So, at PAX East 2012, we had a panel titled Press XY: Transgender Issues in Gaming. The point? To talk about a variety of topics regarding transgender issues in the world of gaming—from transgender (or related) characters, to games which offer certain relevant aspects, to game developers who themselves are transgender.

A few months back, I was asked to be a part of this panel. Initially, I was slightly hesitant—I wasn’t totally sure what the panel’s slant would be, and if it would be something I’d feel I could properly add to. In the media coverage of trans-related issues that I’ve done for my employer, I’ve tried very hard to bring actual worth to my coverage—versus the joking nature that other (non-LGBT-specifc) media outlets so often take when talking about trans-related issues in terms of the world of gaming.

However, I decided that the best way to make sure that the panel would be something of value would be to be on it and help it go in that direction—unlike another unnamed person who was asked to be on the panel, turned the offer down, and then insulted said panel’s effort before they’d even seen or heard it. (Yes, this is me being a little catty.)

It ended up that I needn’t have any concern—everybody else on the panel was also committed to doing something of value and quality. The panelists—beyond myself—were as follows:

Charles Battersby [PC/Xbox Department Lead, Player Affinity] (@charlesbattersb)

Chris Avellone [Creative Director, Obsidian Entertainment] (@ChrisAvellone)

Rebecca Heineman [Founding Member, Interplay] (@burgerbecky)

Jennell Allyn Jaquays [Lead Level Designer (World of Darkness MMO), CCP North America]

Morgan McCormick [Owner, Translabyrinth] (@gingerwords)

I had originally been very nervous when thinking about the turnout that we’d get. Would anybody show up? Would anybody care about the topic?

As I walked with the group to the room where we’d be doing our presentation, I saw quite a line queued up outside. Of course, next to our room was the Mass Effect 3 room—so, yeah, that’d be for them I told myself. We got in, set up, and then when everything was ready, the PAX East staff opened the doors. To my utter surprise, a sea of people came flooding in—people of every race, gender, sex, nationality, and age group. Sure, part of me was pleased to know that so many would be there to listen to my words of wisdom—but far more than that, I was glad to know that so many were interesting in learning more about something they might not know much about. (According to my lovely co-panelist Morgan, we had about 500 or so people in the audience. That just blows my mind.)

In the end, the panel was a huge success—at least I think so. Panel organizer Charles did a great job as host, Morgan and I provided a nice dose of redhead feistiness, Chris brought some very interesting perspective from a developer’s viewpoint, and Rebecca and Jennell easily provided the most personal and touching moments of our 55 minutes in talking about their lives and experiences in the industry.

We had hoped to get direct mic feed audio from the PAX East staff, but that unfortunately didn’t end up happening. However, the very wonderful Grace (aka gtz) from Fat, Ugly, or Slutty (a fantastic site which takes a look at the harassment female gamers receive) came and took video for the panel.

If you’d like to view that slides that were used for this presentation, you can do so by clicking here.

So, enjoy!

P.S.—This is one of the few times you’ll see me actively let you see me. If I could digitally erase myself from this video, I would. *laughs* So, enjoy this rare treat!