G-FEST Grumblings

Above, J. D. Lees and Akira Takarada at G-FEST XXVI in 2019. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A surprising thing came to light while I was perusing Facebook on posts concerning COVID-19 popping up at G-FEST last weekend.

I didn't attend as I have a guest coming over for a visit next week, which includes some travel while she's here. The funds at present are finite.

A post was left by Sean McGuinness that stated J. D. Lees wasn't attending the convention this year as he refuses to get vaccinated in order to cross the U.S.-Canadian border. This was the first I heard of this. I was wondering why there there were no photos of J. D. at the convention. Now I know. That was a surprise to me! 

Here's the post:

This is from the G-FEST program book. JD Lees, the originator of G-Fest, will not attend his own convention because he refuses to get the vaccine to cross the Canadian border.

He has done "considerable research" and fails to provide any sources for that research. He says "his body his choice" as every woman in the United States has had their choice stripped away from them.

He talks about "societal divisions" are symbolic of these times and have caused harm to families, referring to discussion of the pandemic. Just like when the official G-Fest Twitter account would make light of COVID, claim it's mostly a foreign problem, a disease which would kill over one million Americans.

He wants to encourage us to put aside such divisions, such as when the official G-Fest Twitter account would block any and all concerns about how it was spreading deadly misinformation. We gather at G-Fest for our love of Science Fiction, and apparently Science Fact has no place there.

If necessary, we should "turn the other cheek", but the guests, artists and fans who were blocked by the G-Fest Twitter account are still blocked, no cheek turned. I expect this to be the G-Fest response to artists being refused entry to sell their legally protected fan art and the money they lose out on, as well as if they ever drop the "no mass produced fan art" rule that exists in no convention in the United States, except here.

We should keep our commitment and passions burning like the "Cherenkov Light", a radiation that is of Russian origin. Russia is currently invading Ukraine and torturing, raping and killing its citizens, men, women and children. Maybe he refers to the Monsterverse Godzilla and his blue glow, but Monsterverse guests are mysteriously absent from multiple G-Fests, but they are showing up at All Monsters Attack Expo in September.

I present these facts without opinion, I present them as facts with facts.

I haven't read the referenced program book, so I can't vouch for what was said or the accuracy of McGuinness's post.

Well, I don't think that J. D. has any obligation to anybody to provide his sources he used in his coronavirus research in making his decision. I am sure it was a tough decision for him to make. 

As for the "his body his choice" dig, McGuinness is mistaken that women had their "choice stripped from them" by the U.S. Supreme Court. They just ruled that there's no constitutional right on the federal level for abortions and ruled that it was for the states to decide. Women can still get abortions, they just have to go to a state that legally allows them or have their state change their laws if they don't. 

I disagree with J. D. on not getting vaccinated. I have been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine (two shots) and two boosters. I experienced no ill effects except soreness at the injection sites. I was not about to take chances since I have two stents in a coronary artery. Even those who are fully vaccinated can still get the virus, the vaccine only lessens the severity. Still, that was his own personal decision.

On the fan art matter, since I haven't spoken to J. D. on the restrictions, I suspect that Toho Co. had a hand in this since Godzilla and related characters are their trademarked property. Historically, whenever occurrences like this had happened before, I was due to a Toho demand. J. D. would not pull the rug out from anybody unless he was forced to by Toho. 

As far as the G-FEST Twitter matter is concerned, I haven't seen any such postings and McGuinness didn't quote any. 

Frankly, I am not at all surprised that COVID reared its ugly head at G-FEST. People came from all corners of the country and world. A friend in the UFO research community told me last week that at a recent meeting/gathering, COVID was spread among the attendees. 

Could this be a new variant? G-Variant? I had a feeling this may happen at G-FEST. 

Apparently, it did.