2014 Boston QUILTBAG Gamer Meetup (CHECK OUT THE DEETS!)

Themiscyra

IT IS ON LIKE DONKEY KONG! Short version: Friday, April 11th, 8 pm to 10 pm, at Uno Chicago Grill, 731 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. And now, in accordance with prophecy, THE FAQ!

When?
Friday, April 11th, 2014, from 8 pm Eastern Daylight Time to 10 pm Eastern Daylight Time.

Where?
Uno Chicago Grill, 731 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Who?
A bunch of really cool queer and queer-friendly gamers and gamer-friendly people!

Why?
Because dinner is important. And community is also important. And an all-ages meetup for queer and queer-friendly PAX attendees and local residents seemed like a good idea.

How?
Well. All I know right now is that a bunch of us are going to descend upon Uno Chicago Grill like a plague of fabulous locusts, except instead of eating everything in sight, we'll be paying money AND eating everything in sight. Last year's set menu didn't really seem to go so well, so this year, we'll show up, pay our own way, eat, drink, and be merry.

HOWEVER! I am working on something Very Exciting which will involve giving back to the community. I don't want to say what it is yet, because I haven't worked out all the details. But please keep your eyes peeled for this Very Exciting news.

Also, if you could let me know if you and/or friends are planning to attend, that would be neat. Based on past attendance, I've told the restaurant to expect roughly forty people. If that estimate is way off I'll need to run toward them, screaming a dramatic, drawn-out NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What exactly does QUILTBAG stand for, anyway?
*deep breath*

Q! Queer! Questioning!
U! Unidentified!
I! Intersex!
L! Lesbian!
T! Transgender! Transsexual! Transvestite! Two-Spirit!
B! Bisexual!
A! Allied! Asexual! Agender!
G! Gay! Genderqueer! Genderfluid! Gamer!

What’s that spell? A MADE-UP WORD THAT’S STILL EASIER TO PRONOUNCE THAN GLBTQA AND CONTAINS PRETTY MUCH EVERY IDENTITY I CAN THINK OF! YAY QUILTBAG!

I’m not going to PAX East. Can I still attend?
Yes! While this event is loosely connected to PAX East (a whole slew of gamers will be in town, so it’s an awesome time to do it), it is not an official convention event. No one will be checking for badges at the door. Everyone is welcome.

Will there be alcohol at this event?
You may need to go to the bar for it, and you will need to pay for it yourself, but you should be able to get booze if you’re 21 or over and you want to imbibe.

Can I bring my partner to this event? Even if they’re not a gamer?
Yes and yes. This is a celebration of our community, and if your partner wants to join you, they are completely welcome – just as long as we have room for you, that is! While the focus of this event is firmly on the gaming community, I’m not going to tell anyone to leave their partner at home even if they’re NOT gamers or industry professionals. (This does apply in the plural as well, for our polyamorous guests.)

I’m bisexual, can I still attend?
Yes!

I’m transgender, can I still attend?
Yep!

I’m still figuring out my sexuality, can I still attend?
Indeed!

I’m asexual, am I welcome?
Completely!

I’m straight but gay-friendly, can I still attend?
Indubitably!

I’m gay, can I still attend?
Wait...what?

I’m a honey badger, can I attend?
Are you a gay, trans, bi, asexual, questioning or QUILTBAG-friendly honey badger? If so, yes. But please don’t maul anyone.

I’m a Time Lord, can I attend?
Please bring one (1) bicurious, unmarried leggy Scottish redhead and/or one (1) gleefully bisexual future time agent as your plus one(s). Also be prepared to give us all rides in the TARDIS. But yes.

I’m not really into labels, can I still attend?
Look, seriously, as long as you’re down with the QUILTBAG crowd, aren’t looking to troll us, and don’t harass anyone, you’re welcome. In the words of Wil Wheaton, just don’t be a dick.

