Thank you for wanting to stand in solidarity with Palestine! Big Bad Con staff have confirmed that they will not be asking for refunds in the event of a boycott. We look forward to your pledge!

Zionism is a "settler-colonial political movement that calls for establishing a Jewish nation-state in Palestine with a Jewish majority." It is an inherently racist and violent ideology that requires engaging in ethnic cleansing and genocide to enact.

Zionists and those in support of the genocide of Palestinians seek to limit the language we can use in the fight for Palestinian liberation. This is best exemplified by the United States' attempts to make the phrase "from the river to the sea" illegal by falsely linking it to antisemitism. By censoring anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine language multiple times, Big Bad Con has tacitly supported Zionism.

Refusing to stand publicly for anti-Zionism and a free Palestine signals to Zionists that they are welcome at Big Bad Con. This potentially places Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in the same space as those who champion their deaths. This also puts anti-Zionists Jews in the same space as those who invalidate their Jewishness. The convention's silence actively puts multiple groups of people at risk of harm.

Several Palestinians have expressed that the international community's silence on the genocide is experienced as betrayal and abandonment. Many Palestinians have urged the international community to speak up, stand in solidarity with them, and to do whatever we can to help end the genocide as quickly as possible. We follow their lead. Palestinians have told us that our voices matter to them and so we refuse to be silent.

The least that we can do is express our firm and unwavering support for Palestine. This is especially true for an American-based organization such as Big Bad Con during a time when the United States is not only complicit, but also actively participating in the genocide.

Speaking up is merely the first step, but a crucial one. We are not likely to find the bravery to engage in more direct action, such as donating to mutual aid, participating in BDS, or blockading arms factories if we cannot stand in solidarity with Palestinians first. The fight for Palestinian liberation occurs on many battlegrounds. Language is one of them and is no less important than the others.

Big Bad Con's Community Standards state that they are committed to welcoming marginalized people and to fostering a culture of respect, support, and kindness. They also explicitly state that feedback is welcome and that they are committed to improving.

Big Bad Con sets itself apart from other, larger conventions in the TTRPG space by explicitly uplifting and supporting marginalized people, especially people of colour. The convention has grown due to these commitments and the support of its marginalized attendees.

However, Big Bad Con is not immune to making mistakes and has made one here. Censoring anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine language violates the convention's own Community Standards. As such, we are calling Big Bad Con in from a place of love and care for a beloved community space. We want to continue supporting the convention, but to do so, we must hold the convention to its own standards. It is not enough to say that Big Bad Con uplifts and supports marginalized people. The convention must act on those principles as well.

There are several American non-profit organizations that have made pro-Palestine statements without losing their status. Big Bad Con has conceded that this is not an issue.

No, we are not making accusations regarding individuals on Big Bad Con's staff. People are capable of taking action that aligns with Zionism without identifying as Zionists or being against a free Palestine. In this case, the censorship of anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine language is an action that is aligned with Zionism. Thus, Big Bad Con's staff have tacitly supported Zionism, regardless of their intentions. We are focusing on the staff's actions and the consequences of those actions, rather than on them as individuals.

Furthermore, the original question regarding who on staff and/or donors identifies as a Zionist was posed based on the information we had received that some on Big Bad Con's staff and/or donors had identified themselves as such. We were not levying unfounded accusations, but rather were attempting to gain clarity on the situation. When the staff clarified that this information was miscommunicated to us, we did not press the issue further.

We attempted to handle the issue privately with Big Bad Con's staff for over a month. During this time, we offered education and solutions to potential obstacles. However, we were ignored, sidelined, and given excuses as to why the convention was unwilling to stand in solidarity with Palestine.

Due to the disappointing response via email, we warned the Big Bad Con staff two weeks in advance that we would go public with this information should they not be willing to meet our demands. We were met with continued resistance.

It became clear that Big Bad Con was not willing to change its stance without further pressure. We feel that the broader TTRPG space has a right to know that a convention that positions itself as a safer space for marginalized people is refusing to deliver on its promise. We also feel that, with our combined voices, we can demonstrate to Big Bad Con that its attendees care about this issue and encourage the convention to act on its stated values.

Boycotts are a form of protest that target an organization's money and reputation to push for change. These are the languages that institutions speak and Big Bad Con is no different. Big Bad Con is, at the end of the day, an organization with stated values, and that comes with a level of responsibility to its community. Thus far, the convention has failed to uphold that responsibility. If the convention was unwilling to engage with us in earnest when we appealed to the moral and safety issues at hand, then perhaps they will be motivated to hear us when their continued longevity is in question.