Anti-Blackness in the Convention and Cosplay Community: An Interview With Cluelessxbelle

Nerd conventions (anime, comic books, fantasy, sci-fi) in general, have diverse-as-fuck audiences. Just go to one. There are all sorts of different people of different ethnicities, sizes, religions, and nationalities cosplaying and goofing about. But why is it that after virtually ANY convention weekend comes to a close, and our timelines are flooded with photos from said event, we only typically see white or light-skinned East Asian cosplayers being showcased on these photographer’s sites? Why do the same big-name white cosplayers get featured on big gaming, pop culture, and nerd media platforms? It’s not a new issue. Black cosplayers have been analyzing and unpacking what seems to be blatant discrimination within the con world for years. There is frequent internalized doubt at the constant marginalization within a community that is founded on the acceptance of ALL people, especially those who have been bullied or cast out for being “too different.” The excuse that “there aren’t many Black or dark-skin POC cosplayers at geeky events” doesn’t cut it anymore (it’s not accurate and it was never a justification). Black nerds HAVE BEEN a constant in the geek world. From podcasts, to media outlets, to animators, illustrators, authors, to music groups, the list goes on and on and on how much Black creatives have influenced the wide expanse of the nerd world. In the summer of 2017, blerDCon, a convention founded on the principles of diversity and inclusivity, hosted its first co…