Cosplay the Vote: How Kid Flash will vanquish the super-villainous Trump

Cori Reese as the DC speedster Kid Flash

Starting four years ago, our democracy was marauded by the super-villainous Trump and his Legion of Doom administration. These criminals ravaged our environment, stole $1.5 trillion from ordinary taxpayers and gave it to the rich, and neglected to effectively respond to a pandemic, resulting in 7 million infections and the deaths of over 200,000 beloved Americans.

Our country’s best chance of banishing these Masters of Evil is to overwhelmingly vote them out on November 3rd.

To help accomplish this mission, we’ve assembled America’s Mightiest queer cosplayers to strip down and spandex up. As part of our GayCities weekly Cosplay The Vote series, we set out to talk to some of our favorite gay geeks across the country, serving up their best cos-lewks in order to remind everyone to get their sweet little behinds to the polls on November 3–if they don’t vote earlier by mail.

This week, we kiki’ed with Cori Reese, a cosplayer from Columbus, Ohio most notable for portraying the CW iteration of Kid Flash, about voter ID laws, quarantine, and cosplaying with his partner.

(For more heroic hotness, be sure to check out our Cosplay the Vote interviews with Courtney Grant, Paul Charles, Sky Fernandes,  and Kjeezy.)

Visit the LGBTQ Nation Voting Center

 

Cori as a gender reversed Wakandan Dora Milaje

Why is this election important to you?

It’s important to me because the last election I didn’t get to vote. I had just moved to a different state, I moved from Texas to Ohio, and I couldn’t get my current ID in time. I felt like my voice was silenced. With everything going on with Trump, I was really disappointed I couldn’t vote. I was really excited to vote this year. With everything going on it’s time for a change.

In the 2020 election, what is the most important issue for you?

I feel like as a gay person our rights are being taken away. In another four years who knows what can happen. We’ve seen what’s happen with the coronavirus.

You’ve been in Ohio for a while now. Would you consider that a red state?

Driving around and seeing all the blue signs, I wouldn’t consider Ohio a red state. I lived in western New York, the smallest city with a whole bunch of Republicans, and I consider that a red state.

Cori as Spider-Man being overtaken by the Venom Symbiote

For those of us not in Ohio, what would you say is the most pressing issue for your state.

The fact that we keep getting coronavirus cases. I don’t know what’s going on, but people aren’t taking the mask-wearing seriously. People think they are above masks or anything else that can stop this pandemic.

You are in Columbus, Ohio. Are you in quarantine at the moment?

We’re not really in quarantine. They have the emergency order for the masks, and the quarantine travel ban. I had to go back to New York to a couple of months ago to get stuff out of storage and they tried to make me quarantine for 14 days. I’m like, I’m only gonna be here for ten hours at the most. I’m not going to quarantine for two hours. But those are the restrictions we have right now.

What are you able to do in Columbus at the moment.

Restaurants are open, gyms are open. It’s one thing I don’t get. We can eat in a restaurant but we can’t go to the movies.

Other major events we can’t attend at the moment are comic book conventions. Have you attended any of those?

I got to attend Wizard World in Cleveland before the pandemic. It was at the beginning of March, then low and behold the next we were locked down. My partner and I wore our Captain Marvel costumes. We’ve been together for 3 years now.

Cori serving some alien Kree couture

What is it about Captain Marvel that resonates with you?

My partner wanted to make a statement for the actress Brie Larson that was getting so much backlash for playing Captain Marvel. We thought she was fantastic. He wanted to cosplayer as a way to defend her.

Cori and his partner in Captain Marvel couples costumes

One of my favorite cosplay lewks of yours is Kid Flash, who on the CW Flash is portrayed by an actor of color. Why is it important to see prominent heroes portrayed by people of color?

As a person of color, I feel like we don’t get enough recognition. Or if we do, it always comes with a “but” or a “yet.” We can’t just say, “He was a great Kid Flash.” We have to add, “He’s Black.” People of color have a mission to also be prominent. We’re just like everybody else.

Cori and his partner as CW heroes Green Arrow and the Flash

What’s your biggest hope for 2021?

Every year my hope is the same: peace, harmony, and love everywhere. It doesn’t always happen, but I always hold on to that hope that one day it will.

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