Beam me up, Philly.
This weekend, Trekkies can get their fill of all things science fiction and space at the first-ever GIS Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention, coming to Arch Street’s Pennsylvania Convention Center, May 5 to 7. The event is the brainchild of producer and host Dan Deevy, who founded GAAAYS IN SPAAACE (GIS) in 2016, with a goal of creating a LGBTQIA+, nonprofit organization to advance diversity and inclusion in Hollywood and within the aerospace industry.
Deevy reckoned that the adventures of ‘Star Trek’ — the long-running film and television series dedicated to interplanetary travel and co-existence among all people, famed for its LGBTQIA+ actors and characters—was the best place to start.
“Through entertainment and science-based advocacy, we are boldly going where no one has gone before, beyond inclusion,” Deevy wrote on his website.
Now, nearly a decade later, GAAAYS IN SPAAACE regularly travels throughout the nation and often features Philly’s Trek-inspired, sci-fi rock ensemble, The Roddenberries.
The first party that Deevy threw in Los Angeles got unexpected guest stars from ‘Deep Space Nine’, and since, has evolved to become a star-studded event including GIS Cruises, disco parties and live celebrations featuring The Roddenberries. Along with that, GIS now incorporates partnerships from space industry tourism companies such as World View.
“Phase one of GIS was our quest for media inclusion,” said Deevy. “We got that. We got there. Phase two is about making things happen to ensure that diverse, inclusive future of which we are finally a part of.”
Along with this weekend’s GIS Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention, special live cabaret events and karaokes will take place on Friday at U-Bahn on Chestnut Street, featuring celebrities and fans, for what Johnston calls, “a community build. If even one person living on the nerd-o-sphere feels heard by one of our actors, it will be worth it.”
Roddenberries co-founder and Klingon rainbow warrior Scott Johnston states that his sci-ensemble—which also touches on ‘Dr. Who’ and ‘Star Wars’ for additional inspiration—have long attached themselves to causes dedicated to the camaraderie, diversity and inclusion – “the optimism” – put forth by Gene Roddenberry.
“We have been happily loaded up with LGBTQIA+ community folk in our spaces, along with adding drag and burlesque aspects since day-one,” said Johnston. “We’re always celebrating infinite diversity, infinite combinations, as set down by Roddenberry.”
In 2017, The Roddenberries “hitched their wagons” to Deevy’s outer space love train for live GIS parties in Las Vegas and New Jersey and never looked back.
“We bring it. And bling it. And kling it.”
For what is being billed as the “Most EPIC Sci-Fi Convention of the Year,” Deevy and Johnston are producing a spectacle meant to include every explosively star-gazing aspect of previous GIS parties rolled into one.
“Other conventions might be held in a larger theater space where you’re lucky to be able to see your favorite Star Trek actors, and have long lines,” noted Deevy. “This GIS event won’t do that. We want longtime fans to have the best experience they can have with these actors. I am that fan. I know the feeling of meeting your heroes, whose influence helped define who I am today. You’ll be able to mix-and-mingle, bring their fan experience up-close-and-personal — a more real-life experience.”
“GIS, like The Roddenberries, all started off as a very punk rock, avant-garde theatrical experience, all held together with duct tape,” added Johnston. “As you go along, you discover that there were people ahead of you and people after you doing what you’re doing. There is strength that comes from this.”
