Thirty Years In, Arisia Remains One the Most Diverse Conventions You Could Attend

Arisia, a sci-fi convention that prides itself on being the “Most Diverse Convention in New England”, takes place MLK weekend every year at The Westin Boston Waterfront hotel. Beginning Friday afternoon and lasting until 3 pm on MLK day, with 24 hour convention programming, there is plenty to do at Arisia. Attracting just under 4,500 attendees a year, Arisia sees itself as a growing community. Upon arriving on Friday, I headed downstairs to registration. After receiving my badge, I was directed to a table where I could choose an adhesive ribbon to attach to my badge. There were options with various pronouns and an info sheet explaining how to use each pronoun and how to appropriately handle correcting yourself when using incorrect pronouns. Arisia had con-specific signs for gender neutral restrooms as well.

Something that surprised me, in a good way, was Arisia’s security. The con had its own security team called “The Watch”, acting as security as well as incident responders. Guest badges also listed the team’s contact information. With panels on everything from Star Trek to marginalized groups in polyamory as well as a “Just the Facts” session educating people on autism, Arisia seems to have clear goals besides fandom: inclusivity, education, and community building. The first panel I attended was “The Power of Finding Ourselves in Fanfiction”, moderated by A.J. Odasso, and consisting of fanfiction readers and writers: Lisa Evans, Lee C. Hillman, Tori Queeno, and the con’s A…