Each time I told people I was taking my daughter to a Brony convention, I got a taste of some the misconceptions and prejudices that Bronies face when coming “out of the stable," which is the phrase fans use for telling people about being a Brony. The most common response was a blank stare. A few of my friends were genuinely curious to learn more and thought it was very interesting. Others tried to be polite and ask a few questions, but even after I tried to explain, they really never quite understood the appeal. Several people responded in a judgmental way—of those who were familiar with Brony culture, most assumed that all male Bronies are gay.

Gushi Soda/Flickr

But another of the researchers, Patrick Edwards, an adjunct faculty member at the University of South Carolina Upstate, says this is not true. “There is a slightly lower percentage of gay men among Bronies than the general population. Male Bronies are actually less likely to be gay than other men.” His team has found that the opposite is true among women. “Female Bronies tend to be searching for the identity and exploring, so it makes sense that one of the things that they explore is their sexuality,” he says.

Walking into BronyCon 2014 for the first time was a bit nerve-wracking. As the mother of a tween girl, I didn’t know how I would feel about a room full of men dressed up in costumes typically seen on young girls. But surprisingly, it wasn’t creepy. My 12-year-old daughter and I never felt uncomfortable, and we didn’t see any deviant or perverted behavior. In fact, the atmosphere was accepting, light-hearted, and friendly. The men looked and acted just as masculine as they would at a sporting event or any other place where guys hang out—pony ears notwithstanding.

When I agreed to take my daughter to the conference, I was prepared for us to be among the few females at the event. But I was surprised to see many more girls and families than I expected. According to registration data, this year’s attendees were 65 percent male and 34 percent female, and 10 percent were younger than 14. Edwards, who spoke at two sessions this year and has attended four BronyCons, says he has seen an increase in the number of girls and younger fans at the conventions—this is an indication of the overall sub-culture becoming more diverse in terms of age and gender, he thinks.

So what do you actually do at a My Little Pony convention? A lot, it turns out.

There were 105 different sessions involving topics like fan fiction, art, and the My Little Pony card game, along with presentations from producers, writers, musicians, and voice actors from the show. Contests included from cosplay, or dressing up as favorite characters, card games, and video games. Bronies filled up the auditorium for a live auction of handmade pony items, which raised $26,874 for a variety of charities. Each night, Bronies flocked to the basement of the convention for Bronypolooza, a six-hour concert featuring a total of 18 different musicians. Whether they knew you or not, BronyCon attendees would willing give out a Broohoof, the pony version of a fist bump, as you passed them in the halls.

Jesse Kendra worked with his grandmother on his costume. (Courtesy of Jennifer Goforth Gregory)

Jesse Kendra, 22, a medical sales representative, was frequently asked to pose for pictures and complimented on his cosplay. In the weeks before the convention, Kendra spent his free time working with his grandmother to sew the giant Pinkie Pie mane that he wore on his head throughout BronyCon. As his picture was taken, Kendra had a huge smile on his face and hollered, “I guess I should call my Nana tonight and tell her it was a huge hit.”