Klazer

I had to wanted to do this last year but forgot to respond in time. I'm definitely down for something casual at Uno's

PhoBaoBoa

Agreed, I would like to take part in the festivities this year

thorshauk

I'm interested. I don't really mind the venue - preferably something more casual like the first year though I didn't attend the other two times so I'm not sure how those worked out.

epenthesis

Uno's last year worked well, I thought.

jdixon1972

Yeh. I liked UNOs very much. I'm really looking forward to this again.

Oroso

I'll be the downer and say I'm kinda meh about Uno's. At least to me, it just feels a little too....static?

With that being said, Themiscyra does a fantastic job putting this together and I'm sure will come up with the best option.

epenthesis

Is this still in the works? It's been a while with no news.

Jude0487

Is this still on?

thorshauk

I came by to see if this was still happening too. I'm still interested in attending.

Themiscyra

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. YES, this is absolutely still happening. I just confirmed the arrangements today. It'll be 8-10 pm at the Boylston Street location where we've met two out of the last three years. I've told them to expect around 40 people, and we'll be seated in a semi-private dining area at the back. I hope to have further information very soon. In the meantime, I'm going to update the original post with the details.

Themiscyra

And updated! IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! GO GO MEGAFORCE!

zeale

When I first saw this thread, my instinct was to tell my wife that there will be quilters at PAX! She's totally into that kind of stuff. What a nerd.

When I checked the acronym, my reaction changed to, "awesome! I love the gaming community". Hope your event goes well! If I can tear myself away from PAX night 1 I'll definitely swing by.

Themiscyra

All right! I said I was working on something very exciting to give back to the community, and here it is. This year, we'll be raising funds through Uno's Dough Raiser program for the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY - find out more at http://www.bagly.org/). The process will be very simple. We'll be distributing donation tickets before the date of the meetup. When you pay your check, present the ticket, and 15% of your check before taxes and gratuity (20% if we exceed $1000 in sales) will be donated to this very worthy organization. As a BAGLY alum myself, I can tell you that this is a fantastic, vital program for QUILTBAG youth throughout Boston. It gave me a place to go on Wednesday nights, many shoulders to cry on and people to talk to, and even a beautiful prom. I have very fond memories of my all too brief time with them.

If you can't make it to the meetup, but still want to show your support and visit Uno, just go and eat at the Boylston Street location any time from opening to closing that day, present your ticket, and your check will also be counted! I'll figure out how to distribute the donation tickets as soon as I have the file in hand. If you want to donate to BAGLY separately, of course, it's quite welcome and you can do so through the website. Otherwise, we will NOT be collecting funds at the event -- Uno will deliver BAGLY their cut of your checks directly about six weks after the event.

TorontoGaymers

Hi Everyone!

Some of us from the Toronto Gaymers will be attending on Friday. We do have a table as well at PAX East as well. We look forward in meeting many of you.

Themiscyra

Hey everyone!

Here are the donation tickets. You'll unfortunately have to print them out, if you can, but I may go to the business office to try and get some printed out and hand them out tomorrow. Would appreciate help if anyone can lend a hand. Bear in mind that we CANNOT distribute these at Uno's, so it would be best if, say, we met in the BCEC North Lobby or something before heading to the restaurant.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzQZDjsCjJr4MExhM2NpVHUxc1E/edit?usp=sharing

If you could post in this thread if you're coming and let me know how many people will be in your party, the restaurant would like a final attendance estimate. I know this is last minute and I do apologize. This year's been a roller coaster ride.

Jed05

The boyfriend and I would like to go! First time at a convention ever and we are from Ohio

Themiscyra

Go. Or do not. There is no like. seriously, I'm trying to give the restaurant a decent estimate but everyone is welcome to just show up.

Themiscyra

Everyone, please meet up in the North Lobby at 7:30 tonight if you want donation tickets and to head over as a group. I'll be wearing my awesome reddish brown leather jacket with the phoenix and seven-pointed star in gold on the back.

Themiscyra

They're getting our tables ready now. Plenty of room here guys! Come on down!