Mark Wesley Pritchard
Bio
Award-winning cosplayer, cosplay model, influencer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?
Threads: @thecosplayerfromtexas
Instagram: @thecosplayerfromtexas
TikTok: @thecosplayerfromtexas
Stories (202/0)
Trans Lives Still Matter
On the fourth anniversary of the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting that occurred in Orlando, the Trump administration recently announced that they have rolled back non discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were under the Affordable Care Act. It’s a shame that they’re rolling back these protections during a health crisis. According to the new rules, gay and transgender people can be refused care because of the provider’s religious beliefs. Not only it’s discriminatory, but it goes against HIPPA laws. The new rule is expected to take effect in mid-August. However, advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), are planning to file a lawsuit to challenge the ruling.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in The Swamp
A Letter To My Younger Self
In honor of Pride Month, I decided to write a letter to my younger self. I knew that I liked boys, dating back to the first grade. My now estranged parents never knew of this and I hid my sexuality until I was in my early 20s. They were conservative and from an African country called Liberia. If I had came out to them at seven years old, they would’ve disowned me anyway, harmed me, put me through conversion therapy, or all of the above. When I came out of the closet at 24, I still hid it from them until I finally told them in an open letter I’ve written here on Vocal about a month ago.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Motivation
Black Lives Still Matter
When will it ever end? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself. The “it” I’m referring to is police brutality and racial injustice. The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day and the manner of how he died broke my heart. The video of a police officer pinning Floyd on the ground, using his knee and pressing the back of his neck for several minutes, pleading that he couldn’t breathe, was disturbing. It was heartbreaking to watch and was in tears.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in The Swamp
- Top Story - June 2020
All in the Name of Equality Top Story - June 2020
Greetings, Vocal readers. Pride Month has finally arrived. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we have to remember that we’re still fighting for equality for all LGBT people. I know that marriage equality has been legalized for almost five years, but queer people are still being discriminated against and denied services. We have an election coming up in November and if President Trump doesn’t get re-elected, the next commander-in-chief has to be committed to fight for the rights of gay and lesbian people and condemn discrimination of all forms.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Humans
Pre-Quarantine Moments: Fayetteville, AR Comic Show
In case you haven’t noticed, a majority of conventions, not only here in this country, but in other contries, have other been postponed to later in the year, summer, or cancelled altogether. I’ve recently asked cosplayers on my social media pages if they felt comfortable or nervous about attending a con this year. A large number of people said that they’re mostly concerned about bad hygiene from others. I’ve been a cosplayer for about six years and I’m really big on hygiene. I make sure that I take a shower before attending a convention and taking another one when I get home from one. In my opinion, hygiene is something that all cons should address and there should be strict rules about that to prevent others from getting sick. Also, they should have social distancing measures implemented. I’m confident of attending a con this year, but doing it safely and responsibly.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ and ‘Street Fighter II’ Reviews
It’s been a while since I’ve done a game review. Since I’m currently on paid leave from work because of the coronavirus pandemic, I playing video games to keep myself occupied. For the first time on Vocal, I’ll be reviewing two games at the same time. Those are Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. I’ll share my own personal ratings for both games near the end of this article.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Gamers
Cosplayer Spotlight: Terrence Henderson
Greetings, Vocal readers. I’ve recently resumed doing cosplayer interviews after a three month hiatus from it. The following cosplayer interview is my 34th one in the last couple of years. My goal is to interview 100 cosplayers, so I’m almost halfway to my goal. With that being said, I recently interviewed cosplayer Terrence Henderson and got to know more about him.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
Cosplayer Spotlight: Chris George
It’s been three months since I’ve done a cosplayer interview, but now, I’m back in the saddle doing them. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing cosplayer Chris George. Get to know more about him by enjoying my interview.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
5 Things I Love About Cosplay
In the almost six years I’ve been doing cosplay, I’ve attended numerous cons and met lots of friends along the way. Soon, we’ll be able to hang out with our friends at cons again. I’m going to share five things I love about cosplay. Whether you’ve recently started doing cosplay or have done it for years, this list is not in any particular order.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks
My Thoughts About #WereInThisTogether
You’ve been hearing celebrities and regular people repeatedly utter this slogan: “We’re in this together.” My question about that is are we? The coronavirus has taken the lives of over 3.5 million people globally and that stat is disturbing. The pandemic is a serious thing, but that phrase doesn’t sit well with me and I have some thoughts about it. You don’t have to agree with me, but I feel like I need to vent about a few things. These are my opinions and opinions alone.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Humans
An Open Letter to My So-Called ‘Parents’
Dear So-Called “Parents”: It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve last seen the both of you. I don’t call you “mom” and “dad” anymore, because when I was younger and reached adulthood, you hardly had anything positive to say about me and use my siblings to turn against me whenever I did something wrong. I think that’s one of the most despicable things you could ever do towards your own child. On top of that, you tell your friends and others lies about me that weren’t true. You would constantly berate and talk down to me. Not only that, but completely lowered my self-confidence. My self-confidence is still low today, because if you had treated me with love and respect more, I wouldn’t be feeling like this right now. To me, y’all were bullying me. The both of you forced me out of my hometown and Texas in general: the place where I grew up for most of my life and y’all call yourselves parents? You took my friends away from me and I’ll never forgive you. I’ve had great friends and teachers who liked me.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Families
Geek Spotlight: Gay Geeks After Hours
As millions of people are at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, I wanted to take this time highlight a group who is dedicated of including geeks who identify as LGBTQ+. That group is Gay Geeks After Hours. Their mission is to make gaymers feel welcome and let them talk about the things that they’re passionate about: from comics to cosplay. So what is a gaymer, you ask? It’s someone who is LGBTQ+ and has interests in video games, tabletop games, and so on. The founder of GGAH is Adam and he’s also one of the administrators of the group. He and the rest of his team has done an exceptional job of featuring people like myself who has their own interests. According to their website, they have the latest news on the stuff we love, list of events, and they’ll have merchandise for sale soon. I’ll be sure to purchase some as a way to support them. As of this article, Gay Geeks After Hours Instagram page has nearly 1,300 followers while their Facebook group has about 8,000 members. I’ll have a link to their website at the end of this article, which they have links to their Facebook group, Instagram page, and other pages.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard4 years ago in Geeks