Blerdcon: It Was Never Really About Blerds
By now, most of us in the cosplay community have probably heard about the BlerdCon cosplay contest fiasco. I’m not surprised by it, but I’ll tell you why after a quick recap of events for anyone unfamiliar with the situation.
- “Blerd” is a portmanteau that combines the words “Black” and “nerd”; it literally means “Black Nerd.” That’s it. That’s all.
- Blerdcon is a convention that has been around since 2017. In their own words “Blerdcon is an event that highlights and celebrates Blerd culture and creates a marketplace of ideas where sharing that culture can take place with proper context, attribution and positivity in an inclusive environment. Blerdcon celebrates our connection with LGBTQ, the disabled, POCs and the international community! All are welcome to partake in the experience as we are an open community who love all the same nerddom.” The word “Black” only appears once on BlerdCon’s “About” page. Interesting.
- The con’s founder, Hilton George, has alleged several times that “anyone can be a Blerd” regardless of race (lol). Still, people got the impression that BlerdCon was supposed to be a safe space for Black Nerds in particular, which is understandble given the name and the fact that BlerdCon is marketed as such.
- This year, in 2021, a white cosplayer took home the grand prize at the BlerdCon cosplay contest (this is the second time that this has happened. A white cosplayer also won the contest in 2018, meaning that out of 4 years of BlerdCon cosplay contests, white people have won 50% of the time).
- One of the prizes was that the winner would receive a guest spot and promo at AwesomeCon (another convention) and represent BlerdCon there. Even if you don’t take issue with her winning, I think we can all at least admit that the optics of a White person winning a cosplay contest at a Black nerd convention, and then going on to represent the con in some official capacity is a little questionable at best.
- When people were confused by this, two of the BlerdCon cosplay contest judges immediately lept to defend their choice to crown her the winner. Drag queen & cosplayer Dax ExclaimationPoint made a statement alleging that the Black cosplay contestants just didn’t give it their all and showed up in “halloween costumes” and “pringles cans,” so the judges just had no choice but to crown a White cosplayer as the winner.
This statement perpetuates the false and racist idea that Black cosplayers are somehow inherently inferior and just not good enough to win even at an event that is supposed to celebrate them. It’s also an attempt to dodge accountability for making an inflammatory and questionable decision by throwing every Black contestant under the bus…at a “Black” event.
Additionally, Wreck-It-Ronnie, another of the cosplay judges, also began to spin a narrative that the majority of Black contestants just didn’t “show up and show out” and so that’s why the judges’ hands were forced. She also made a dismissive and distasteful comment in response to people who were confused or upset by the decision.
The narrative being spun about Black contestants not putting in effort or looking storebought and raggedy proved to be false when photos of other cosplay contestants began to circulate.
Eventually, the winner of the contest decided to return the prizes and issued an apology, stating that she realizes it was inappropriate to enter a contest that was presumably created to showcase and feature Black cosplay talent.
Still, the cosplay contest judges and the founder of BlerdCon himself doubled down on the decision. Rather than having the decency to even acknowledge that the optics of the situation are pretty terrible, they focused on chastising anyone who was upset, accusing those who questioned BlerdCon’s commitment to being a safe space for Black nerds to be seen and celebrated of being aggressive segregrationists who simply didn’t try hard enough. Hilton recently released a statement addressing the controversy, essentially saying that BlerdCon was for everyone, not just Black nerds, and said that anyone upset should just come next year and try harder. There were also claims that it would somehow be illegal to keep the contest exclusive to Black cosplayers only. Unfortunately, that video has since been deleted (hmm, weird).
Now for my thoughts!
Why am I not surprised by any of this? In 2016, when BlerdCon was still in the planning stages, I reached out to Hilton for an interview. I wanted to get a better sense of his vision for the con. In the end, I never published the interview (until now) because it left a bad taste in my mouth. Essentially, he admits to using the name for attention while never intending to center or prioritize Black nerds. It was never really about Black nerds. That’s it. That’s all. “Blerd” was nothing more than a superficial theme, a glorified window dressing, or “soul food fusion” as he put it. He would later go on to say, several times, that “anyone can be a Blerd” at press events and on social media. To be frank, BlerdCon, despite the name, was never *for* Black people. He always had a vision of it being like any other con with a slightly more “diverse” experience.
In the years following, nothing has changed, so I’m not surprised by any of this. I think that the idea of a convention that makes a point to focus on diversity, intersectionality, and inclusion is fantastic. I also think that it’s disingenuous to have a vision for general diversity, but frame it as something that prioritizes a specific group only to turn around and claim that was never the case when people call it into question. As you can see in the interview, Hilton made the intentional choice to call it “BlerdCon” even though Blackness was never going to be a focal point. I just prefer when people call things what they are and are clear on their intentions. It looks as though the name was intentionally misleading and capitalizing on Black nerds’ desire for a safe space while not really being committed to creating that safe space.
