The heroines of Super Heroines, Etc. (SHE) are putting their capes back on as they renew activities with their upcoming Grand Re-Launch. Despite being interrupted by a global pandemic, Super Heroines, Etc. has been empowering underrepresented genders by nurturing creativity and community across fandoms for 11 years. Now that in-person events are convening again, the organization is rebooting their programming with the Grand Re-Launch at Streetside Brewery on September 26.
The fundraising event will bring together current members, supporters, and new members to celebrate the jumpstart of the organization’s activities. The Grand Re-Launch will feature Streetside Brewery’s craft beers and drinks, as well as delicious food from the next-door Craft Burger Bros Food Truck. “It’s really just to get back together in person, to reconnect with folks who’ve been part of the organization and want to re-engage, and then invite people who haven’t heard of us and want to learn more to come out and just learn more about who we are and what we do,” says SHE Founder and Board Member Carolyn Noe. “We’re celebrating that we’re back.”
SHE started in St. Louis, Missouri when Noe connected a small group of women to bond through fandom. Since then, the organization started another chapter in Cincinnati and expanded their work by using fandom as a means for advocacy. “A lot of women and non-binary folks are looking for community within the geek community,” Noe says. “We work on issues that are relevant to our identities, whether that’s just creating safer spaces for ourselves, or talking about some of the issues that we find coming up in geek media.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, SHE had to pause many of their activities. “A big part of what draws people to us is having other people around that share similar interests and creating that community in that safe space,” Noe says. “Because we are so event-based, we weren’t really able to have events unless they were online.” Now, the organization is returning to in-person action with an updated mission and new events.
Noe says that the organization is putting advocacy and inclusivity at the forefront of their work. “We’ve modified our mission just a little bit to be more inclusive and more focused on the community aspect,” Noe says. SHE will be organizing a number of events in the coming months, including zine-making events, socials, and game events in collaboration with places like the UC Game Lab and the Cincinnati Observatory.
The organization also creates Heroine’s Handbooks, guides to inclusive practices. The first Heroine’s Handbook included tools to look critically at games, comics, and films in order to advocate for equality within fandoms. Noe says the relaunched organization will now work on their next Heroine’s Handbook, which will focus on disability representation and equality in fandoms, film, comics, and games. “There’s so many spaces in this community that are really hard to access for people who are disabled,” Noe says. “We just want to make sure that this is part of conversations around diversity.”
Anyone interested in engaging with the organization can join the email list on the Super Heroines, Etc. website or attend the upcoming Grand Re-Launch; it’s sure to be a super event.
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