GaymerCon

[Havoc]

At first this was just a complaining tweet of mine, but I think this warrants some discussion.

Why oh why do gamers who just happen to be gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, whatever feel the need to start up a special convention for this? Maybe I'm naive but I thought the gaming community as a whole was pretty accepting and doesn't really give a crap if you're straight or gay when you're together mowing down hordes of zombies.

And it's just one more thing that creates a special little area for gays, which is directly contradicting the 'gays should be accepted and should be treated equal' thing everyone is always getting butt hurt over.

This shit raised over 97.000 dollars on Kickstarter. I don't get it!

http://gaymercon.org/about

[JennyGenesis]

The closest thing I ever found to this really was a website which I think went by the name of Gay Gamer, which was really nothing special and I hardly found anything LGBT about it, maybe I didn't look hard enough but I have no interest to go back and find out.

I do kind of agree with your point there Havoc, but like any community of any sort, there is always going be that one person. I myself have been called a "Faggot" and all sots of homophobic slurs plenty of times over Xbox Live, but lets be honest, most people you meet on there are just a bunch of idiots anyway, so they are easily ignored. Ignoring them is easy to do anyway because the word "Faggot" is thrown about by any kid playing COD these days.

[Mac Sirloin]

Because they're fags

Thread OVER

[Jordan]

I'm in two mindsets about this.

I think it's a good thing because it's a harmless gathering of LGBT people who want to get together, talk about their love of gaming while being able to be fully comfortable with their sexuality (not everyone is comfortable about it when they are around people). At the end of the day it is harmless and it's there for people that want to use it.

On the other hand I agree with the fact that those who identify themselves as LGBT should not be segregated and should be able to be part of gaming related conventions without anybody giving a shit. However, homophobia happens absolutely everywhere and it would be silly to say some people don't give a crap about it.

I could take it or leave it personally.

[Strike Witch]

US GAYMERS AMIRITE

[Daxter King]

GAYMERCON 2012:

Cake.

Buttsex.

Lies.

[STM]

Call me naive but what is LGBT?

I think my stand point on the matter is this: I think gays should be treated completely equal to straight people. Thusly it doesn't make sense to host a 'gays only' convention. Can you imagine a 'straight only' gaming convention?

[Varrok]

They think the best thing they can do to be treated equally to other people is to separate from them on every occasion, yelling in the title that they're homosexual/transsexual/whatever. Way to go, really...

Also, Does that make forbidden to me to go there because of my sexuality (I'm heterosexual)? Talking about being intolerant..

Finally, Whyyy making such conventions? I always thought GAMING WAS NOT ABOUT HAVING SEX WITH EACH OTHER.
Ok, gotta go - off to the movie night for vegetarians only.

[JennyGenesis]

Call me naive but what is LGBT?

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.

[Littleleeroy]

I'm pretty sure these LGBT gatherings are happy for heterosexual people to come as well. What I mean is that it is not a 'Gay-only' convention. If you look at the website it is a "geek lifestyle convention with a focus on LGBT culture."
It also says "Supporting an inclusive group spanning all orientations/ethnicities/gender/class/creed in the gaming community - collectively titled Gaymers."
So 'Gaymers' is just a made up term. It doesn't mean gay only.

Get your facts straight before you get people to dislike something.

[Varrok]

They didn't say the "Heterosexual" word once at their site, even at the bottom of the page, where they were counting.

Gaming is a common shared experience that helps us escape, educates us and helps to define who we are and want to be. Gay, Black, Latino, Lesbian, Asian, Kinksters, Women, Transgender, Bi, Nuns, Swedes, Hipsters, Browncoats, Trekkies, Xbots, Robots, Holograms, Dwarves, Lawyers and Monsters

[xXxrenhoekxXx]

it makes as much sense as making a straightcon.

[Bullet Magnet]

They didn't say the "Heterosexual" word once at their site, even at the bottom of the page, where they were counting.

What, and you don't fit into any of those other categories? Swedes, perhaps?

[Varrok]

I'm not Swedish :/ Damn, I'm not even a hipster

[Wings of Fire]

I think you're all being very stupid.

[Nate]

I don't see why people are complaining/confused about this. Gamers like to hang out with each other. Gays like to hang out with each other. Why is it odd to think that Gay Gamers would like to hang out with each other?

[Havoc]

It's just a little hypocritical, is all. On top of that I don't see what one's sexual orientation has to do with being a gamer or a geek. There are plenty of gamer and geek conventions that don't put a focus on LGBT, which drives me to conclude that these people want a convention where they can shove it into everyone's face. That, or its secondary purpose is to function as a dating convention, which makes it even more disturbing, but not at all unlikely.

Hanging out with each other is fine, I just don't understand why these people insist on hanging out with a big sign that says 'I am gay, please love me!' around their necks.

[Wings of Fire]

which drives me to conclude that these people want a convention where they can shove it into everyone's face. That, or its secondary purpose is to function as a dating convention, which makes it even more disturbing, but not at all unlikely.

So that's every LGBT club and event ever then?

I'm actually quite concerned that you're all so disgruntled about this. Let people do what the goddamn want to do.

