Tag: politics

Thoughts While Sitting at the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle.

Andrea

Sitting in the dealers’ room at the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Seattle. Wearing my replica TNG-era com badge and Starfleet delta earrings. I didn’t wear my Manticoran Navy officer’s uniform because my involvement in the TRMN has waned significantly. A gentleman sitting at the same table is wearing his uniform, and I said, “Go Manticore!”, but he ignored me.

My publisher threatened to take away my author card if I didn’t autograph copies of my books at his table. So, if you want some autographed books, you can head over to Water Dragon Publishing, or, better yet, send me an email and I’ll be happy to address an autograph to you personally.

The first ribbon I attached to my member badge says, “No Kings.” I picked it up at the registration desk before I even obtained my dealer badge (ribbon). Dozens of people have asked me where I got it, and when I tell them, they respond, “There weren’t any there when I went through registration.”

Sorry, dude. Can’t help you with that. I haven’t seen many No Kings ribbons, so I’m thinking they may have been a limited run.

I’m not seeing many panels on today’s schedule that I want to attend, but there is one at 19:30 tonight that looks interesting:

Why Does the Alt-Right Love Science Fiction?

The description: Over the past few decades, there have been attempts to co-opt science fiction in support of racist, sexist, and classist political movements. Even works such as Star Trek, Neuromancer, and The Dispossessed have been claimed by alt-right leaders as foundational texts for their awful worldviews. Why does the alt-right love science fiction, and what problematic assumptions are coded into the genre that cause it to be open to these interpretations?

First off, anyone who wonders, “When did Star Trek become so woke?” has had their head up their butt since 1966. 

Second, I’m well aware that embracing science fiction fandom has placed me solidly in a progressive echo chamber. If the bulk of Sci-Fi fans had their druthers, The Felon and his cronies, along with all the White Christian Nationalists, would have been launched into a parallel universe long ago, where they can play out their Project 2025-basedmasturbatory fantasies without bothering other people.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any Republicans at the Con today, but they tend to keep their political opinions to themselves and quietly back out of conversations that turn political. And they tend to be the kind of Republican who’d vote for Eisenhower or Nixon, but not The Felon.

Thirdly, I have a dinner engagement tonight, but if I can get back to the Con before 19:30, I’ll attend this panel.

What do I do about the echo chamber? Truthfully, not much. I remind myself that the loudest progressives are just as guilty of not fact-checking their talking points as Fox News is. I mean, really, people just don’t google it when it supports their agenda. 

Apropos of nothing, here is a Hawaiian Dalek.

Getting Political Because I No Longer Have a Choice

Andrea

Indivisible Oregon sent me a message on March 25, asking me if I’d help organize an event for the Transgender Day of Visibility in Salem, Oregon. Oh, boy! Six whole days to plan it! But, how could I say no?

Together with Heidi B., we pulled it off! I called the office of Andrea Salinas, the Congresswoman from Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, inviting her or a spokesperson to join us. They sent Mr. Brandon Jordan, who read a letter from Congresswoman Salinas.

Transgender individuals are under threat of erasure as one anti-trans law after another are introduced and passed in Republican controlled states, like this bill in Texas. Transpeople face unsafe conditions in about half the country. Imagine being out and about, and you have to hold your pee until you get home because using a public bathroom might get you arrested. I don’t like using clichés like “clear and present danger” or “unprecedented,” but this clearly is. The threat is clear enough that even cis-women are paying the price. Unless someone looks like a stereotypical woman, there is a chance that they’ll be targeted by the anti-trans militia. For instance, see this article. Any short-haired woman wearing baggy clothes could be targeted. As we saw at the 2024 Paris Olympics, any woman of color who outperforms white women could be accused of being secretly male.

It’s important to understand the flawed logic behind these attacks. If transgender women have such an unfair advantage in sports, why aren’t they dominating the competitions they’re entering?

Now I have three days until the “Hands Off” protest. The organizers did it right and gave us a month to get our act together, and I hope there’ll be sizable crowds in Corvallis, Davis, and Salem.

It’s against this backdrop of increasing legislative attacks and the very real dangers they pose that the ‘Hands Off!’ protests take on even greater significance. While the Hands Off protest isn’t specifically about Trans Rights, the core message of the Hands Off! protest is to tell Trump and Musk, “Hands off our lives! Hands off our Social Security! Hands off our bodies! Hands off our religion! Hands off our pensions!” If you’re able to join us this weekend at any of the hundreds of locations where protests are planned, your presence and voice will make a difference.

And, for those who might be questioning the impact of showing up, I offer this compelling video by the one and only Rebecca Watson, who details studies showing that protests actually do work.