A Message from the LINC Founder

Hello Friends,

Lawrence here, founder of this incredible organization that we’re building. I don’t get much time to write lately, and our Chief Editor Christopher Tang has done an incredible job with providing written content and social media for over a year now. I’ll never stop boasting about how excited I am for what we’ve done behind the scenes, but I’ll stop gushing long enough to pull back the curtain.

If you’ve been following this project long enough to remember this post when it was originally posted, I can’t express enough gratitude for the patience you’ve had over the last almost 20 months as we’ve grown LARPing In Color from a small Facebook page offering advice to a full blown non-profit organization (tax-exempt status pending)! After almost two years of meetings, phone calls, legal jargon, fundraising, and more, I’m happy to announce the launch of our flagship program — the Normalize Paid Emotional Labor Program (or NPEL). This program was the initiative that spurred us on to become more than just a Facebook page.

We wanted to eliminate the financial barrier that prevented many LARPs and other content creators from taking that very important step of having their content checked for bias, racism, prejudice, and other -isms that could prevent marginalized participants from feeling safe and included. With the NPEL program launch, we take a decisive step towards that. Exactly one year after launching our Facebook page, we launched a Patreon page.

 I originally thought that throwing a handful of cash at LARP organizers for them to pay for a sensitivity reading would be easy and something I could get off the ground easily with enough crowd-funding support. I decided to legally incorporate to make sure that I could do this the legal way, as well as to protect myself legally. As it turns out, not only was this time-consuming, but there’s a ton of red tape! However, in the process of cutting through that red tape, we’ve met some incredible people, made connections with dozens of allies and partners that support our goal, and although we still have a ways to go, we’re ready to provide details.

With NPEL, creators of all kinds can apply to have $200 worth of sensitivity readings or consulting work for their LARP completely covered by LINC. With a short essay and a small application fee, your application will be considered by our NPEL team. This is a new program for not only us, but for the diversity space in general (that we’re aware of), and with us being a small organization with limited funds, we can only accept a handful of applicants each quarter. However, regardless of your acceptance into the program, all applicants will be allowed to attend one of our workshops as a thank you. It’s a win-win! If you apply, we could potentially pay for your diversity consulting, and even if we can’t admit you, you still get to attend a workshop of your choosing.  Hooray!

You can follow this link to get the details on a one-pager with parameters of the NPEL program, how to apply, who should apply, and what the benefits are. We felt strongly that it was best for everyone that we pay consultants directly, and allow them to work with their clients without having to navigate the compensation aspect of it – the consultant is paid in full, and all that is left is to get the work done. 

It’s approaching a decade since the first time I walked into a LARP for the first time. Back then, I thought the 100-person events that I attended were so vast and comprehensive that I could never have a meaningful say at the game itself, much less have an impact on the national, or even worldwide LARP climate. Especially as a queer (though I wasn’t out yet) Black man surrounded by white people I’d never met, I was frequently afraid to stand up for myself when confronted with racism. Beyond just the social aspects, on the way to the site we’d driven past confederate flags, and disappeared down a barely-marked trail into the forest for easily two miles, far enough that I was worried about my physical safety for a while. I knew the person who was taking me to the site from being coworkers, but we were barely friends at the time. I’m planning on doing a blog about a first-timer's experience at LARP, so I’ll wrap this section up, but I’d seriously considered asking to be taken home.

I might not be able to do much about the concern for physical safety while arriving on a LARP site, but now, years later, we’re building an organization that helps LARPs by providing resources to make more marginalized people feel safe. We’re normalizing pronoun patches and stories with queer lovers that aren’t centered on the characters being gay as a plot point. We’re providing almost bi-monthly workshops with educated and experienced people, and making them affordable. We’re partnering with consultants and asking for their input to make their work easier, and our programs better. Now, finally, we’re paying for sensitivity readers for *your* campaign, so that more players feel included in your narrative and become part of the story.

LARP was built on foundations of racism, bigotry, sexism, and white supremacy. That’s a hard pill to swallow for many people, but we can break those ties and make LARP accessible for everyone, but we have to do it together. LINC has spent two years building resources and programs to make our favorite hobbies more diverse and inclusive. We’re not done – we’re going to keep growing and building until our service is no longer needed. We may not always exist in the same capacity, but our work will remain. We can’t do this work without you though, and it starts by taking a first step. If you don’t have the financial means, don’t know where to go, or just have questions, we can get you started. It’s time to bring real change to our playable spaces, and with your help, we can do it. Help spread our word, share our social media, events, programs, and if you can, support us directly on Patreon, or by making a tax-deductible donation through our partner Playable Theatre.

Anyway, I’ve always been long winded and this time is no different, so I’ll finish this letter by saying ‘Thank you.’ This organization was started by a frustrated Black LARPer at the end of a long workday spontaneously, and it has already grown into something bigger than I ever expected. We’ve only come this far with your support, and we’ll only reach more people with your voices cheering us on. Thank you for allowing me to achieve such an incredible thing in my life. Thank you, followers, supporters, friends, and especially my staff, for allowing me to lead this wonderful initiative, so that one day we can make LARP as colorful and diverse as the people who love it. See you soon.

Lawrence Moore,

Founder/CEO - Larping In Color

(He/Him)