[Introduction: James Bacon has been contributing to File 770 for over 20 years. He has worked on many conventions. He chaired Dublin 2019 An Irish Worldcon, in Dublin, Ireland and today is co-chairing of the first Eastercon to be held in Northern Ireland.]
By James Bacon: Solidarity not divisiveness is required at a time of adversity.
We should not blame good individual fans, for what is occurring in the US. We know that fandom and many amazing fans strive to be progressive, inclusive, and work at making their hobby diverse, equitable, welcoming, while working to share marginalised voices. It’s not perfect but fandom tries, and that is admirable, and I hope many are proud of the great work they do. More can be done, and we should balance expectations with a preparedness to work together, and to work for those who need support.
I am certain that both Kathy, chair of Seattle, and Joyce, chair of LA, despair at the actions taking place in the US.
The curtailment and impact on fans, especially those marginalised is dreadful, and many fans are taking the decision not to travel to the US, quite rightly prioritising their safety.
Working with Kathy and Joyce are hundreds of volunteers, probably over a thousand, they have names they are people, how must they feel, I cannot imagine, it’s a tough time, and how many are impacted by the crap that’s occurring in real life.
I am certain Kathy and Joyce will strive to ensure that their cons are as safe as they can make them, working to provide as diverse, inclusive and as welcoming as possible an experience for those present and tuning in at this troubling time.
They are not responsible for the actions of government officials at the border. Or the government.
It’s appalling to see people treated so badly right now in the US. It’s nonstop.
While entry into a country has always been precarious — I know the fans refused entry into the UK for saying they were “volunteering”, we know fans faced Visa issues trying to get to Ireland, and fans have a conscious awareness of these problems — it feels something altogether different is happening in the US.
At a time of Government-led fear, frustrations, attack, abuse, erosion of rights, we need to support the fans who are not only not responsible for these actions but must endure them, who are giving their all to run a progressive and welcoming event.
We need to come together in empathy and understanding to suggest, and offer tangible help. It’s right to be disappointed, horrified at the actions of a government but can we blame the fans? No.
Fascism has used the image of many sticks supporting an axe, strength in numbers.
We must now stand with fans who face challenges and offer them support, give them what they need to shine what is a light at a dark time. We must hold the line.
Fan endeavours can always improve, that’s the adventure, the challenge and they are not always perfect, or to one’s liking, but it’s a tough time, so we need to consider solidarity with the imperfect but good.
We are in a time where good, might have to be good enough, fans can improve, build, but the alternative, to capitulate and utterly destroy a convention and it’s fans, that’s unconscionable.
The Worldcon.
For some it will be an escape, others I hope it will strengthen and empower. Talking, listening, thinking, learning, conversing, forging new friendships and new initiatives.
That’s a good thing right?
While it’s dreadful that many international travelers cannot go, do not feel safe, I do not see them blaming Kathy and Joyce and their teams of amazing humans.
Kathy and Joyce and the hundreds of fans working together are responsible for the Seattle and LA Worldcon. What can we do to help them make that awesome, diverse and inclusive in a time of heavy government attack.
Fans must band together and not allow that spectre of a grim government policy of homogeny, unfairness and exclusion to succeed.
I am surprised the impossibilities thrown at fans in Westfahl’s piece (“Op-Ed: ‘No More Worldcons in the United States?’”) was even considered publishable.
“The time has come to cancel or move the 2025 Seattle Worldcon. And to cancel or move the 2026 Los Angeles Worldcon.”
That’s a dreadful demand on volunteers, apart from anything else, it caves in to the bullying, it gives in to the right. Cancelling a convention that has contracts has massive consequences for those involved. In our community, asking the question is always fair, but demanding it without consideration or empathy, well that’s someone else’s behavior.
I also think stopping a progressive event in a country where people of that country need hope, solidarity, acceptance and a welcome as we look forward, reflect on the fiction that has predicted or resonates of this moment is exactly what the right would welcome.
Encouraging the Worldcon teams now is vital, I think and joining in remotely, recognising the issues, but helping them defy and share voices is crucial.
“It should not be too much trouble to move this year’s Worldcon to the nearby city of Vancouver, in Canada”
The statement resonates for all the wrong reasons, it’s like the many statement at this time, the bold brash statements full of promise, asserting a fact, selling a deal, and we know it is all a lie.
I’m sorry, because I hoped and thought Kamala would be the President, right up until she wasn’t.
I’m certain all con runners will be reflecting on how they can bring silenced or marginalised voices to their events, thinking and listening to those who are not as privileged, hearing what they need.
Now is a time of thoughtfulness and encouragement of our fan compatriots who are doing their best facing challenges not of their making. It is a time where helping them to achieve good, to support and show solidarity is incumbent upon us.
Libraries, bookshops, societies, clubs, small events, reading groups, small cons are now so very vital, the Worldcons are an opportunity for fans to support, encourage and empower new fans who like what they see, and help them bring the wonderful world of fandom to their community or friends.
