Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"This might sound a little maudlin, but fandom changes people's lives. Britta had a nice way of putting it, that for some young women fandom is a secret seminar in feminism, and it can be life-changing.

"For other fans, it has that same power when it comes to embracing sexual identity, and gender, or even discovering there's such a thing as gender identity to begin with. There are some brilliant minds in fandom, and they help one another grow.

"For a lot of people, fandom is their happy place. It's an area of their life where they can contribute, be active, feel connected to others, and simply have a good time. We're always told that the Internet is alienating; subcultures like fandom prove that the opposite is true."

-- Maciej Cegłowski, Fan is a Tool-Using Animal, 2013-09-06 (Even though I saw this on Facebook yesterday, I've already lost track of whom I got it from, because FB keeps rearranging things and changing what I can see.)

[Happy birthday to keith_m043 and dianec42!]