In contrast to the pandemic doldrums of last year, the Seattle Convention Center and surrounding buildings were swept up last weekend in a storm of geeks, gamers, and cosplayers during Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) 2022, and the venue was more than prepared.
Aside from a universal mask requirement (with "mask stewards" to enforce it and provide spares), everything had returned to a pre-pandemic bustle. The halls were lively and the panels popular, and yet there was clearly a conscious effort by most attendees to keep distance from others while indoors.
Best of all, the Queer presence was increased tenfold. According to leading convention staff, most Queer organizations and speakers had been understandably reluctant or unable to attend in 2021, which meant only a few events that year were oriented toward LGBTQ issues and the community.
This year, the opposite was true, and I had my work cut out for me as a journalist for a Queer paper. There were multiple relevant panels each day, sometimes back to back — to say nothing of Artist Alley, which was both a gauntlet and a scavenger hunt of Queer artists and their stunning work. I only learned near the convention's end that at least one mainstay of ECCC's queerness was actually missing this year, that being the burlesque shows during the official afterparties.
Actors famous for Taiko Waititi's unabashedly Queer comedies, like the paranormal What We Do in the Shadows and the pirate series Our Flag Means Death, were present to sign autographs and answer fan questions.
Our Flag Means Death in particular was at least mentioned during most panels, not just as a source of Queer joy but an example of how the passion of a fandom can get a show renewed. Our Flag's Tumblr community is thriving with fan art and GIF sets, and the actors present — Nathan Foad, Con O'Neill, and Kristian Nairn — saw their slots for autographs and photo ops all but sold out by the time the convention had begun.
Panels, panels, panels
Meanwhile the Queer panelists had a diverse set of perspectives and a strong intersectional awareness, which made discussions about Queer media, representation, and industry discrimination especially fruitful.
Writer L.L. McKinney, who is Black and Queer, emphasized the need for allies that are "accomplices" rather than bystanders, both generally and in an industry that often demands that marginalized creators censor certain identities in their work. That censorship, she said, often takes the form of a sacrifice or fragmentation, performing one marginalized identity while masking the other.
What could we do as consumers outside the industry, then? Request Queer books at libraries and bookstores, McKinney said, and buy the books if you can. Become friends with your local bookstore's manager, and keep those marginalized authors and subjects in their consciousness. Finally, if a creator's work resonates with you, reach out and let them know; they will always appreciate it, and it might be the motivation they need to keep creating.
And as for the string of anti-LGBTQ book bans in public schools across the country, McKinney called for showing up to town halls and PTA meetings, because the people advocating for the bans are far outnumbered, she said, as long as those against them actually show up and speak.
Neurodiversity was also a common subject, as was Bi erasure, and the Asexual and Aromantic spectra. Author and artist Margaret Owen said in a panel about Queer young adult fiction that part of her work's focus was letting kids know that what they feel, or don't feel, is okay. Graphic novelist Kat Leigh chimed in with the idea that writing fiction for Queer teens was, in a way, a healing process for the author as well.
The panel "Cosplay Is for Everyone" brought a message of inclusivity regarding age, ability, and body type, with tips and testimonies from a trio of people who had navigated the stigmas of cosplay and convention culture.
"Genderbending the Rules of Cosplay" took a similar concept in a more Queer direction, with panelists giving insight on cosplaying characters whose presentations might not match one's gender identity, and on changing characters' gender presentations. One of the panel's big takeaways was that gender is hardly the largest defining trait in most character designs, if at all.
"Queer Space Nine" took a look at the recent resurgence of the '90s Star Trek spinoff series Deep Space 9, which was rediscovered by a younger generation of viewers over the pandemic and newly appreciated for its Queer representation, as well as other progressive elements. The panelists agreed that the show wasn't without some glaring flaws, but especially when compared to past and contemporary science fiction media, it was way ahead of its time.
In the afternoon of the con's final day, renowned drag queens Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme of RuPaul's Drag Race fame took to the main stage of the Sheraton in "A Terminally Delightful Monsoon Season." The two queens bantered with actor Hale Appleman about their partnership, their post-Drag Race activities, and how to combine therapy with magic rituals for success and confidence. They took questions from the audience at the end.
There were a few panel and celebrity cancelations this year, but overall, the convention felt organized, safe, and very Queer. I never felt crushed or overcrowded. Complaints during the ECCC Staff Q&A panel were minor and few. Next year, the staff said, they'd be moving to a venue that could house the entire convention under one roof; no more separate buildings or maze-like hallways. I'm looking forward to it.