Hey all,
My husband Mark and I are heading out to Rainbow Con in Tampa in ten days. We’re excited about the con (despite the fact that it’s in Florida in July) and I’m excited to meet so many of my online friends (and hopefully some new fans).
I’ll be at the Queer Sci Fi table on and off, and I’ll be on nine count ’em, nine) panels.
1 PM Thursday:
Queering Middle-Earth – Tolkien’s world of Middle-Earth leans heavily toward the male persuasion, and so it doesn’t take much to queer it up with the Elves, Dwarves, Ainur, and Men. Drop in and talk about your favorite fan works starring the men and women (what few there were) of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth!
Moderator: K. Piet – Panelists: J. Scott Coatsworth, K-lee Klein, Lloyd A. Meeker, S.L. Armstrong
2 PM Thursday:
Hard vs Soft Sci-Fi – Our panelists discuss the similarities, differences, challenges, and benefits of writing both hard science fiction (which adheres very closely to scientific theories as understood at the time of writing) and soft science fiction (which spends less time on the details of the advanced technologies presented).
Moderator: Princess S.O. – Panelists: Bear, J. Scott Coatsworth, Kassa, Lexi Ander
3 PM Thursday:
Anything With a Post Code: LGBTQ and Torchwood – From the very first episode, it was clear Torchwood embraced a broader spectrum of identity and expression. With so many characters open to various levels of bisexuality, this show gives fandom a lot more wiggle room than most. Celebrate the show with fellow fans at this panel.
Moderator: Vicktor Alexander – Panelists: Amanda Ching, Dan Mitton, J. Scott Coatsworth, Jenna Hale
11 AM Friday:
My God, It’s Full of Gays! – Science fiction tends to be on the forefront of acceptance and tolerance, stretching back long before the controversially multicultural crew of the original Star Trek, and the appearance of LGBTQ characters and themes are merely the next wave. Our panelists will discuss queer elements in science fiction and why this genre in particular seems to be the vanguard of equality.
Moderator: Angel Martinez – Panelists: Arshad Ahsanuddin, J. Scott Coatsworth, Lexi Ander, Melissa Kleen
1 PM Friday:
Crossing Genres in Fiction – Now more than ever, genre streams are crossing, but does that narrow its audience? What makes a successful crossed genre? What is too much? Panelists will discuss the writing movement to intermingle genres, and what might lie ahead.
Moderator: Erin McRae – Panelists: Andrew Q. Gordon, J. Scott Coatsworth, TM Smith, Vicktor Alexander
3 PM Friday:
Queer News: LGBTQ Current Events – A discussion of current and recent events affecting the LGBTQ community, some you may know, and some that may have escaped (or been denied) media coverage.
Moderator: J. Scott Coatsworth – Panelists: Gareth Owens, Lloyd A. Meeker
4 PM Friday:
Author Reading
5 PM Friday:
Marriage Equality: Where Are We, How Far Still to Go? – Our panelists will discuss current events surrounding the fight for marriage equality, our successes and stumbles, and how to get involved in keeping up the momentum toward full acceptance.
Moderator: J. Scott Coatsworth – Panelists: Andrew Grey, Rory Ni Coileain
12 PM Sunday:
Beyond Romance: LGBTQ Genre Fiction – The romance genre has embraced LGBTQ (mostly) main characters, but what about other genres? How do LGBTQ main characters fare in science fiction or horror or fantasy? Which genres are the most willing, and which are the most resistant? How do we bring more LGBTQ main characters into genre fiction? Our panelists tackle these and other genre-pertinent questions!
Moderator: Andrew Q. Gordon – Panelists: J. Scott Coatsworth, Taylor Law
1 PM Sunday:
Pushing LGBTQ into the Mainstream – More and more LGBTQ characters are making their way into various media, but are those characters still stuck in archaic tropes? Join the discussion of how far LGBTQ characters have come in media and the steps still to be taken to bringing LGBTQ themes fully into the mainstream.
Moderator: J. Scott Coatsworth – Panelists: Max Vos, Jo Vanderhooft, Sloan Johnson, Sara York
Plus you can meet me at the Queer Sci Fi gathering and dinner on Thursday – 4-6 PM and 6-8 PM.
Hope to meet many of you there!