Panel

Will I see you at CONvergence 2024?

Will I see you at CONvergence 2024?

CONvergence 2024: Everyone’s Invited is just around the corner, and I am very much looking forward to it. It will be great to see friends and acquaintances, go to panels and learn/experience things, be on panels and share my knowledge, and all the fun things one can do at a convention! I hope to see you there!

Will I see you at CONvergence 2023?

Will I see you at CONvergence 2023?

Well, it’s almost Independence Day Weekend, and that means that it is almost time for CONVergence 2023: All Dressed Up. I am looking forward to it; I haven’t been to CONvergence since 2019, since just before the pandemic. I am eternally grateful to be able to go to CONvergence once again, to see those whom I don’t get to see often, to go to panels and learn/experience things and share my knowledge. It promises to be a grand time.

Minicon 56 is a week away!

Minicon 56 is a week away!

Hi, folks! Minicon 56 is a week away. This will be my first in-person convention since CONvergence 2019, and first convention since CONvergence 2020. I am looking forward to Minicon - I get to see friends whom I don’t get to spend much time with the rest of the year, I get to go to panels and learn things, and I get to be on panels and share my knowledge and experience on subjects that I find interesting.

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 06

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 06

The adventure of cleaning up audio and improving show notes from previous panels continues in today’s episode of Justin on Panels. We are still working through MarsCon 2018, with the panel “Star Trek”. Please note: at the time of recording, only season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery had been released.

A talk about the last 52 years of Star Trek, 6 Shows, and the 13 movies. Yes there will be spoilers for Star Trek Discovery.

With: Tony Artym, Elizabeth Erickson, Justin Grays, Joan Marie Verba, Stephanie Stensland

Artificial Intelligence Best Practices—What do AI’s want? - Minicon 2019

There were a couple of panels at Minicon 54 that I attended and wrote up in my retrospect post. Over the years, I have been referring back to that post and telling people which panel to look at. It has occurred to me that the panels that I’ve referred to the most need their own individual posts, and so I’m reproducing them here.

—————

At Minicon 2019, I attended a number of fantastic panels and took some notes at most of them. These notes reflect my thoughts as the panelists were speaking, and may not align with what the panelists meant to say.

MNPoly Presents: Consent and Sex Positivity Panel

MNPoly Presents: Consent and Sex Positivity Panel

On April 18th, 2022, I was on a panel for MNPoly about Consent and Sex Positivity. You can listen to the audio of the panel on my SoundCloud. MNPoly is accepting donations through their PayPal link to support further educational social events. Also, MNPolyCon is back this year on July 24th.

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 05

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 05

The adventure of cleaning up audio and improving show notes from previous panels continues in today’s episode of Justin on Panels. We are still working through MarsCon 2018, with the panel “Gem Watch”.

Discussion of the recent episodes of Steven Universe. What are your theories about events on Homeworld? What will this bring to Beach City?

With: Kathryn Sullivan, mod.; Justin Grays

Content Warning - mentions of:

  • Death

  • PTSD

  • Stress

  • Toxic Masculinity

  • Toxic Relationships

  • Trauma

Spoiler Warning: Steven Universe

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 04

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 04

Over the last four years, I have been promising to finish cleaning up the audio from the various panels that I have been on and improve the show notes. Now that GraysMatter Podcast is up and running, I have taken the time to also revisit these panels. Please join me in experiencing Justin on Panels.

MarsCon 2018

Starfleet's Prime Directive is evidence that Borg, Dominion, & Klingons are not the only ethnocentric civilizations in Star Trek. Let's talk about how and why deciding what's best for another culture is problematic regardless of intentions, even in space.
With: Justin Grays, Stephanie Stensland

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 03

Justin on Panels - Season 2, Episode 03

Over the last four years, I have been promising to finish cleaning up the audio from the various panels that I have been on and improve the show notes. Now that GraysMatter Podcast is up and running, I have taken the time to also revisit these panels. Please join me in experiencing Justin on Panels.

MarsCon 2018

In society and in the media, a number of myths have revolved around polyamory. Though polyamory is becoming more generally accepted, the media shows it as a white phenomenon. Explore and discuss how the polyamorous experience is portrayed and how it differs from reality.
With: Kyle Andrew, Justin Grays

Justin on Panels - Season 1, Episode 01

Justin on Panels - Season 1, Episode 01

Over the last four years, I have been promising to finish cleaning up the audio from the various panels that I have been on and improve the show notes. Now that the GraysMatter Podcast is up and running, I have taken the time to also revisit these panels. Please join me in experiencing Justin on Panels.

CONvergence 2017

The desire for realism is high in the cosplay community, but when does it go to far? Is it okay to change skin tone to emulate a character of a different race? Is it necessary? What is the difference between looking like another race and another species?

