When I saw the official schedule for Zenkaikon 2025 I knew I had to make it my mission to go to as many queer panels as possible that fit into my and my group’s schedule. Though I made allowances for other panels I was interested in, I officially went to four out of eight queer panels as well as one event hosted by Lancaster Pride.
These are exactly the panels and events I love to see at conventions. Being surrounded by my community feels so warm and wholesome. Plus, getting to learn more about it in the context of my interests is always the best. I would argue these were very popular panels, too.
Attended
“Transgender Representation in Anime”
Friday, March 21st from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
“Many anime and manga have been forerunners in the representation of trans characters. However, there are still problems to be faced. In this presentation, we will discuss how trans characters are currently represented in some of the most popular anime and what improvements can be made.”
Bouncing between five panelists, Ryan (he/they), Nyk (they/he), Channy (she/her), Mango (he/she/they), and Bodie (he/him), this was a good hour of terminology, jokes, and encouragement. Their adorable rainbow squiggles presentation held my attention just as much as their voices did, especially when they used memes for each category. What I loved most about the panel was how they acknowledged the seriousness of the topic and representation, while also being lighthearted and fun. The room was completely full, with over thirty people turned away at the door due to lack of space. The only suggestion I’d have would be to include the names of the characters on or next to the pictures.
Check out their Instagrams: JupiterDropsStudios (Channy and Ryan), Mango, Nyk, Bodie
“Cosplay For Your Life: A Lip Sync Showdown”
Friday, March 21st from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM, organized and hosted by Lancaster Pride
“Join Lancaster Pride and Zenkaikon for an electrifying Lip Sync Battle where creativity meets performance in an epic cosplay showdown! Contest[ants] will channel their inner performers as they showcase their lip syncing skills while embodying beloved characters from movies, TV shows, anime, and more.”
Since I’m not one to watch performances often, I was worried I would be bored during this event. I was proven immediately wrong as Lancaster Pride and the contestants put on an amazing show. A good mix of amateur and slightly experienced performances, eleven participants wowed the judges and the audience. The audience was properly hype for each one too, sometimes singing along to the song choices. Also, the drag queen hostess, Amethyst Diamond, was stellar, gorgeous and funny and very much used to a stage. It may have even been one of my favorite experiences of the whole weekend. I was especially wild for fellow Fandom Spotlite writer Gabby‘s performance to Bet On It by Zac Efron (High School Musical 2) cosplaying as Scourge from Warriors (you can watch the performance on her Instagram). The love and support from everyone was heartwarming.
“Queer Representation in Anime Through the Decades”
Saturday, March 22nd from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, hosted by Lancaster Pride
“We will be presenting a summary of the history of queer representation in mainstream anime through the decades starting from the 60s to the main present day that will end with a game for the audience and us providing resources for the community.”
I want to start this review by saying I don’t fully fault the panelists for my experience. Unfortunately, the room used for this panel was not efficient. It was deep instead of wide, meaning that any people sitting all the way in the back could barely see the presentation or focus due to the side conversations and shuffling (plus, a crying baby). Many people were standing to the side or sitting on the windowsills behind my wife and I. We were also so far back that we couldn’t get any pictures of the front. Also, I’m not positive the panelists knew a lot about the topic; they appeared like they were reading a script. Sometimes, they openly admitted to not knowing the names. They had charisma, but not as much knowledge. We ended up leaving the panel about thirty to forty-five minutes in, after they finished the PowerPoint and moved onto a video guessing LGBT+ characters. Coming and going audience members was common.
“Queer Horror: Books You Should Be Reading!”
Saturday, March 22nd from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM
“Bookworms and adrenaline junkies alike, lend me your ears! We have an hour of fun-filled (spoiler free!) discussions about queer horror books in store for you. Whether you like vampires, demons, ghosts, or killers, you’re bound to walk away with at least one book on your ‘to be read’ list.”
As an avid reader who already extended my Goodreads goal for the year, I was excited to drop into this panel. Though technical difficulties delayed the panel about seven minutes and the panelist, Gavin Fernandez, was tired and a bit scattered, it was still excellent. They were friendly, nice, and funny. I would also say that his recommendations were awesome, a good mixture of identities and different spins on horror. Gavin’s whole goal was for each audience member to add at least one recommendation to their TBR (to-be-read), which he was successful at. I, personally, added nearly all nineteen books (I just so happen to have read two of them already).
Gavin can be found on his side and main Instagram as well as Bluesky.
“Queer Visual Novels: From DMMD to Dream Daddy and Beyond!”
Saturday, March 22nd from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM
“The almighty visual novel. A mainstay in queer video games spaces. Before there were AAA games willing to have queer characters have major roles in their titles (Ellie the Last of Us and more), there was the indie visual novel scene! Come follow the history of this timeless media and how it was a safe space for the early queer gamers and what we have to look forward to.”
Another excellent single-panelist panel with an engaging, amusing, and informative person! The slides were cutesy, the representation was amazing, and we got to watch some visual novel trailers. The recommendations were a mixture of games Nyk has played and ones they would like to in the future. The LGBTQ+ community inside jokes from them and the audience made me laugh all the way through. I’ve always wanted to get into more visual novels, with my early obsession with dating sim games like Shall We Date? and the app The Arcana so I’ll be taking these recommendations into consideration when I begin that journey.
Follow the Linktree to visit all of Nyk’s socials.
Did Not Attend
“Lemons and One Shots: Fanfiction and Sexuality (18+)”
Friday, March 21st from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM
[18+ Wristband required to attend; no photography or video] Oh boy, there’s only one bed in the hotel room again… Why does fanfiction often seem to take a sexual turn? Join our panelist, a professional sex educator, on a wild journey to discuss the merit of fanfiction and how affirming it can be for creators.
While I’m not 100% sure on the queerness of this panel, I assume it was based on the title. My group didn’t attend any 18+ panels this year, but this one was missed to go to the Lip Sync Battle.
“Sword Lesbians in Anime”
Friday, March 21st from 10:30 PM to 11:30 PM
From Lady Oscar to Sailor Uranus to Revolutionary Girl Utena, anime and manga are full of 1) androgynous ladies with swords, 2) queer themes, and 3) both at the same time. Join us for an exploration of the cultural influences that have shaped these characters, how the genre has evolved over time, and the ways that the long history of the anime sword lesbian is reflected in more recent shows like Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. We’ll also do a deep dive into some of our more obscure sword lesbian faves!
As a lesbian myself, I was disappointed to miss this panel! After the Lip Sync Battle, we were too tired to attend. I would’ve loved to expand my horizons on more sword lesbians to watch.
“Horror Manga & LGBT Identity: Series That Do It Well (18+)”
Saturday, March 22nd from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM
[18+ Wristband required to attend; no photography or video] Shining the spotlight on 4 lesser known horror Manga featuring main and side characters with diverse identities! *not spoiler free*
My group decided to do the Queer Horror book panel instead, mostly because we didn’t want spoilers. I would’ve loved to get some recommendations for horror manga that had queer representation though.
“Fear the Queers: Horror Musicals”
Saturday, March 22nd 11:30 PM to Sunday, March 23rd 12:30 AM
Come one, come all, freaks and creeps alike to a show like none other! Come explore the macabre with a bit of whimsy. Covering the dark side of musicals from a queer lens we’ll take you through these harrowing halls and uncover the threads that connect. We’ll be your guides to the other side.
Simply a little bit too late for us to attend and at least two of us don’t care for musicals. I could see a lot of theater gays going wild for this one.
