Multi-media and Comic Con-type conventions have always been seen as places where people could creatively express themselves. They were spaces where creatives and artists could gather, mingle, and share their common interests. Cosplay and media panel events are examples of what you can find at these types of conventions. At some of these conventions, cosplays can range from being intricate to being raunchy. A lot of people wear costumes barely even covering their bodies. It is inappropriate—especially in the presence of minors. One convention, in particular, is notable for this lack of moderation.
Dragon Con is one of the largest and most popular multi-media conventions, celebrated annually in Atlanta, GA (DragonCon.org). It is “the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film.” I had the opportunity to attend this year for the first time, and while I was amazed by the creativity of the cosplays, I was less impressed with some of the panels and other activities presented in full view of minors.
One such event I attended undercover was a 'Dorian Gray' panel that promoted LGBTUHD4K+ positivity for minors. This panel allowed both minors and adults to be present, and a child was heard crying from the back row. A few notable moments from the panel included a woke lesbian describing how she “wrote a story about two lesbian girls, as minors, who were on the cross-country team together.” The panelist then detailed how, as a minor, she showed it to a trusted teacher who said it was “a great piece of literature.” It was highly disturbing.
Another panelist at the event also described she and her friends, as minors, were all OUT AS BISEXUAL in high school and how popular they were for broadcasting and exploring their sexuality. There were women who were nearly nude and only wearing rabbit ears. Some of them had their thongs out in front of kids. The convention supposedly had a dress code where cosplay was to be more moderate before 9 PM in the presence of minors.
After 9 PM, minors were supposed to be kicked out so the raunchy cosplays could return. That in itself was a big fat LIE. I saw plenty of minors after 9 PM and plenty of skimpy cosplays before then. There were also a wide variety of “Dragon Con After Dark” BDSM panels where minors were present.
Yikes. Dragon Con, although it had its fun share of events, has many problems, notably with the moderation and security, who were extremely lax in enforcing policies meant to protect minors. Two solutions could be implemented to prevent minors from being able to view borderline public pornography: either ban all minors from Dragon Con or actually enforce a dress code before 9 PM. Ensuring that policies are strictly enforced to protect our children should be a top priority for organizers. We need to work together to maintain the integrity and safety of these events.