July the 15
th and 16
th, saw the
premiere of
Queer Expo; an LGBT+ convention, which myself and Mx Loki attended
as media for
Afflatus Magazine.
Mx Loki will be writing out a full feature for our next issue, but for those
who wish to know what the event was like, but can’t wait until February;
continue reading.
Overall, this event was small. This is to be expected of a first-run event; you
need to build a reputation in order to gain brand loyalty, but this smallness
could be mistaken as lack of interest.
I believe there were three main reasons as to the small turn out; lack of
advertising, confusion as to what the event was, and high ticket prices.
Many people commented on the lack of advertising and
promotion of the event, several people mentioned to us that they had asked if
their queer friends were attending, only to learn those friends had no idea
there was a con. Beyond facebook, there didn’t seem to be much reach out.
The event itself also did not seem to know what it was leading up to it.
Beginning as a Drag convention, it changed to a queer expo, then added pop
culture to it. This adding of pop culture was not relevant, as everyone there
was there for drag and sexuality/gender, most of the pop culture stalls were
un-visited.
Finally the ticket prices. I am torn over the costs of the tickets, because if
you attended and saw many of the drag performances and panels, it was worth
your money. But I understand that $80 for the weekend at the con’s first
running would have turned people away, as that is a lot of money.
So the turnout was small, but that also worked in people’s advantages as it
really allowed them to be able to talk and interact with the special guests. We
got to speak to most of the American Queens;
Shangela has an amazing warmth to
her interactions and a killer memory,
Latrice Royale is so genuine and can see
that in people as well, and
The Boulet Brothers are stunning. It also meant we
were able to speak to attendees more freely; people felt more comfortable in
the open space as opposed to being crushed in the crowds of the big cons. And
this freedom in space also gave itself to attendees showing off their big,
elaborate, and gorgeous outfits.
We also attended many panels and performances (something
we don’t usually get to do at bigger cons). I really loved the performances, it
let me see a lot more of Australian drag talent than I would usually be able to
see, as well as the international queens whom might come down once every couple
years and I’ll miss them.
Aysha Buffet feels her performances so deeply you can
see it in her body, whilst I love
BeBe Gunn’s presence and facial expression,
and the
Space Queens show by
Art Simone and
Philmah Bocks appealed greatly to the Star Wars geek in me .
The panels we attended were entertaining or informative, and made you
contemplate the roles and representation of LGBT+ culture. I also have to
applaud those who went up on stage; it’s hard to be in front of a large crowd,
but it’s harder in front of a small crowd, and everyone was professional and
still gave their all.
One thing that was frustrating was the two stages were inside. This meant often
the music/mics would be turned up and began to drown out conversations in the
traders’ area. It became difficult to talk to people outside the stage areas,
and was overwhelming inside.
Overall, I did enjoy Queer Expo. It is a first time con that definitely needs
its kinks smoothed out, but it has so much potential behind it. It was small,
but so was RuPaul’s drag con its first year, and this smallness help build
connections and networks between people. It also showcased such amazing drag
performers, and gave voice to LGBT+ issues. I hope to see it refine its goals
and organization, so that it grows into massive convention it can be.
Now, onto some of the photos I took during the
convention. If you see yourself here please let me know who/where to credit.
Also, performers if you see yourself here I may have more photos of you, please
email me at slipperyphotography@gmail.com and I will send you a link to the
rest of your photos. I am also still working on photos from the competition. If
you were in it and would like some photos, let me know so I can send them
through to you.
