The Hind End of Space

mkay SO

I’m on two panels at Anime Boston this weekend. For those interested…

Gender Identity in Anime 
Hosted by boota 3

A candid discussion of crossdressing storylines, presented by transgender people in the flesh! - Gender Identity in Anime is meant to be a primer on the complexity of gender identity and presentation in anime, with special attention paid to the context of anime as a Japanese art form and cultural gender roles intrinsically linked to its production and narratives. The do’s and don'ts of offensive stereotypes, positive portrayals, and respecting your friendly neighborhood crossplayer or next-door trans person.

Running Time: 50 minutes 
Category: Panel

Showing Times: 
Fri, 03/21/2014 at 5:30 PM in Hynes-Panel 107

All the Mecha You’ll Ever Need 
Hosted by Doug Wilder

The masters of mechanical mayhem are back for another year! Prepare yourself. It’s the panel FOR diehard giant robot fans BY diehard giant robot fans. Come ready to laugh and possibly win some mecha themed prizes! Who knows, you might even learn something.

Running Time: 90 minutes 
Category: Panel

Showing Times: 
Sat, 03/22/2014 at 12:00 PM in Hynes-Panel 208

Expect to see me screaming at/towards the audience a lot during them.

An important message from a transgender MTF cosplayer.

On Sunday at Anime Boston, my friend went to a panel called “Gender and Anime Culture” or something like that for a few laughs. At one point during the panel the host said something along the lines of, “Cosplay culture is very accepting towards crossdressers, transvestites, and transsexuals”. He turned to his friend and said, “Where’s Sophie to get angry and share stories of idiots?”

And he’s right. Oh, oh so right. If I were there, I would have gotten straight up and called the host on their bullshit.

For whatever reason, I never get bullshit from from random people I see at places like stores, or on the street, or whatever. Even when I’m not wearing makeup or trying to look good.

But the second I put on a costume and step into a con, I hear shit like “oh you look like a genuine girl” or “are you a boy or a girl” or “nice crossplay”. Excuse me, but that’s fucking rude. I usually follow it up with a stern “I am a girl” or “I’m not crossplaying”.

First off, do you not know what a transgender person is? Or is the fucking “trap culture” just so ingrained in convention culture that you won’t even think about it?

Second, guess what? I don’t care if I pass to you. If I don’t, I still expect you to show me an OUNCE of respect. Keep it to your fucking self. 

I cosplay to be something I’m not, and to build self-confidence. When I hear shit like that, it completely shatters what I’ve built up and honestly, kind of ruins my day.

Being a transgender woman is seriously difficult to deal with. Don’t make it any harder for us than it has any right to be. Just treat people as the gender of the character they’re cosplaying and move on. That’s all you need to do, and keep any comments like “are you a boy?” to yourself.

I’d like to share one of the most humiliating moments of my life with you, followers.

and by humiliating, I mean that in a bad way. Not in the funny way.

AnimeBoston 2010, mecha panel. This is normally headed by myself and my friends Doug and Lou. Doug’s one of my best friends and Lou is pretty chill. For this panel, we brought some new blood aboard because our friend Todd wasn’t able to come. These two guys were a couple of… mechabros, I guess. We met them the last year and they seemed pretty cool. Until, well, this happened.

We were giving our introductions at the start of the panel, and I said, “Well, I’ve been into mecha for about ten years” and one of the mechabros says “And he’s been a trap for twice as long!”

He laughs, his friend laughs, and the audience laughs. I turn to my friend Doug with this look of utter humiliation and horror. Doug looks back to me with this combined look of, “I can’t believe he just said that,” and “oh god I’m so sorry for letting them on the panel.”

It really ruined my whole panel experience. Frankly, I should’ve gotten up and left right then and there. But I stayed the whole time. At the end of the panel I told him, “If you ever do anything like that again I’ll kick your ass,” which to me seemed like I was letting him off easy. 

The whole ordeal was just so embarrassing. Thanks to this asshole, I feel like my reputation is just. forever stained. This is why you THINK before you talk. This is why you EDUCATE YOURSELF on trans* issues, so you don’t end up like a huge dickbag and embarrass/out someone in front of a group of about 100-200 people!

Needless to say, we don’t let those two on our panel anymore.

AnimeBoston Cosplay Schedule

BETTER GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY:

Friday: (Early Evening) Cure Black 

Friday: (Late Evening/Night) Roxy Lalonde

Saturday: (Afternoon) Terezi Pyrope

Saturday: (Evening) Probably Roxy again

I’m also on two panels at the convention: Braver than Transformers: The Brave Series and All the Mecha You’ve Ever Needed. The former is on Friday and the latter on Saturday. The mecha panel will be entering its fifth year!! Holy crap.

Prooobably gonna be spending most of the time drunk when I’m wearing Roxy, not gonna lie.