Queercon is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, based out of California, which is committed to strengthening the bonds of community among LGBTQIA+ (and allied) hackers.

Purpose

Queercon has always been committed to developing and advancing the interests of the LGBTQIA+ community within the information security and information technology industries.

Today, our core mission is to raise awareness and promote acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Gender-Nonconforming individuals within the Information Security and Technology industries. 

We achieve this mission and improve our community by creating spaces for queer people to meet, engage, and network. Over the past 20 years, we’ve had countless attendees find new jobs, new opportunities, and new friends; but above all, find a community where they are not alone.

History

Queercon started with three hackers in 2003 at DEF CON. In 2004, Queercon evolved into a Friday night pool party to meet the other queer people in our community. We faced tremendous growth after incorporating as a nonprofit in 2013.

In 2019, we held our largest event to date – QC16 – at the Alexis Park Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, drawing LGBTQIA+ and allied communities for a weekend of learning, including a talk track and professional development spaces, and celebrations of all things queer.

Programming Today

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we focus on meeting our family throughout the broader hacker community. We’ve introduced three mixers during the primary DEF CON conference, as well as pop-up mixers at neighboring events throughout the week leading up to DEF CON. You can also find us year-round at our pop-up mixers at Shmoocon and other leading infosec conferences.