Men’s Rights Group Invades Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo (Updated)
If this is any indication, this year’s con season is going to be long, painful, and full of assholes headaches. The Men’s Rights Group Honey Badger Brigade is currently causing issues and harassing panelists at the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo which began Thursday and runs through Sunday. The convention has pretty well laid out policy and procedures when it comes to harassment, bullying, and abuse. You can read the entire policy on their site.
The Honey Badger Brigade, which affiliates itself with GamerGate, raised money to set up a booth and is currently going to panels that highlight women and diversity to cause issues…. because it’s all about ethics in journalism as is the mantra of the GG community.
From the fundraising page set up by the Honey Badger Brigade:
In April of this year, the Honey Badgers plan to put on a booth at the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo! We plan to infiltrate nerd culture cunningly disguised as their own. Each of us has been carefully crafting a persona of nerdiness through decades of dedication to comics, science fiction, fantasy, comedy games and other geekery, waiting for this moment, our moment to slip among the unaware. Once there we will start distributing the totalitarian message that nerd and gamer culture is… perfectly wonderful just as it is and should be left alone to go it’s own way.
That’s it folks.
As men’s issues advocates and defenders of creator’s rights to create unmolested, that’s what we have to say to the nerds and geeks and gamers. You are fantastic as you are, carry on.
Yep, in today’s political climate that’s considered an extremist position. Just letting creative communities create; consumers consume what they want; and gamers get down to the business of vidya without being judged.
So if you share our vision of a world in which nerds and geeks and gamers roam free and unfettered, help us spread that message by throwing a few shekels our way to attend the con.
Nerds, geeks, and gamers can roam free… unless you’re a woman with an opinion, differing experiences and interests, or different viewpoint from the Badgers. Pot meet kettle.
The situation raised its ugly head when I saw the below Tweet:
The Honey Badger Brigade booth is sporting a GamerGate logo, using imagery championed by the organization, and is attending panels that feature feminists and women just to disrupt them. I think any last vestige to the argument this is about “ethics” is out the window, not that I believed it for one second anyways.
The “hate group” has spurred an outcry from attendees and others towards the Calgary Expo team who stated in numerous Tweets “they take safety seriously and are investigating the situation.” Of course pro-GamerGate individuals immediately accused the Expo of a double standard and sent a barrage of Tweets their way condemning the convention that wanted to make its con-goers feel safe and has a pretty clear policy linked above.
It looks like it didn’t work, as it has been Tweeted that the booth and individuals have been kicked out of the convention.
I’ll address the misunderstanding of “censorship” some other time.
The group at the convention attended the “Women Into Comics” panel last night. Panelist Brittney Le Blanc recounting what happened:
We were about fifteen minutes into the panel when a woman in the second row stood up and identified herself as a Men’s Rights Activist. She and her male companion both came to raise issues they felt would not be covered by our panel. Raising points about the way men are portrayed in comics struck a note with all the panelists, as we agreed that we want to see a diversity across body types, characters, races, etc in mainstream comics. Not everyone wants to see a hero who looks like he’s built like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. They also accused us of presenting all women as victims, which was an outright lie and derailing tactic.
Their questions did take up quite a bit of time at the panel and served to derail the topic onto another tangent, which was frustrating for the panel and for those in the audience. It’s what they came to do, and in part, they succeeded. I would say that it brought up some great discussions though, allowing us to talk about the lack of representation for people of colour in comics and to give well deserved props to artists like Sophie Campbell, who has done an amazing job in showcasing a broad range of bodies with her art in Jem and the Holograms.
It’s disappointing that they weren’t there to have a conversation or to listen to what we, and members of the audience, were saying. They wanted to stand up and have their say, but not to listen or try to understand the points of view other people in the room had. This was further proven by the video discussion they posted later last night, in which they mentioned our panel and that we were “donning the ball gowns of our victimhood”, which I’m not even entirely sure how to take. I will admit to not watching the whole video, and I think anyone who attempts to watch it would understand why.
I truly believe in freedom of speech, but coming to a panel with the entire purpose of derailing it and shooting down the voices on the panel isn’t constructive. It appears that was their plan for the expo, to come and to loudly take over the spaces of other people – although it was not violent or threatening, it’s disrespectful, disappointing and offers a prime example of why these panels need to exist in the first place.
Remember, it’s about ethics in journalism…. repeat that enough….
This is the latest dust-up in the “culture war” that has raged in the geek sphere between exclusive individuals who cling to a retconned misunderstood past, and those who recognize geek fandom is a diverse community, expanding in inclusion, and should reflect the heterogeneous reality.