Do I think non-black people should be banned from attendance? No. I think that an event can still prioritize a specific group while welcoming people who are not members of that group. It has been done successfully with other events and organizations, so it’s not impossible (or illegal? wtf) for BlerdCon to be about celebrating and uplifting the Black nerd community while also having space for intersectionality and welcoming people of all groups to attend and share.
Can there be a contest exclusive to Black cosplayers? As far the alleged legality of having a cosplay contest for Black cosplayers only, they could very easily just call it a “Black Cosplay Showcase” which would let attendees know that the contest is specifically for showcasing and rewarding Black cosplay talent. There’s nothing difficult, illegal, or harmful about saving space for the group BlerdCon is theoretically supposed to cater to in some capacity. Any claims to the contrary are bullshit. Period.
Who is to blame? As far as who is to blame for the controversy, the fault lies with the con creator, the judges, and the Sakura cosplayer. Hilton repeatedly goes out of his way to center the feelings and comfort of non-Black attendees at the expense of the people he claims to represent (you know, Black nerds). The judges made their choice and chose to defend it with antiblackness. On one hand, it can be said that the judges simply worked with what they were given within the rules they were given. That would be fine if not for their responses to the backlash. The fact that their immediate reaction was to falsely claim that no Black cosplayers put in effort or were worthy of a win is horrible. Dax’s response in particular was disgusting, and it’s sad that other contestants have now seen one of the judges publicly berate and tear down their efforts. That’s not ok. There were better ways they could have defended their decison without hurting their own community in the process. The cosplayer herself is also to blame, because allies in safe spaces should know better than to take up space and center themselves when they are guests.
Do I think anyone involved is a bad person or intentionally malicious? No. I think Hilton probably has good intentions although I disagree with the bait and switch marketing and many of his views and actions concerning all of this. I don’t think the judges are bad people, though I feel they handled everything poorly and I have definitely lost respect for them. I don’t think the Sakura cosplayer is a bad person, but I think she knowingly made a poor choice. I can’t entirely fault her for feeling it was ok to do when the creator of BlerdCon seems more concerned with making non-black attendees feel welcome and comfortable than for truly curating a safe space for Black attendees.
Final Thoughts…
The Nature of Cosplay Contests. As someone who has entered several cosplay contests, having won, lost, and placed in them for a variety of reasons, I want to say that while some cosplays can look cool or flashy, they can still have construction issues that are revealed to the judges during the review process. The real issue was never with the quality of the winner’s costume, and I’ve seen a few too many people who have 0 craftsmanship experience and 0 competition experience putting down the work of others when they have no idea what goes into it all. There are also allegations that the winner didn’t make her cosplay, which is untrue. People are primarily concerned with the fact that they aren’t even being seen or prioritized in a space that claims to be designated for them, and with the fact that the judges and official BlerdCon staff have been quick to focus on an center the feelings of the white contestant, going as far as to attack and belittle other contestants, and to paint people with legitimate questions and concerns as bitter segregationists looking for a handout. I think it’s more telling that the judges put down other solid craftsmanship from fellow Black cosplayers in order to defend her when she admits to realizing her taking space was wrong, and even states that she saw many impressive cosplays from other contestants, directly contradicting the narrative that nobody else was good or made real effort.
Will I be supporting BlerdCon in 2022? No. In additional to personal issues with having been harassed, mocked, and lied on by people close to the BlerdCon creator and staff, I just don’t have a desire to support a con that masquerades as one thing while actually being another. I’ve always been an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the world of nerdom, but I prefer honesty and professionalism to go along with it. I have refrained from writing publicly about BlerdCon for years due to fear of harassment, being incorrectly labeled “self hating” for not supporting a con founded on a deceptive and false premise of celebrating Black nerds, and because I just didn’t want to look like I was trying to tear down what appeared to be (but clearly isn’t) a Black centered event. There is an entire history of BlerdCon treating Black women and femmes in particular horribly behind the scenes, but those are not my stories to tell. I’ve seen and heard enough from friends, peers, and credible sources to just stay away for those reaons alone.
I also don’t think the solution to being told “you didn’t try hard enough” and being treated like it’s wrong to ask questions concerning BlerdCon’s actual commitment to BLERDS (a word I don’t even like because it sounds like the noise people make when they’re vomitting, but I digress) when those most closely associated with the con continue to engage in antiblack and questionable behaviors is to “show up and show out in 2022!” The solution to being sidelined and disrespected by a group, person, entity, organization, etc. that claimed to be “for” you is not to keep throwing money and support their way while they refuse to even acknowledge your concerns. It’s to spend your time and money elsewhere, which is what I will continue to do. You can do whatever you feel is best, and be at peace with the consequences of it all. As the saying goes, when people show you who they are, believe them.
~DeLa Doll
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DeLa Doll is a culture writer, cosplayer, and artist based in Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2016, with some of her work being featured on sites like HuffPo and /Film. She is an advocate for meaningful diversity and representation in media, a gamer, a mom, and an avid user of DIY hair dye.
