Can't Stop The Signal

Yesterday was the sixth annual Can't Stop The Serenity event in DFW. For those unfamiliar, Can't Stop The Serenity is a global series of screenings of the movie Serenity, held throughout the world on or around Joss Whedon's birthday and raising funds for Equality Now, Whedon's favorite charity (and an extremely worthy cause).

The Jane hat was made for days like this, y'all.

So yesterday morning Browncoats from all over the metroplex gathered at the Studio Movie Grill in Arlington to do something right, as well as to enjoy each other's company and enjoy a pretty shiny movie. Hubby and I have been attending the event for five years now (we missed the first one, sadly). Every year we find ourselves immersed in a crowd of like-minded folk and it is a truly wonderful feeling. It's not just that we are all fans of all things Whedon. I mean, yeah, there is that. But it is also a group of people who support the cause of equal rights for women all across the planet.

One of the great things about this event is that it is just that, an event. You aren't just going to a movie. There is always more to a Can't Stop The Serenity screening. At our event they also showed Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (singing encouraged), held an evil laugh contest, a costume contest, an raffle of all sorts of Whedon-verse goodies, and then auctioned off even more awesome items. Of course, there was also plenty of trivia to be had. All in all a fantastic time. We even actually won something in the raffle! I ended up going home with a shiny new copy of Done The Impossible, the documentary about how the fans were a driving force in getting the movie Serenity made after the cancellation of Firefly.

Before the show got underway, we got to view a message from Joss himself, thanking everyone who is part of the Can't Stop The Serenity event. So far Browncoats around the world have managed to raise over half a million dollars for the cause. That may not sound like a lot, but it truly is. He also mentioned that next year will be the twentieth anniversary of Equality Now, and hopes to make some noise when that times come, because the time has come for this organization, and all that it stands for, to be noticed. As Joss said, this cause boils down to wanting half of the human population to have the same rights as the other half. I think it is hard to argue with a message like that, and every little bit of boost we can give the signal sending that message takes us one step closer to that goal.

Spread the word, folks, spread the word. If you aren't local to DFW, here's a link to the global site, see if you still have time to get into the one in your area! Either way, definitely plan to attend next year, I have a feeling it is going to be BIG!