We have reached out to the Calgary Expo for a statement. We’ll update this post as necessary.
Update: The Calgary Expo has posted the below to their Facebook page:
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Can someone explain to me how on Earth can ANYONE not get what this means?
“Each of us has been carefully crafting a persona of nerdiness through decades of dedication to comics, science fiction, fantasy, comedy games and other geekery, waiting for this moment, our moment to slip among the unaware”
For those unaware, they essentially said they’ve been nerds for decades, essentially their whole life. How exactly is that
It’s not something I emphasized in my article, and has no bearing on the behavior. It also does not excuse interrupting/hijacking panels and bringing it up is a way to derail the focus on the conversation, which is unacceptable behavior by individuals at a convention.
The full recording of the discussion panel is uploaded on youtube. HBB people politely asked if they may field a question and the people on the panel happily agreed to do it. If you can point out the interruption, hijacking or harassment in the recording I’d absolutely *love* to hear where it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymkIiGRvtBg
At around 18:30 is where the incident takes place. Please, *do* explain to me what was the horrible act they did that warranted banning cosplayers and professional comic artists, both female, from the conferences FOR LIFE?
It seems that your idea of free speech consists of speech that you agree with.Anything and anyone that does not follow the feminist narrative must be silenced and the tag of “hate group” attached.If I were you I would look up the definition of dogma.
Dear Brett Schenker,
From reading this article I didn’t get a clear idea what these Honey Badgers did. I did learn that it is a pretty much female driven dog-n-pony show with a few men in their ranks to remind people that they are advocating for the interests of men, the rights of men, and cultural held misconceptions surrounding gender/sex. I don’t get the vibe that they are an anti woman hate group… and yes, via these women I have learned a lot about the side of #gamergate so few journalists are willing to write about. So I don’t get it!?!
When you write a hit piece like this, do you not think that at least some of your readers may develop an interest and investigate for themselves? Do you not worry that when people learn who the Honey Badgers really are, and what they are really about, that they may puzzle at why anyone would write a hit piece about them? This article doesn’t lend any support for the AntiGamergate Community, nor does it promote the feminist cause (or Social Justice’s). All you are doing is leading people to the other side of the story… and OH!!! What a telling story it is. It was writers like you that lead me to the Honey Badger Brigade. It will be writers like you that bring more and more people over to the so called ‘dark side.’ How long until you attract enough people to the opposing camp? What do you think the tipping point will be before you, and those like you, are forced to do retractions and apologies… followed by story after story about how the tides are turning.
Not cool Brett… this doesn’t do anything for your integrity/credibility. Not as a writer… not as an individual.
Sincerly,
Jim Caesy.
HBB got kicked out for asking questions in a panel discussion that some people didn’t like?
That’s pretty thin broth. Calgary Expo is going to be spending the rest of the convention walking this one back, as they have just seriously annoyed a lot of their customers.
I am pretty sure most people are at the comic con to overpay for celebrity pictures or to buy memorabilia. They probably don’t much care if these guys got kicked out.
Censorship certainly isn’t what it once was. For some reason people think that the right to free speech means being able to exercise that free speech anywhere and without repercussions. It sounds like the HBB had a specific goal in mind for the Calgary Expo, but when challenged retreated behind the rhetoric of freedom of speech/censorship. There are better ways to open such a discussion, and no matter what happened, they are thus evidently still the wrongdoers.
The full recording of the *discussion panel* they attended is available online. All they did was to politely ask if they can field the question that was raised. They were given the possibility, they gave their view on it and everyone seemed happy. No one challenged them, no one told them their views weren’t welcome.
Calgary Expo was just looking for an excuse to get rid of people whose mere existence goes against their narrative. It’s almost comical how bad reason they chose to use.
The Calgary Expo has every right to decide how they want to manage their own event. It is a private enterprise, not a public one, and so it is in their interest to make decisions which affect their bottom line. If they say that they are an organization that is interested in representing equality, and if they feel that the HBB does not advocate those goals then they are completely justified in giving them the boot. They may have called the HBB negative through implication, but they did not restrict their ability to have their own opinion or to stop people from listening to it. They did not have their right of free speech restricted.
This is the equivalent of someone that goes on an internet forum and a moderator deletes a comment because it is deemed inappropriate for that community. That is not censorship, it is just the website (another private enterprise) regulating its own content.
“It is a private enterprise, not a public one”
As I said, it was partly financed by the city of Calgary. That means it WAS a public one.
I also posted the entire panel discussion audio in this thread. Please show me where did they didn’t support equality. If anything, they advocated for *more* equality than the people on the panel.
