GaymerX Set to Hit San Francisco in August

More than a thousand geeks are expected to crowd San Francisco's Hotel Kabuki and other neighboring spots in just a few weeks, all taking part in the first annual GaymerX. Starting on August 3, the two-day event will consist of gaming, parties, panels, and celebration, all in the name of "queer geek culture."

GaymerX it is not just for queer geeks, though. While featuring an emphasis on LGBT games and characters, the convention is open to all with an interest in "queer geek culture." The panels will play host to various gaming veterans including voice actress Ellen McLain and artist Anna Anthropy. The convention even has a looming threat from the Westboro Baptist Church, which is said to be coming their way with typical signs of hate and destruction.

By way of crowd-sourcing site, Kickstarter, the gaming convention managed to raise more than $91,000 last year, after an initial asking pledge of $25,000. In exchange for a donation, the campaign offered prizes that ranged from a sticker pack to a massive VIP package.

"We believe that there are a great number of Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Gender Queer, and Bisexual folks out there, of every color and creed, that at the end of the day, love to geek out," says GaymerX founder Matt Conn, on the Kickstarter page. "Geek about video games, tabletop games, tech, comics - all that fun stuff. And we believe that creating a community for these folks, Gaymers as they are affectionally dubbed, is important to help shape a more tolerant and safer space in gaming."

Though this is the first gaming convention with an emphasis on LGBT themes, queer geek culture has featured gay themes since the 1980s. Most recently, gaming fans can enjoy characters such as Poison, the transgender character from 2012's Street Fighter x Tekken and gay hunk Steve Cortez from 2012's Mass Effect 3.

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