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Gaylaxicon at Bent-Con 2015
Progress Report # 1
General Information
Lambda Sci-Fi: DC Area Gaylaxians (LSF) is the official sponsor for Gaylaxicon 2015 at Bent-Con. The
site is the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel and Convention Center (Burbank CA) over the
weekend of November 6-8, 2015. Bent-Con is a successful (approx. 3,000 attendees) 6-year-old
convention in the Los Angeles area that celebrates LGBT talent in the fields of comics, graphic novels,
cartooning, animation, gaming, sci-fi/fantasy/horror writers, film-makers, actors, directors, producers, and
other related creative media, and the LGBT/queer perspective within global pop culture. The official
Bent-Con website is: http://bent-con.org/
Date: November 6-8, 2015 (Veteran’s Day 2015 = Nov. 11).
Location: Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel and Convention Center
• Hotel Address: 2500 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 – literally across the street from
Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR).
• Hotel Rate: $145/night + tax (the Bent-Con rate)
• Hotel Reservations: can be made on-line, via http://bent-con.org/about/hotel/
• The hotel runs a complimentary shuttle to/from the Burbank Airport about every 10 minutes all day
long. (If you don’t want to wait for the shuttle, just walk out the front of the airport terminal. It’s a
short block to Hollywood Way. Just across the street is the hotel.)
• The hotel is about 30 miles NE from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The hotel shuttle
does not service LAX. You can arrange for Supershuttle to get to/from the hotel: about $30 one-way
(LAX to/from hotel); about a 30 minute trip, depending on traffic.
Membership
• $60 (weekend rate) – daily rates are available.
• All memberships should be purchased directly via the Bent-con website:
https://bentcon.webconnex.com/bcattendee2015
• “First 100” Offer – The first 100 people to both buy a membership and book a room for the weekend
at the convention hotel will receive a second membership free.
Gaylaxicon Programming at Bent-Con
• LSF is responsible for coordinating one of Bent-Con’s programming tracks. Programming will
include such Gaylaxicon “favorites” as the Chocolate Symposium, Gaylactic Jeopardy, and the
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards.
• Peter Knapp, Rob Gates, and Carl Cipra are the official LSF/Network liaisons for Gaylaxicon BentCon 2015. Please contact them if you are interested in participating in a discussion panel or making a
presentation, or if you have ideas for Gaylaxicon guests or panel topics.
− [email protected]
− [email protected]
− [email protected]
Local Restaurants, etc.
In addition to the hotel cafeteria/restaurant/bar, there are a number of restaurants/etc. located just across
the street from the hotel (same side of the street as the entrance to the Burbank Airport), including:
− Several major chains: Denny’s, Del Taco, MacDonald’s, Panda Express (Chinese), Starbuck’s,
and Subway.
− Several really good locals: Sansa: Japanese Grill, Fish Dish Grilled Seafood, George’s Greek
Cuisine, Pieawesome Pizzeria (“create your own pizza” & salad bar), and Robeck’s Juice.
Information about Bent-Con
• Bent-Con is a successful (approx. 3,000 attendees) 5-year-old convention in the Los Angeles area that
celebrates LGBT talent in the fields of comics, graphic novels, cartooning, costuming, animation,
gaming, sci-fi/fantasy/horror writers, film-makers, actors, directors, producers, and other related
creative media, and the LGBT/queer perspective within global pop culture.
• Bent-Con is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation. Any and all donations go directly into funding and
supporting Bent-Con’s efforts to produce its annual convention.
• Bent-Con’s non-profit charter defines the following goals for the organization:
- Provide a forum to showcase and celebrate existing, new, and emerging LGBT (and our Allies)
talent in the fields of comics, graphic novels, cartooning, costuming, animation, gaming, scifi/fantasy/horror writers, film-makers, actors, directors, producers, and other related creative
mediums.
- Enable participants in said creative fields to share, learn, and pool from more experienced
individuals or parties in the various aspects of the creation, publishing, film-making, marketing,
and distribution of related content.
- Educate and express to the greater public and community the presence and contributions of
LGBT and our Allies to comic-book history, film history, and gaming history, along with the
impact of queer/LGBT contributions to popular culture.
- Provide awareness and a fund-raising forum for Bent-Con to build and nurture an often underappreciated aspect of the contributions expressed from an LGBT/queer perspective within global
pop-culture.
• Bent-Con prides itself on maintaining a safe environment, openly building relationships and a sense
of community, and celebrating and acknowledging the presence and contributions of creative works
by LGBT and their Allies. The convention includes:
- A public exhibition where artists, writers, creators, publishers, directors, actors, and producers
who create works targeted directly to LGBT audiences and the public can interact in an informal
setting. Graphic novels, comics, films, and related merchandise are for sale, and Bent-Con
attendees can interact with attending creators, publishers, or film-makers.
- A series of symposia during which these creators and contributors can engage in formal panel
discussions and/or interviews in a shared creative space open to Bent-Con attendees.
- A large gaming area.
PS – Carl attended Bent-Con 2014. He had a great time and highly recommends attending
Gaylaxicon at Bent-Con 2015!!