I currently serve on the board of directors of the Queerness and Games Conference. QGCon is a conference for academics and developers focused on the intersections between games and queer/LGBTQ+ issues. Since 2018 it has been located in Montreal, Quebec. I joined the organizing committee in 2019, helped to transition the organization to a Canadian not-for-profit in 2021, and joined the inaugural board in the same year.
As the organizing committee member in charge of fundraising, in 2019 I raised over ten thousand dollars of funding through sponsorships and events. QGCon provides significant funding for presenters. For our 2020 conference, we committed to granting 100% of funds requested by Black, Indigenous and POC presenters. I cultivated partnerships with Canadian game developers of all sizes, from indie studios to some of the biggest employers in the Canadian game development scene.
In order to raise awareness for the event, I also organized a Carnival-themed fundraising event, QGCarnival, which took place at the Toronto Media Arts Centre in January 2020. We filled TMAC with booths selling games, zines, art, food and fun activities, all with a fun queer wintery theme.
Unfortunately, QGCon 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19. However, I’m extremely proud of the work I did and the skills I learned raising funds for the conference, and I look forward to helping organize the next iteration of QGCon, whenever we can do it.
Kaelan 