In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight!
In an effort to keep you informed about the queer/LGBT content available at San Diego Comic Con 2019, here are 9 panels that you should check out, bring a friend to, and enjoy when the epic convention finally gets here!
THURSDAY, JULY 18TH
Entertainment Is LGBTQ
Thursday, July 18 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm
BOOM! Studios and GLAAD present an in-depth roundtable discussion about LGBTQ representation in pop culture and the path forward to a brighter, more inclusive future, with panelists from all corners of the entertainment world, including Lilah Sturges (The Magicians: Alice’s Story, Lumberjanes), Sina Grace (Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers, Ghosted in LA), and Megan Townsend (director of entertainment research and analysis, GLAAD). Moderated by Joshua Yehl (senior features and news editor, IGN).
Add Entertainment Is LGBTQ to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
FRIDAY, JULY 19TH
DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Friday, July 19 • 10:15am – 11:15am
Join the Rebellion! Executive producer Noelle Stevenson, Aimee Carrero (Adora/She-Ra), Karen Fukuhara (Glimmer), Marcus Scribner (Bow), and Lauren Ash (Scorpia) offer a peek inside the highly anticipated third season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power in a conversation moderated by Entertainment Weekly senior editor Patrick Gomez.
Add DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
LGBTQ+ YA Graphic Novels
Friday, July 19 • 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Panelists Rosemary Valero-Connell (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me), Sarah Graley (Kim Reaper), Claudia Aguirre (Morning in America) and Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass) discuss LGBTQ+ in Young Adult graphic novels, from developing authentic visual stories to comics as a safe space for all identities. Moderated by Amanda Melilli (ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table). In conjunction with CBC Graphic Novel Committee.
Add LGBTQ+ YA Graphic Novels to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
Comics Arts Conference Session #8: Queer Latin American Identity and Comics: A Conversation with LGBTQ Comic Creators from Latin America
Friday, July 19 • 2:30pm – 3:30pm
This panel explores the “formally queer” nature of comics and how queer kinship functions across Latin America and beyond. Stereotypical and hegemonic regional, national, religious, and ethnic factors throughout Latin America often erase or oppress individuals’ identities that do not conform to patriarchal, Eurocentric, or heteronormative ways of being. For the comic creators participating on this panel, the LGBTQ community and their comics work provide an identity that feels more authentic than other traditional forms of identification. Sam Cannon (Louisiana State University Shreveport) and Camila Gutiérrez (The Pennsylvania State University) present brief academic analyses of and locate comics as a site of belonging for individuals who otherwise transgress borders, languages, nationalities, sexualities, and genders. MJ Barros (Corazón do Obsidiana), Barbara Perez Marquez (The Cardboard Kingdom), and Vicente Casanova (Noiso.Me) discuss their experience as queer Latin American comics creators and their processes of identification and kinship through sequential art.
Add Queer Latin American Identity and Comics to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them
Friday, July 19 • 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Entertainment industry professionals Ted Biaselli (executive of development, Netflix original programming), Gordon Bellamy (CEO, Gay Gaming Professionals/visiting scholar), Michael Vogel (animation showrunner/producer), Rick Montano and Vinnie Ingrao (writers, CW Roswell, New Mexico), Cat Staggs (comic book artist), and Chandler Poling (White Bear PR) discuss how to turn your favorite geeky fandoms into flourishing careers, the challenges and rewards of growing up gay, and how being a member of the LGBT community influenced their work. Moderated by Chris Riley.
Add Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
Queer Fear
Friday, July 19 • 7:00pm – 8:00pm
The queer community has had a long history with the horror genre, from “coding” within the Universal monster classics to the oft-cited A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and beyond. Does a queer horror genre exist, and if so, what makes it different from mainstream horror? Furthermore, how does the current cultural and societal climate alter the lens through which we celebrate and connect to the macabre? Learn more from Prism comics and moderator/filmmaker Michael Varrati (Tales of Poe, Deathcember) and an array of panelists including Jane Clark (Crazy Bitches, Meth Head), BJ Colangelo (Powerbomb, journalist at Bloody-Disgusting, Day of the Woman), Sam Wineman (The Quiet Room, Santaland), Fernando Rivera (author of The Afterliving,writer/director of Where Monster Hides), Amanda Deibert (Wonder Woman ’77, John Carpenter’s Tales for a Halloween Night), and William O. Tyler (Ratboy, Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers)!
Add Queer Fear to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
SATURDAY, JULY 20TH
Batwoman Pilot Screening and Q&A
Saturday, July 20 • 10:30am – 11:45am
Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope. Join cast and producers for a screening of the pilot, followed by a Q&A. From executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl), Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries, Smallville), Geoff Johns (Arrow, The Flash, Titans), and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl). The cast includes Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black, The Meg, XXX: Return of Xander Cage), Rachel Skarsten (Reign, Fifty Shades of Grey, Lost Girl), Meagan Tandy (Survivor’s Remorse, UnREAL, Teen Wolf), Nicole Kang (You), Camrus Johnson (Luke Cage, The Sun Is Also a Star), Elizabeth Anweis (Twin Peaks), and Dougray Scott (Taken 3, Hitman, Mission: Impossible 2). Marcos Siega (You, God Friended Me, Blindspot) directed the pilot, for which he also served as executive producer alongside David Nutter (Game of Thrones, Arrow, The Flash). Batwoman premieres this fall. airing Sundays at 8/7c on The CW and is based on characters from DC and is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Add Batwoman Pilot Screening and Q&A to your SDCC schedule HERE.
Black and Queer in Popular Media
Saturday, July 20 • 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Black representation has gained integral attention within the geek culture. However, Black Queer characters and stories continue to be limited or absent from the discussion. Prism Comics and moderator Viktor Kerney (StrangeLore, co-host of the MEGASHEEN podcast) and panelists Valerie Complex (Screenwriter, Entertainment Journalist), Eric Cooper (Knight Seeker, CEO of Black Label ComiCon), Eliot Sutler (BiNet, Bisexual Women of Color Collaborative) and William O. Tyler (Ratboy, Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers; Cinephilia) as they discuss a myriad of topics from portrayals of Black Queer people across media platforms to Black Queer contributions to the sci-fi, fantasy, comics genre.
Add Black and Queer in Popular Media to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
SUNDAY, JULY 21ST
LGBTQ, Mental Health, and Comics
Sunday, July 21 • 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Moderated by Lorran Garrison, the panel will talk about how comics, cosplay, video gaming, and other forms of pop culture foster mental health wellness of teens and young adults. More specifically, the panel will dive deep into the impact of comics and pop culture within the LGBTQIA community. Bullying and suicide ideation are two of the many issues the LGBTQIA community combats, and panelists will give advice and resources about coping with unsupportive families, finding/creating community, and ways family members can show up for their queer loved one. Lorran Garrison is a school psychologist student (San Diego, CA) with an early childhood development background. She has also been trained in parent education with Resources for Infant Educarers. Other panelists: Anthony E. Zuiker is the creator of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and co-founder and publisher of Zuiker Press. Tara Madison Avery is a publisher, cartoonist, and illustrator of Stacked Deck Press, specializing in LGBTQAIU interests. Dr. Janina Scarlet is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder/developer of Superhero Therapy, recipient of Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from the United Nations. Justine Mastin is a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Blue Box Counseling, which specializes in LGBTQIA interests and co-host of Starship Therapise podcast. Lara Taylor Kester is a licensed marriage and family therapist, co-creator of the Geek Therapy Library, and podcast co-host for Geek Therapy Radio.
Add LGBTQ, Mental Health, and Comics to your SDCC 2019 schedule HERE.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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