I’m not attending FlameCon this year because it conflicts with the new summer dates for our annual charity fundraiser at Comic Fusion in NJ. Nonetheless, I want to support the show somehow. Some big sites have already run this news, but in case you missed it, there’s a new policy about COSPLAY WEAPONS. At Comic Fusion, we also don’t allow realistic looking prop guns or anything that actually works like real bows and arrows. Since it’s important to our comics and cosplay community that attendees of any event understand that each event has their own rules to respect and follow, I want to share FlameCon’s message. Please read the notice below.

Amber

Dear Flame Con Fans and Attendees,

Last week, we lost 49 members of our queer community in what has become an all too common tragedy in this country.

In the days since that event, Geeks OUT has been spending a lot of time talking to the management and staff of the hotel that will be hosting Flame Con about the safety of our attendees. We have also been reaching out to concerned fans. In response to the massacre at Pulse in Orlando, we plan to bolster Flame Con’s security, and will be working with local law enforcement to ensure that even outside of the con, there will be people looking out for us.

Acknowledging the shock and trauma and grief our community is experiencing right now, we feel the need to go even further in making Flame Con a safe space for us all.

As a show of solidarity with victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, their families, and anyone else affected by homophobic gun violence, Flame Con is asking you to leave your toy guns at home.

Because guns are not toys. Guns are not accessories that can be flaunted in public without inherently making light of their intended use—while simultaneously making many people deeply uncomfortable.

If you bring a toy gun to Flame Con, no matter how unrealistic it might look or feel, you will be asked to check it.

Can you do a successful cosplay of Black Widow or Vash the Stampede without a gun? We think you can! If your cosplay isn’t quite complete without a gun, we’ll help you adapt to our new policy by providing some creative alternatives to traditional guns that you can pose with. Your cosplay at Flame Con will help our community make a strong, colorful statement against gun violence, and our culture’s toxic love of firearms.

Spread the word! Flame Con will not allow the following items:

• Any weapon of any kind—bladed or projectile—that looks or feels real.
• Any kind of gun or simulacrum of a firearm, no matter how fake it looks.
• Any prop that is heavy, hard, or sharp enough to injure a person (Err on the side of caution).

When crafting your props, keep it light and keep it safe. You can do a lot with foam!

At Geeks OUT, we are committed to creating spaces that are safe—both physically and emotionally. Join us in making Flame Con a place where we can all enjoy ourselves!

Signed,

Joey, Josh, Nicole, John, Aria, Kevin, Avi, Kitty, Tom, Rachel, Angela, Blaine, and the rest of your Geeks OUT family

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.