Denver Comic Con and the Push for Tolerance

Do gay people go to Comic Con? (Do lesbians love Subaru?) Of course they do! And now, for the first time ever, Denver Comic Con is reaching out to the community with a lovable, nerdy “Bring it on!”

Denver Comic Con is big — bigger than Beer Fest, even — and if you consider that it’s known for attracting social outliers who like to dress up and safely flit about in a virtual fantasy (hello, Tracks Thursdays!), you can see how the 75,000-strong convention might appeal to folks like us.

“I’ve been to more than 100 Cons across the country,” Bruce MacIntosh, director of programming for Denver Comic Con, says. “I love them, I do, but I really began to notice something: There’s a lack of culture and content for anyone who isn’t your typical [comic book] fanboy.” He shakes his head, exasperatedly. “Nothing for kids, nothing for families, nothing for women, nothing for LGBT fans. Everything was geared toward the fanboys. I want to try and change that.”

So Bruce created the very first diversity program for the convention and he’s debuting it next month. In order to bolster the presence of those who aren’t well-represented, he’s pushing for more awareness via a multitude of in-the-know panelists of various backgrounds and orientations speaking on myriad topics that affect our visibility in both comic books and (story) boardrooms

He says that when it comes to comic books, there’s very little LGBT presence — just enough characters to count on your hands, even.

So what’s in store? Bruce has arranged for two huge rooms to be opened as one for an enormous gathering of the non-fanboy. Rooms 102/104 of the Colorado Convention Center will host the non-stop forum and workshop for those whose voices are in need of a mic. Everyone is invited to attend the ‘round-the-clock presentations.

“It’s full steam ahead with the panels,” Bruce says. “We’ve got 23 panelists who’ll speak on LGBT comics, being gay in pop culture, men gender comics, women in geekery, and all sorts of stuff in between. From 10:30am to 10:30pm every single day of the event, we’re going to be educating people in the realms of diversity and we welcome everyone to attend.”  His eyes sparkle behind chic specs. “I’m on a mission to push [comic book] publishers into the 21^st century, both in characters and creators,” he confides.

“To be fair, the fanboys are the publishers’ bread and butter, but I think it’s time for outreach. DC and Marvel have been slow, but they’re picking up some speed,” he admits.

“What we’ve created at Denver Comic Con is ultimately a safe space,” he says. “There have been some real issues in the past concerning the harassment of women at the events. The culture used to be heavily male-dominated, but now as many as half the participants are women. We want to expand the idea of embracing the atypical fan, of giving them a voice and showing them, ‘We’re here for you, too.’ We also want everyone to feel free to express themselves — we’re not going to put up with any type of harassment. We’re fully aware that the LGBT community has been here all along and we’re here to welcome you to step on out — it’s safe!”

But for all the fun and games, Denver Comic Con is actually the social butterfly of a noble, clandestine mission: promoting kids’ literacy through pop culture. In fact, all the proceeds from the event go to Comic Book Classroom, a Colorado-based non-profit organization set on instilling a love for reading in youth by introducing innovative, pop-culture-tinged works into their classrooms. Comic Book Classroom also educates teachers on ways to get the kiddos to tear through their books with gusto and provides plenty of materials to assist with that process. Who knew?

So feel extra warm and fuzzy while breaking out your “True Blood” fangs or fashioning yourself à la “Penny Dreadful” (am I the only one who watches “Penny Dreadful,” darn it?) and representing your LGBT brethren at Denver Comic Con.