First-ever Not Safe For Con draws diverse Calgary crowd

The costumes were considered too risque for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, but too sci-fi for the Taboo Sex Show.

The first-ever Not Safe For Con — described as a "nerd culture show that incorporates everything from a standard comic convention, only with a mature audience in mind" — went Saturday at Grey Eagles Casino, but only for those over 18.

"We wouldn't be able to have any of this stuff at Comic Con," said Kelso 'Suicide' Curtis, a model and photographer.

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"And we always run into problems with parents not liking our booth, so it's nice to be able to come somewhere where we can do whatever, show whatever. This is a good opportunity for people to showcase their work and their art they otherwise wouldn't be allowed to. I'm surprised it's taken this long for something like this to come along."

There were some limits on what could be shown, however, as both men and women were advised to keep their chests covered.

Brian McCready said being able to display risque artwork made the event a richer experience for some.

"It's a brand new event and it's a brand new sub-genre," he said. "There's lots of this kind of artwork at the Comic Expo, but it has to be kept under tables and it has to be show very carefully. Here, they can display what they want."

Olwen Bell, known by her stage name Arabella Allure, said an adult-only event has been a long time coming.  

"When it comes to censorship, violence is never really censored, it's the sexuality that's censored and I think that's just not a healthy way to approach life," she said.

"It's cool to watch someone getting killed but sexy human relations are somehow taboo? That doesn't make sense to me."