This year was the 2nd year for GaaayssssinSpaaace.org’s Diversity and Inclusion Convention held in “The City of Brotherly Love”, Philadelphia, PA. Last years Con was held in the Philadelphia Convention Center and this years was held in the Downtown Sheraton Hotel. Since it was in a hotel, the convention was held on two different floors. The Lower floor had rooms set aside for the “Away Missions” and Photo Ops, and the upper balcony level had the vendors setup, leading into the celebrity autograph room and the main and secondary stages for panels. The VIP Events were held up in the rooftop lounge.
The big event on Friday, was the VIP Gala and the first ever Galactic Diversity & Inclusion Gala Awards. The rooftop lounge was full of people, including fans and celebrity guests. The list of winners is as follows:
Inclusive Diversity Award of the Year – Bree Fram
Intersectionality in Activism Award – USS Eisenberg Crew
Queer Arts in Culture Award – Jessica Briggs
Community Service and Impact Award – John Billingsley and Bonita Friedericy
Leadership Award of the Year – Michelle Hurd
Outstanding Series for Representative Equality – Star Trek Voyager Cast
Ally of the Year – Robert Picardo
Lifetime Achievement for Makeup – Michael Westmore
Saturday and Sunday were fun days filled with panels and cast reunions. One of the best panels was headed up by Michelle Hurd and it dealt with Mental Health Issues and how to embrace it as a fandom. While Michelle talked about how SAG Actors dealt with the struggle of last years strikes, we also heard from fans who shared their own stories of how they handled and overcame mental health challenges. I got a chance to sit down with Michelle on Sunday and told her that due to my own mental health issues brought on by my military service, that I appreciated the timely nature of the panel. Below are some of the photos i took throughout the course of the weekend.
Look for an interview with Col. Bree Fram, US Space Force in the next few days as well.
Thanks to Dan Deevy, Rich Hart, The entire GIS Board of Directors, the Guest Stars and ESPECIALLY the fans for making this another great weekend of Love and Inclusiveness. For more information on GIS, its mission, and its love of Star Trek, visit their website at https://www.gaaaysinspaaace.org/
Remember to Love each other, and Live Long and Prosper
Jon Tessler
