Free Fur All
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| Free Fur All | |
|---|---|
America's Anthro Convention | |
| Other names | FFA |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | On hiatus |
| First iteration | August 24-26, 2007 |
| Final iteration | July 28-30, 2024 |
| Organizer(s) | Anthro West Open Organization Inc. (AWOO). |
| Charity | ? |
| Subject | Anthro |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: Free Fur All resources |
| Free Fur All 2022 |
| Free Fur All 2023 |
| Free Fur All 2024 |
| Free Fur All staff |
| Free Fur All guests of honor |
Free Fur All is an anthro convention run by the Anthro West Open Organization Inc (AWOO).
Contents
Free Fur All 2022[edit]
Free Fur All's first event took place on July 29-31, 2022 at the Glenpool Conference Center in Glenpool, Oklahoma.[1]
The comedian and performer 2, The Ranting Gryphon was featured as the guest of honor with the con's slogan being Getting Back to Our Routes (based on the acclaimed American road, U.S. Route 66).
During the closing ceremony of 2022's event, a follow-up event for the next year's event was announced, and 2022 attendees were also allowed to receive a bonus "veteran" badge for registering within 24 hours of the announcement.
Free Fur All 2023[edit]
Free Fur All's second iteration occurred on July 28-30, 2023. The theme was Be my Wingman, with guests of honor being Jasonafex and Kabier, with charity going to Lady Safaris' Zoo.
Free Fur All 2024[edit]
FFA 2024 was to occur on July 28-30, with the theme being Cyberpunk.[2]
In a Facebook post dated February 1, 2024, the AWOO Association's Board of Directors announced the resignation of the convention's chair and organization's president, PeaceWolf, along with the indefinite postponement of FFA due to the event "not being in any shape to attempt a convention."[3]
In the same post, the Board of Directors also expressed a desire[citation needed] to re-brand both AWOO and the Free Fur All convention itself.
Controversy[edit]
In August/September 2021, fandom and non-fur fur-friendly users[who?] expressed, personally or "in the name of the furry fandom",[4] their unhappy comments with AWOO's Free Fur All convention perceived ties with the mainstream Alternative right (Alt-right),[5][6][7] including fur and non-fur conservative and/or libertarian people[who?] that are behind and/or helping the convention itself, and its announced guest of honor (2, The Ranting Gryphon), all of whom have been accused of ties to the alt-right.[8]
Users have accused these people and groups (such as the Furry Raiders) of being racist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobes, zoophile supporters, QAnons, Nazis, and being hateful in general in the past,[citation needed] and that they should not be able to host any type of furry meet or con because of such beliefs, using various ways to stop them, such as, for example, forcing the initial hosting hotel, the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, to cancel their contract,[9][10][11] or, according to some, some other disingenuous means such as making bomb[12] and mass shooting threats to the event,[13][14] or track and doxx personnel involved with AWOO, Free Fur All, or friend and sympathizers.[citation needed][15]
The accusations of AWOO's perceived/insinuated improprieties have included the Free Fur All's (now previous) event date and the 1921's racial Tulsa Massacre:
| Any one else notice the Free Fur All is taking place in Tulsa and ends 2 days before the anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre?(.) Not just me right?[16] |
The Free Fur All's promo video thumbnail design:
| the subtle aesthetic details in this flyer. the police badge-shaped logo. the fashy monochrome-flag backdrop, referencing the bluestripe police flag. the constant red white and blue. my god, it even echoes trump's "lion" logo[17] |
The AWOO's logo itself...:
| Awoo Association's logo may be inspired by The Grey Wolves, a violent white supremacist organization... |
or the charity the con supports, Safari's Sanctuary:
| Safari's Sanctuary has faced multiple accusations of animal abuse with the USDA previously revoking its license to operate. A man was also killed after a lion-tiger hybrid mauled him to death at the facility |
The ongoing back-and-forth battle between both groups on social media continues as of September 2021.
