I'm another of those who started out as a sci-fi fan (I'm even second generation; my mom taught me to read with, among other things, her Heinlein collection). Since I publish a sci fi furry zine, I have no trouble finding things of interest to my furry side at general sci fi cons.
Regarding the ghettoization: since I was a trekkie long before I found furry fandom, and a comics fan, and a gay fan, I think I've experienced the gamut of ghettoization. It's kind of strange. When I was on staff for NorWesCon, the large general sci-fi con near Seattle, I was far from being the only gay fan on the con com, and most everyone was very cool about it. However, that was the year that the programming person took me aside at a con com meeting and told me that there would never again be any furry programming at norwescon. So how come a few years later I was invited, as editor of a furry fanzine, to sit on a bunch of publishing panels (and a history of fandom panel with David Kyle)?
It's because things change. People learn.
So I've tried to take the long view. I remember how it wasn't that many years ago that there was a big controversy because two guys danced together at the star dance. I remembered the time when certain people were agitating to remove the anime and Dr. Who programming from that con.
I'm very glad that the furry table on TorCon went so well. Thanks for making this happen!
I'm another of those who started out as a sci-fi fan (I'm even second generation; my mom taught me to read with, among other things, her Heinlein collection). Since I publish a sci fi furry zine, I have no trouble finding things of interest to my furry side at general sci fi cons.
Regarding the ghettoization: since I was a trekkie long before I found furry fandom, and a comics fan, and a gay fan, I think I've experienced the gamut of ghettoization. It's kind of strange. When I was on staff for NorWesCon, the large general sci-fi con near Seattle, I was far from being the only gay fan on the con com, and most everyone was very cool about it. However, that was the year that the programming person took me aside at a con com meeting and told me that there would never again be any furry programming at norwescon. So how come a few years later I was invited, as editor of a furry fanzine, to sit on a bunch of publishing panels (and a history of fandom panel with David Kyle)?
It's because things change. People learn.
So I've tried to take the long view. I remember how it wasn't that many years ago that there was a big controversy because two guys danced together at the star dance. I remembered the time when certain people were agitating to remove the anime and Dr. Who programming from that con.
I'm very glad that the furry table on TorCon went so well. Thanks for making this happen!