Spent the long weekend with our people at an SF/F convention in Baltimore. Modulo getting even less sleep than usual (=0) the night before we left, a three-hour delay due to mechanical issues on the return flight, and most of a skein of the same yarn I had just finished my shawl with (and was targeting for a nice pair of socks with a matching theme) probably being left on the flight there when my project bag tipped over in the overhead compartment, things went well. In addition to the usual singing, I got to do four of my songs for specific people (two because I know they like the songs, one because they heard me do the song when they were out here in March and wanted to hear it again, and one I've been wanting to do for a few years and several conventions we were both at, but our paths didn't intersect properly). Then, at the end of the weekend, the site that hosts information about the annual awards for excellence in our community released the results of this year's brainstorming poll: ideas submitted by community members for songs, writers, and performers worthy of recognition. And for the first time ever, a song I wrote was mentioned in the "Best Song" category (nice), and I was mentioned in the "Best Writer/Composer" category (even nicer!). Which gets me wanting to give myself the best chance of getting nominated by showing up at as many online events as I can manage and doing my best stuff, of which the song mentioned is one. Even if that's not enough to get a nomination, I'll still benefit from doing it -- and doing my best.
Fun stuff on the gender front, too. Now that I have disclosed being out in fandom as of last December, I feel comfortable packing enough options to dress as suits me. Outfits at the convention ranged from almost entirely morphonormative through "both/and" (as opposed to "neither/nor") gender markers to completely morphocontrary. That last one got the best responses. It's more fun liking what one's wearing all the time. And I found something I'd been looking for since disclosing: a vendor who does custom buttons one can pin to one's clothing. I am now the proud owner (and wearer, for the remainder of the convention and at times since then) of a button reading "Defund the Gender Police". I showed it to my therapist today, and they liked it because it came across as a humorous way of letting people know that I had little tolerance for gender policing -- and might well get them thinking about the effect gender policing might be having on their own lives, and whether they must subject themselves to it.
So yeah, great time on many fronts. Hope things continue to improve for you.
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The last seven days were pretty good
Date: 2022-06-03 05:03 am (UTC)Fun stuff on the gender front, too. Now that I have disclosed being out in fandom as of last December, I feel comfortable packing enough options to dress as suits me. Outfits at the convention ranged from almost entirely morphonormative through "both/and" (as opposed to "neither/nor") gender markers to completely morphocontrary. That last one got the best responses. It's more fun liking what one's wearing all the time. And I found something I'd been looking for since disclosing: a vendor who does custom buttons one can pin to one's clothing. I am now the proud owner (and wearer, for the remainder of the convention and at times since then) of a button reading "Defund the Gender Police". I showed it to my therapist today, and they liked it because it came across as a humorous way of letting people know that I had little tolerance for gender policing -- and might well get them thinking about the effect gender policing might be having on their own lives, and whether they must subject themselves to it.
So yeah, great time on many fronts. Hope things continue to improve for you.