ClexaCon
ClexaCon | |
---|---|
Status | non-operational |
Genre | LGBTQ-focused fan convention |
Venue | Tropicana Las Vegas |
Location(s) | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | March 3, 2017 |
Most recent | August 26–28, 2022 |
Attendance | 4,100 |
Organized by | Dash Productions |
ClexaCon is a former annual fan convention focused on female members of the LGBTQ community. The convention is named after the "ship" name for Clarke and Lexa, characters on the CW series The 100. The inaugural ClexaCon was held at Bally's Hotel and Casino from March 3–5, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
History
[edit]In 2016, the character Lexa on the CW series The 100 was killed, a move that was criticized as continuing the "dead lesbian syndrome" or "bury your gays" trope in film and television.[1][2]
In response, Holly Winebarger, Nicole Hand and Emily Maroutian organized ClexaCon as an event to "move the conversation forward in a positive way."[3] Initially planned as a gathering of roughly 100 people, word of mouth and social media allowed the convention to grow significantly larger.[4][5][6][7] The original founders were later joined by Ashley Arnold and Danielle Jablonski, who presently co-own and direct the convention and its parent company, Dash Productions.[8]
At the 2019 event, vendors, attendees, staff, and guests noticed a drastic plummet in both attendance, and quality of the show. This prompted vendors to write a letter to the new con-runners, which gained media attention from several online outlets. The term "Clexapocalypse" was coined as a result, with many drawing comparisons to DashCon.[9]
Event history
[edit]Reception
[edit]ClexaCon was met with a positive reception for its diversity in panels, its variety of guests, and its empowering workshops.[12][13][14][15][16]
Convention organizers reported challenges in booking guests for ClexaCon's first year, as many talent agents feared the convention would either fail or be canceled. In an interview, organized recalled it taking between four and six months in order to secure certain guests, as the agents wanted to see if the convention was legitimate.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Framke, Caroline (March 6, 2016). "Why the best episode of The 100's third season has also thrown its fandom into chaos". Vox.com. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (March 14, 2016). "What TV Can Learn From 'The 100' Mess". Variety. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Our Stories Matter: An Interview with ClexaCon - The Fandomentals". The Fandomentals. February 24, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ Sprayregen, Molly. "Meet The Directors Of The World's Largest Multi-Fandom Event For Queer Women". Forbes. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Clexacon team gives us a look behind the scenes | Women | Books | Bella". blog.bellabooks.com. Retrieved July 16, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ClexaCon – Interview with the Organizers". Fangirl Shirts. June 1, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ Andi Marquette (November 11, 2016). "Fangirl Friday: Interview with some of the people behind ClexaCon!". Women and Words. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ "DASH Productions | Based in Las Vegas, Nevada". DASH Productions. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ Puc, Samantha (April 17, 2019). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (March 7, 2017). "Sara Ramirez, Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker Among Actors at Convention Celebrating Queer Women on TV". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World". www.intomore.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ Tedesco, Lisa. "Why There Should Always Be ClexaCon". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "ClexaCon 2017: Lexa's Flame Reignites in a Fandom". Culturess. March 21, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Queer pop culture fans find solidarity, passion at ClexaCon". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. March 9, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (March 7, 2017). "Sara Ramirez, Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker Among Actors at Convention Celebrating Queer Women on TV". Variety. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Wynonna Earp's Emily Andras on How to Write Damn Good TV for Women - The TV Junkies". The TV Junkies. March 8, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.