connect Group.
Bent-Con isn’t just here to party – although partying is fun, we are here to create a cultural change in every community. To let people know that the art they love, the movies they watch, the games they play and the TV shows they follow are being produced or influenced in one way or another by people who identify as LGBTQ. It’s way past time we started celebrating that, and letting people of all ages know that we are proud of each other and they should be too.
For more information about Bent-Con, including a complete list of panels and guests, or to purchase memberships, please visit http://bent-con.org/
