Gen Con Threatens To Leave Indianapolis Due To Stupid Ass Bill

It's not exactly comics, but it's next door and there's still a certain overlap between the two geek communities and the industries that serve them. Indiana governor Mike Pence has signed into law one of those right-to-discriminate bills that doesn't seem to do anything except provide solace to the side of the culture wars that sees these kinds of things as another exchange in culture wars. He does so in the light of a reach-out from the long-time gaming convention Gen Con, who said earlier this week they'll consider a move elsewhere if the bill is signed.

I imagine this has a long way to go yet. Now that the bill is signed, you're going to get people that suggest something along the lines that Gen Con keep its millions of dollars of business in the state but focus on businesses that make some sort of non-idiocy pledge. A lot of gamers are conservative at heart, and I haven't really heard from that side of things yet, either. I can imagine a split-convention scenario because of that conservative streak, although the reason the show is in Indy isn't tradition (it started in Wisconsin) but because it's a really nice place to have a show like that. Usually when people split because of political reasons they need another reason like loyalty to go on the record supporting the side that looks historically outdated.

It also makes me sad that such a useless-sounding bill is being passed in my home state. Gen Con stepping up in this fashion isn't something I've seen on an institutional level in the comics world; or at least I haven't seen something this dramatic. I think you might now, the way things have begun to sort themselves out. It's also nice to see that those that fear a relocation have a proper appreciation for what that show brings the community in terms of hard dollars.
 
posted 12:15 am PST | Permalink
 

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