This is a hit piece. You are just parroting other hit pieces. That takes no courage whatsoever.
Recording of the event shows zero harassment.
Comic Author Allison T was banned for life, no warning whatsoever.
They are not getting their funds refunded.
Also, the event is funded by public money, the province and the city, so the theory that this is a private event might not hold up in the court of law.
If being banned for life for asking permission to answer a question, politely answering that question, even thought the answer may not be what the panelists wanted to hear… is not censorship… then your just engaging in political doublespeak and dishonest.
Besides Allison T they also banned a longtime female cosplayer for life.
Alright, comments are now officially closed, but not before the final response from me….
For the couple who have actually been civil (even though I completely disagree with your opinions) thank you. Though we may disagree, things don’t have to be nasty.
But, to respond to the various things thrown out there in these comments….
1) For those who say this was a “hit piece” and we’re “parroting” what others have written. We were up first with this post, they were parroting us then. Don’t let facts get in your way though. Other than a few opinions, this piece presented the facts as laid out on social media. Facts can’t be a hit piece, they shine light on the truth and reality.
2) I have listened to the audio of the panel. The individuals were there not there to ask questions but were there to derail the panel and deviate it from it’s topic. The panel description for Women Into Comics is:
The individuals stated they are Men’s Rights Activists. Their goal was to turn the discussion on to that topic, derailing it from its purpose. While they were borderline aggressive, they were absolutely rude, ruining the panel for those attending. That was their intention, that’s what they did. They attempted to hijack the conversation deviating the panel from its topic. That’s not only rude to the panelists, but those watching the panel. The attendees spent their time and money to hear the panelists discuss the description above. However the Honey Badgers did what they could to change the topic, and thus waste everyone’s time.
3) The convention has not commented, that I’ve seen, why the Honey Badgers’ booth was removed. However, the booth was purchased under false pretenses. That alone is in violation of the agreement to get a booth and can lead to ejection. The Honey Badger fundraising project even alluded to, and in the comments stated, that the booth was purchased under a different name/purpose.
4) The convention taking money from Calgary. I have no idea if this is fact. However the convention, in my understanding, is a private entity and funded by admissions, advertising, and sponsors. Until this is shown as fact, it’s a false flag attempt by those attempting to smear the convention and deflect the conversation. Also Canada’s laws regarding free speech differ from those in the United States. Sections 318, 319, and 320 of the Criminal Code of Canada forbid hate propaganda, which MRA’s are associated with.
5) On Censorship – this seems to be a favorite claim of Men’s Rights Activists and GamerGate supporters. Lets look at the actual definition of the word:
From the Honey Badger fundraising page (and other statements on their site):
Sure sounds like censorship to me by the Honey Badgers, preventing these ideas from reaching the population. The act of “shouting down” the opposition by GGers and MRAs is a form of censorship. Again, pot meet kettle. The Honey Badgers said what they wanted at the panel, please explain to me where the censorship is.
6) Finally, I thought GamerGate was about “ethics in journalism”? While I do believe some care about that and are focused on just that, this incident shows that’s just not the case for the movement as a whole. I did my research on those who have commented here, and I’d qualify many (if not all) as GamerGate supporters. You have defended Men’s Rights Activists whose only goal is to shout down women with opinions. The Honey Badgers team identify themselves in the audio as MRA’s. Even better, the Honey Badgers are associated with A Voice for Men, a misogyny/hate group identified as such by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The goal of that organizations founder is “to “expose misandry [hatred of men] on all levels in our culture.” I heard nothing of the sort on the panel, and hear nothing of the sort talking to Feminists. As stated on the panel, they want equality.
Any pretense or claims that GG is about “ethics” is blown out of the water by the support of a group that’s identified by the SPLC as a hate group. That puts them in league with the other 783 hate groups identified by the SPLC. You can find them all on this handy map they created. Enjoy the company of the KKK and neo-Nazis.
To keep things “the way they are” as stated as a goal by the Honey Badgers is censorship. Not allowing those who might not like a cover, or a story, or some art, to voice their opinion is censorship. To reject the recent changes in games, comics, movies, television, and more is a slow death for fandom. It alienates the new wave of fans who want inclusion, acceptance, and a progressive outlook that leads to new characters and stories that reflects the diversity of the fans and world we live in.
What I read in these comments is the final lashing out of individuals who can’t accept change, the future, and inclusiveness. You’re not welcome here on this site, and will be further marginalized as time goes on by the geek community. Many years from now, we’ll look back and wonder like anti-Vaxxers and Climate Deniers how you were given an unchallenged platform and held your grip for so long?