Panelists: Justin Grays, Stephanie Stensland (mod), Sarah Molasky, Morgan Strickland, Charlene Holm

Content Warning:

  • Blackface

  • Racism

MN Poly Presents: ENM Communication Panel

MN Poly Presents: ENM Communication Panel

On March 22nd, 2021, I was on a panel for MNPoly about Ethical Non-Monogamous Communication. During the panel, we discuss different communication styles, including proactive communication, direct communication, and radical transparency. Also, we talk about what Informed Consent looks like, what is Checking In, and when should one start checking in during a relationship.

Black Fan, White Fandom - CONvergence 2020

Black Fan, White Fandom: What it was like in the days before representation was as prominent, even though we have a long way to go. Panelists: Taylor Aaron Cisco, Briana Lawrence, Justin Edward Grays. Liaison: Shannan Paul

Although COVID-19 has postponed CONvergence: The Stuff of Legends to 2021, we still were able to move forward with having an online convention. CONvergence Online was a free to attend event where we can digitally gather and enjoy the convention weekend; we were still able to hold room parties and participate in panels over Zoom. You can listen to or download an audio version of the panel here, or watch on the CONvergence YouTube channel.

Polyamory 101 - CONvergence 2019

Polyamory 101 - CONvergence 2019

Back by popular demand! Polyamory means “many loves;” but there are many ways to be polyamorous. Come discuss it and some ways to navigate it. This panel provides space for those new to/curious about polyamory.

I did not record the panel this time due to privacy concerns. It is not safe for people to be openly polyamorous; people who are outed can lose their friends, lose their jobs, be denied promotions, lose their children, and lose their homes. There are audio recordings from other panels that I’ve been on about polyamory & non-monogamy - look at posts with the tags Polyamory or Non-Monogamy [Note 1].

There will be another post later for the Polyamory 202 panel at CONvergence 2019. At the end of that panel, I had made a post that included links to related topics and a form for those who had feedback or had more questions to ask. I am still accepting questions from it and will be making a separate post with responses after I finish writing about the CONvergence 2019 panels.

Gender & AI - CONvergence 2019

Gender & AI - CONvergence 2019

Androids & AI in sci-fi disrupt the idea of a gender binary: what purpose is there for an android and/or AI to have gender? Could an android/AI be trans, gender-fluid, and/or non-binary? How will that affect how we as a society see gender as a construct? Participants: Naomi Kritzer (mod), Leigh Hellman, Justin Edward Grays, Nate Bird, Elliot Besmann

Content Warnings:

Mention of sexual harassment towards AI.

References to the dehumanization of indigenous peoples.

Minicon 2019 - Retrospect

At Minicon 2019, I attended a number of fantastic panels and took some notes at most of them. These notes reflect my thoughts as the panelists were speaking, and may not align with what the panelists meant to say.

23 and Us: The Social Implications of DNA Testing at Minicon 2019

The implications of recreational DNA testing. 23 and Me was used to find at least two serial killers by finding their relatives, and has been used to find birth parents who may not have wanted to be found. How ethically dubious is that? What implications does DNA testing have for the future?

Participants: Sharon Kahn (mod), Bill Thomasson, Justin Grays, Katie Clapham, Shaun Jamison

Avoiding Tokenism in Literature at CONvergence 2018

Avoiding Tokenism in Literature at CONvergence 2018

Creating actual diversity requires a great effort to avoid unintentionally tokenizing your characters. Tokenism, even when unintentional, is what leads to adding "diversity" for the sake of diversity. How do we engender true diversity in our literature?
Panelists:
Tamora Pierce, Justin Grays, Kerry Peterson (mod), Jei Herald-Zamora

CVG 2018 Day 3, Part 2 - Sex in Sci-Fi/Fantasy

CVG 2018 Day 3, Part 2 - Sex in Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Warning: Rape gets brought up in this post. It is mentioned in the Hard Passes.

CONvergence 2018 was July 5-8, 2018, almost 3 months ago now. I had planned on getting this post done two weeks ago as I have been trying to get posts out on a regular basis, but certain events tied up my brainspace. I’m not willing to say that I am back on track yet, but I am certainly trying. As a reminder of Day 3 (Saturday the 7th), I was on the panel “Polyamory 101” and attended “Sex in Sci-Fi/Fantasy”. For part 2, I present to you my notes from “Sex in Sci-Fi/Fantasy”.

CVG 2018 Day 3, Part 1 - Polyamory 101

CVG 2018 Day 3, Part 1 - Polyamory 101

CONvergence 2018 was July 5-8, 2018, almost 3 months ago now. I had planned on getting this post done last week as I have been trying to get posts out on a regular basis, but certain events tied up my brainspace last weekend. Now that I am back on track, I am getting Day 3 (Saturday the 7th) up for you all. I was on the panel “Polyamory 101” and attended “Sex in Sci-Fi/Fantasy”. For Part 1, I present to you the audio recording of the polyamory panel as well as my additional written thoughts about what we discussed, a link to “Polyamory: Perceptions and Realities” from MarsCon 2018, and various resources. Listen to the raw recording of “Polyamory 101” here.