[Jordan]

It's just a little hypocritical, is all. On top of that I don't see what one's sexual orientation has to do with being a gamer or a geek. There are plenty of gamer and geek conventions that don't put a focus on LGBT, which drives me to conclude that these people want a convention where they can shove it into everyone's face. That, or its secondary purpose is to function as a dating convention, which makes it even more disturbing, but not at all unlikely.

Hanging out with each other is fine, I just don't understand why these people insist on hanging out with a big sign that says 'I am gay, please love me!' around their necks.

I'm sorry but I find this incredibly ignorant. You will find groups and conventions dedicated to a variety of people all over the world, it's a stupid thing to say that they are created to 'shove it in people's faces'. I am really struggling to understand why you're finding it such a problem that this thing has been created, considering the amount of non-LGBT focused gaming conventions that there are. Gaymer con has been created as an additional event that a niche group of people can attend if they choose to, it does not mean they want to seperate themselves from society.

Also I don't understand the dating convention comment. Just because it's a LGBT-focused event, why should it be intended as a dating device?

I don't usually don't stand up for this kind of thing, but at the end of the day it's a freaking event and people will attend it if they want to, what is the big deal?

[Crashpunk]

I'm actually wondering why you care? If your straight, how does it effect you? If people want to hang around other gamers with the same sexuality as them, then why is that a problem? I can see why people do so in the first place.

[MeechMunchie]

Everyone who goes to conventions of like-minded individuals goes because they want to meet nice, interesting people. As friends, usually, but the only reason straight nerds consider a gaming convention a strange place to find a partner is because of the massive gender split towards males.

If all of the people at a meet are gay, they're secure in the knowledge that their sexuality won't be an issue if they become friends with someone there. If they want to become more than that, then they're secure in the knowledge that their nerdish persuasion won't be either.

Gays might be vocal, but they are still a minority. The same goes for nerds. Gay nerds may be hard to come across at home; they've got to find comaraderie somewhere.

Can you imagine a 'straight only' gaming convention?

Heterosexuals have never been a repressed minority. It's a little different.

Though heteros might be supposedly welcome, I doubt many would go. They run the real or percieved risk of being chatted up by someone batting for the other team, and it might cast some doubt over their sexuality among their non-participatory friends.

[Bullet Magnet]

At the very least, it is a safe environment to be who they are. It is easy to forget in enlightened places that not everywhere is as accepting, and it is a relief not to be on their guard all the time.

[Havoc]

It wasn't meant as a bad thing, when there's an event with a lot of like minded people you wouldn't ordinarily run into on the street, some people will use that to find a partner or something more casual. That happens with every niche, to be honest.

I didn't say I had a problem with it, I said I don't understand the motivation and the hypocrisy behind it. I have no problem with LGBT conventions but I just don't see what it has to do with gaming.

[Crashpunk]

Maybe they don't like going to normal conventions because they're scared of what people think of them? Not everyone is paranoid like that, in fact I think most LGBT aren't. But what do I know? I have no idea how they feel. I think it's just designed so LGBT can feel safe and happy whilst they can talk about and play games.

[T-nex]

I don't see any hypocrisy here. I understand why minorities would want to get together.

Straights are the default way of being in society's eyes. I think it's nice for gay peope to feel 'default' for once as well.

I just hope they don't become straightophobic.

[JennyGenesis]

I went to a gay pride festival 2 days ago, I didn't go there to get dates or anything like that, I just went with some gay friends to hang out and of course show our support for the festival, to be honest if I went to Gaymer Con then I personally would just be there for the games, but it would be nice to have a place for gay gamers to meet, maybe it's just where I live but I seem to be the only gay that plays video games

[Nate]

It's just a little hypocritical, is all. On top of that I don't see what one's sexual orientation has to do with being a gamer or a geek. There are plenty of gamer and geek conventions that don't put a focus on LGBT, which drives me to conclude that these people want a convention where they can shove it into everyone's face. That, or its secondary purpose is to function as a dating convention, which makes it even more disturbing, but not at all unlikely.

Hanging out with each other is fine, I just don't understand why these people insist on hanging out with a big sign that says 'I am gay, please love me!' around their necks.

I assume you'd have no problem with gay people having a convention to talk about... uhhhh... gay stuff. So why does this extra level of filtering both you?

Perhaps it would be better if you thought of it as a convention for gay people who are gamers, rather than gamers who are gay.

[STM]

I went to a gay pride festival 2 days ago, I didn't go there to get dates or anything like that, I just went with some gay friends to hang out and of course show our support for the festival, to be honest if I went to Gaymer Con then I personally would just be there for the games, but it would be nice to have a place for gay gamers to meet, maybe it's just where I live but I seem to be the only gay that plays video games

Are you the only gay in the village?

[JennyGenesis]

There are plenty where I live, I just seem to be the only gamer out of them all though.

[MeechMunchie]

Well there you go. JG is the sort who benefits from this kind of thing.

I assume you'd have no problem with gay people having a convention to talk about... uhhhh... gay stuff.

10:00 seminar: How Much I Love Penises