The first thing Kristen Lopez remembers being a fan of is Disney, specifically the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. "I remember celebrating my birthday ... and we all went and saw it, full disclosure, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 16 times in theaters to the point that I could memorize swaths of this movie," she says. "I look back on it now and I was like, 'god we were nerds,' but there was a lot of fun to it ... it was a feeling of understanding and camaraderie with my friends, they definitely understood and didn't look down on me." Growing up disabled, Lopez says places like Disneyland gave her "the sense of possibility and no barriers." Other fandoms — like Turner Classic Movies — came later; Lopez that becoming where you feel that acceptance and people like what you like, and you don't really have to explain or justify it."