Loss of the initial hosting venue[edit]
By September 15, 2021, AWOO posted that the initial venue was no longer available, [18] blaming the "intolerant dark side of the anthro fandom's" threat of "civil unrest" for its loss.
Members on the opposing side blamed AWOO's woes and loss of venue on itself, particularly on the acts of some of its staff members[who?] threatening, while on social media, users with acts of violence, all the way up to include the threat of outright murder,[citation needed] which were saved via screenshots on various web sites.[citation needed]
AWOO responded to the accusations by pointing out that these flagrant posts[citation needed] were made by non-AWOO staff people (in particular users KKKlyde and Cani Lupine)[citation needed] on their Twitter accounts or on Free Fur All 2022 Unofficial Chat, an unsanctioned "Free Fur All" social site.[citation needed]
Derogatory terminology (ongoing)[edit]
Some fur/non-fur users have come to describe FFA as FashCon (i.e. Fascist Convention/Fascist Furries, also as a tip to the hat to Tumblr's failed DashCon[*] event)[19] before even the first event went live, Regardless of an ongoing controversy or issue, due to their perceived beliefs of the con, staff, and supporters' "extremist views".
(*) FFA 2022 did include a ball pit a la DashCon as a self-deprecating joke.
References[edit]
- ↑ Free Fur All's venue page on the Anthro West Open Organization Inc.'s website. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ↑ Thank you all so much for coming out to #FreeFurAll23. post on X. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ↑ After many in depth conversations.... Posted February 1, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ↑ The furry fandom is unhappy with @AWOOAssociation's announcement of Free Fur All. post by We Got This Covered on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ Awoonation, I think? Looks like it's gonna be a big ole trump-worshipping circle jerk tho where they constantly make sad jokes about snowflakes and whine about how they can't get away with being openly racist anymore post by RAPTORDOG on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ MAGACon post by UZIKING on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ FreeFurAll, the Furry convention designed by Trump supporters post by Crafty Coyote on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ not to mention that its guest of honor is disgraced furry shithead deuce gryphon. they really missed a chance to call this Fashcon post by Supership79 on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ It's not impossible and is absolutely worth noting. People should make it clear they want Free Fur All destroyed, NOT TTFC. post by Allie Capps on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ OOPSY DOODLE! It seems that Free Fur All still has a hotel block listed on its site, so the hotel manager might have lied during his statement!(.) It'd be a shame if their phones rang off the hook today asking about that... post by Allie Capps on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ Whoops, I accidentally dropped the contact information for the convention's hotel and charity! I hope nobody uses this for 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 reason!!! post by Allie Capps on Twitter. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ↑ its always the left that's quick to make threats of violence, joking or not, because they'd take it deadly serious when on the receiving end post by Dingolf on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ Friendly reminder that the people whining about FreeFurAll, going so far as to make bomb and mass shooting threats to the event(...) post by FreezePeachWulf on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ The crazy people pissed about free fur all have devolved to making bomb threats post by FreezePeachWulf on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ Help me identify these last few Free Fur All staff members? post by Allie Capps on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ Any one else notice the Free Fur All is taking place in Tulsa and ends 2 days before the anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre? post by SigYeen on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ the subtle aesthetic details in this flyer. post by Supership79 on Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ↑ #Uncancelable Posted via Twitter on Sept 14, 2021, retrieved Sept 16, 2021
- ↑ Furries Are Speaking Out Against Attendees Of A Convention With Ties To The Far Right article on Buzzfeed. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Free Fur All on Facebook
- Free Fur All on X
- Free Fur All on Telegram
- Free Fur All on YouTube
- Free Fur All on Instagram
Media[edit]
- Free Fur All promotional video on YouTube
- Furries Are Speaking Out Against Attendees Of A Convention With Ties To The Far Right article on Buzzfeed
- A Furry Convention With Ties To The Alt-Right Was Announced And The Fandom Wants It Dead. article on We Got This Covered