For those of you who don't know, the Penny Arcade Expo is one of the biggest events in gaming, where developers, creators of other media, and gamers are able to mesh together for a few days, and discuss the overall state of gaming. Since the event has been plagued with issues, including but not limited to lack of women presenters, perpetuating rape culture (via rape jokes), homophobia and transphobia etc, this year, they organizers are making an attempt to promote diversity at the event. They've gone about this by creating what they refer to as "diversity lounges", were information specifically pertaining to minority groups will be distrinuted/discussed.
On the one hand, it seems that this is a great way to provide safe spaces for gamers who aren't straight/cis/white men, and that's always a good thing. However, on the other hand, it seems rather odd to attempt to create/maintain diversity by shoving gamers from minority communities into one dedicated area, rather than trying to make the entire even a safe space for all minority gamers. An author at Jezebel seems to agree with me in this article (http://jezebel.com/penny-arcade-rolls-for-diversity-with-segregated-loun-1485928139), were she accuses the organizers of PAX of "missing the point". As such, I'm interested in what other people think about this, so please, share your thoughts in the comment section!
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