It wasn’t so long ago that geek culture was synonymous with a boys’ club made up of sex-starved, socially inept basement dwellers who gathered in the back rooms of comic book stores or arcades. They were bullied and mocked, left on the outskirts of society where they formed communities where they could take shelter and share in their obsessions. How the tables have turned. Geek culture has been pushed into the mainstream, and the women who have always been part of the scene are stepping into the spotlight and working to retire those old, tired stereotypes. Female geeks and gamers of all stripes are stepping out and staking their claim despite the often misogynistic and sexist backlash that’s long been endemic in the community. [Read more…]