Emerging in 2018, comes a new convention titled Universal Fan Con, that will focus on the inclusion of women, the LGBTQ community, the disabled and people of color! The Kickstarter that has greatly surpassed it’s asking amount, mentioned why they thought this type of con is important for our existing society.
We’ve all been to cons. We do so because we are proud geeks, who love geek culture and want to celebrate its awesomeness with others who love it as much as we do. We go because we relate to the characters, so much so that some of us dress up like our favorite heroes or villains. But often times, we don’t see the incredible inclusiveness that is in our communities as a whole represented at cons.
Many cons, no matter how well meaning, limit the idea of inclusion to a diversity panel, never really integrating the spirit of an inclusive world into the fabric of the con itself. This can leave many feeling isolated and marginalized, in essence, like the outsiders so many of our heroes tend to be.
Yet, so often festivals that are focused on “diversity,” end up being divisive, more about forming exclusive groups instead of building an inclusive respect for differences. For the fan community this is all too common. Universal Fan Con provides an inclusive forum to celebrate intrinsic personal and interest-based identities, offering different groups a place to revel in fandom, while also experiencing the kick-ass otherworldly immersion that an epic con can bring! (via Kickstarter)
The team is led by Jaime the creator of “Black Girl Nerds” and Robert the creator of “The Black Geeks“. They have already booked a couple of celebrity guests such as Larmorne Morris from Fox’s New Girl, and promise there will be a plethora more attending.
Check out their promotional video below and get excited to cosplay WHOEVER you want!