Holly Winebarger, Danielle Jablonski and Ashley Arnold

After a (predictably) disappointing 2016 media season filled with the “bury your gays” trope, and the death of yet another queer female character — this time Lexa from The CW’s The 100, played by Alycia Debnam Carey — the outrage created a tipping point. And thus what began as a small idea for a fan gathering, shared by the dynamic team of (from left) Holly Winebarger, Danielle Jablonski, and Ashley Arnold, became the first and largest multi-fandom event specifically for LGBTQ women and their allies: ClexaCon (named after the relationship between Lexa and The 100’s leading lady, Clarke). Within a year, it grew into an internationally-recognized media convention. Jablonski is a Yale graduate with an impressive background in graphic design, overseeing the convention’s graphics and branding; Winebarger brings a decade of marketing experience to the table and manages the day-to-day logistics; while Arnold’s background is in public relations: She manages ClexaCon’s guest relations and sponsorships, as well as their ever-growing social media strategy. The dynamic team has garnered epic success. Last year, ClexaCon attracted over 22,000 people from 43 countries and 40 U.S. states. It’s a convention that “brings together fans, actresses, content creators, academics, and artists for panels, workshops, meet and greets… social, and charity events in order to celebrate LGBTQ characters and stories in TV, film, and print media… to discuss how we can be better represented within the media.” We’ll cosplay to that! —JDG