I would like to preface this journal by making one thing very clear: although I am indeed the founder of Furry Fiesta, having begun work on the convention in October of 2007, I am not a policy-maker for the convention any longer, nor do I speak for the organization as a whole. I passed leadership on to others back in 2011, and at this point, the number of people doing amazing work for Furry Fiesta is so large that I couldn't hope to speak for all of them and wouldn't try. Ascribing my sentiments to Furry Fiesta as an event would be an error in judgment.


That said, here we go.


I first began work on Furry Fiesta in the back room of a La Quinta in October of 2007, as stated above. The building still stands; if you're ever in Addison, I can show it to you. (It's less than a five-minute drive from either of the hotels that have hosted Furry Fiesta in the past.) And when I began work on the event, I had several moments where I had to sit down and ask myself, "What am I trying to accomplish? This isn't just a question of HOW, but also of WHY. I sat up for several long nights, deliberating not just how to achieve the goal of having a lasting Texan furry convention, but if I was doing it for the right reasons. Eventually, I decided that I was satisfied with the answers to these questions, and I continued to soldier forth with the practical matters.


When I created Furry Fiesta, I did so with the idea of inclusion. I wanted to create a hotel convention for furries that was in the southern central part of America, so that the nearest such convention would no longer be Mephit Furmeet or Furry Weekend Atlanta - not that there is anything wrong with either of these events, but they really are in entirely different parts of the country, and I wanted something that would be local for the friends I had made and the people I know. The furry community is my family - in many ways, the only family I have ever really had - and is probably the best reason why I didn't do something very regrettable in my younger years. Giving back to that family in this way was one of the best ideas I ever had; I've often said that Furry Fiesta is my love letter to the fandom, and that has never changed.


Now, I come to hear that this group, the Furry Raiders, has emerged within our fandom. Now, don't get me wrong: "nazi-furs" are nothing new in our community, and we have thus far borne their presence with dignified silence and an attempt to reach out to them that their chosen resemblance would never permit them to reciprocate. And if I'm being completely frank, nazi-furs have been comparatively benign until this point, largely composed of people who appreciated the fashion sense of the fallen Reich without sharing any of their sensibilities. Unfortunately, times seem to have changed.


This new group appears to actually espouse the beliefs of the group they strive to resemble. Ranging from assault to hate speech, from rule-breaking to harassment, the Furry Raiders appear to rally behind not only the visual aspects of the Nazi movement, but the common beliefs associated with them. If I am in error here, I would welcome an open dialogue with the leader of the Furry Raiders to discuss any inaccuracies.


Now, in very recent times - less than 24 hours ago - Rocky Mountain Fur Con has closed its doors, citing public relations incidents pertaining to the behavior of the founder of that convention. I have spent some time reading up on the events that led up to the incident, and there are a few things I want to say about the topic.


FIRST, I would like to say that Deo is not entirely blameless. The implication that she was going to punch any Furry Raiders she met at RMFC was unwise, and entirely inappropriate. This could realistically be interpreted as a threat of violence, and definitely gave the group in question a much stronger leg to stand on when addressing the issue.


SECOND, it is my opinion that banning either party - being Deo or the Raiders themselves - was premature. While both entities had discussed violence in an inappropriate context, neither had actually performed the act. People say a lot of things on the internet - hey look, I'm doing it right now - but one of the tenets of justice we commonly use is the concept of "innocent until proven guilty", and no actual offense had been committed as of the time of this unfortunate event.


FINALLY, having witnessed the founder of a different convention offer their opinions on the topic, I wanted to offer my own. Furry Fiesta was founded on the idea that the furry community should have a place to go, a place where they don't have to fear discrimination and ridicule. Whether this would come from a world that has a very shallow (and sometimes false) understanding of the intent and meaning of the furry community, or from within the community in the form of racism and violence, no attendee of Furry Fiesta should ever fear for their safety, or have to focus on anything but having fun within obvious, responsible limits.


As the founder of Furry Fiesta, I would never turn away a Furry Raider at the door. If we persecute one another based on our beliefs, no matter how horrifying or foreign we may find them, we begin to eat away at ourselves from within.


As me, Istanbul, the person, I believe that there is no room at any convention - or indeed in the world - for a group like Furry Raiders, assuming that the records of their behavior are based in fact. As a fandom, the fact that we have remained largely non-violent and free of racial, sexual, and other prejudices is a source of pride to me. We are an example of what people could be if they only tried. The mentality and behavior reportedly evidenced by the Furry Raiders group flies in the face of that long-standing achievement, seeking to turn us against one another. Our community champions the causes of friendship and acceptance, of diversity and the celebration thereof, and any group that would strive to undermine those causes necessarily makes an enemy out of us; not of me, but of US, all of us.


I will never tell you what to believe. Hate whoever you must, though hate is a burden we place upon ourselves. But if you attack our community, whether through hate crime or intimidation or any other means whether obvious or insidious, I will condemn you without end.


REMINDER: I am not a policy-maker for Furry Fiesta, nor do I represent it or its viewpoints. These are simply the musings of one man.