It is a time to support anyone willing to build, if it is at all possible.
I also hope that the Worldcons are successful and well attended, and I anticipate they will be, because they are welcoming. They are looking forward, with hope, and full of people who are trying their best, to share a positive passion.
They need our help though, I can’t imagine what personal battles, challenges, impacts are occurring to the hundreds of volunteers involved, as they fight to overcome impacts I can’t even consider to bring the conventions to a success.
It is a time when we can show solidarity and we must hold the line together.
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James, thank you. I’ve been appalled by the casual dismissal or utter ignorance some have expressed in suggesting that two consecutive Worldcons are morally obliged to cancel.
It would mean bankruptcy for the organizations, and quite possibly for some of their officers.
It would also be a real blow to future Worldcons’ ability to negotiate hotel and convention space contracts at all.
Both cons need to go ahead. There should be as much virtual access as possible, but canceling the contracts and telling those who can come to stay home would have only negative consequences.
For the future, we should be working for more fully integrated live and virtual access. And with planning, Conzealand has already demonstrated that fully virtual, or nearly, conventions are possible.
But not this year or next year. Without an event justifying “act of God” cancellations, it would be ruinous for the organizations, the committees, and for for future Worldcons.
Even without the current unpleasantness I’ve not felt safe to travel to the US since I came out and started to transition so I don’t have strong feelings about the need to cancel planned US Worldcons. I would like to see “working for more fully integrated live and virtual access” as an urgent priority though, and not as something for a vague future that’s conveniently beyond anyone’s planning horizons.
And, as with leftist politics, I think it’s always interesting to see who gets thrown under the bus by white cis guys in the name of “unity” and “solidarity”, whether it’s in the name of Fandom or the Revolution. Whose fandom, exactly?
Thank you for this. Brilliant piece. I will share the link for this widely.
@Sopie Jane–Seattle is already planning a strong virtual access program. LA, I haven’t seen much yet, but that’s to be expected at this early date. I expect a stronger virtual program there, because they do have more time to plan.
We’ll be voting on Montreal this year; I trust you’ll be asking them hard questions about virtual access, too, right?
Because American fans won’t be able to cross the border safely, either.
Crossing the border, if Democrats sweep the board in 2028 (a real possibility but no guarantee), and everything turns on a dime, it’s not likely to return to a normal level of safety till the early 2030s.
We can deal with that realistically–including recognizing that this year and can’t cancel or move without fannish organizations and fans being bankrupted and Worldcon, not just the organizations running 2025 and 2026, getting a black eye with hotels and convention centers for years to come. We can take the practical steps of working to improve and encourage virtual access and programming.
Or we can choose to punish these two organizations for events totally beyond their control, and do real damage to Worldcon for years to come, helping no one at all.
I’ll further note that we need virtual members to be able to vote in the Business Meeting, so that those excluded by international politics can still be heard.
These things should be obvious, but apparently some people have no idea of the economics of con running.
Please go to Seattle and Los Angeles. I know at least one male to female transgender fan who is going to Seattle. Everybody please show up and show yourselves.
@Linda Robinett–People who have to cross the border to do so won’t, and shouldn’t, because it is seriously dangerous to do so. It’s the same reason we cold-shouldered Saudi Arabia, and Uganda, and why Tel Aviv, which was bidding for 2027, has dropped out.
It’s why although it’s impossible to move or cancel Seattle or LA, we can’t do another US Worldcon till we’ve fixed our current problem, if we can.
Please don’t tell people they owe it to others to literally risk their freedom and their lives for fandom.
Thank you James Bacon!
The voice of Reason is always welcome, especially when it has to call across borders.
Please, people on the other side of The Pumpkin Curtain, do not risk your safety by visiting the former democracy of the United States. But please do keep up your support of the reasonable people in the US, and please don’t punish the fans who are working so hard to make a good convention under duress.,
The Fascists tried to take over in the 1930s, but were stopped by a speech given by General Smedly Butler, which was widely shown in newsreels. The descendants of some of those very people have finally succeeded, and it is now up to the rest of the people to dismantle their achievement. If that seems impossible, remember that it was done before and can be done again.
Education is the key to an informed electorate. Please encourage everybody to read more books!
I am horrified that a man who sees himself as a disciple of Heinlein had positioned himself right in the middle of the mess.
Well said. Thank you.
No matter how well the con works, they can’t do anything if the govt stops you at the airport and throws you in prison with actual criminals with no trial. Which is what is happening to MANY tourists.
DO NOT GO TO USA WORLDCON. THE RISK IS NOT WORTH IT.
@Lis Carey
“@Linda Robinett–People who have to cross the border to do so won’t, and shouldn’t, because it is seriously dangerous to do so.”
Lis — can you cite any examples of trans people who have crossed the US border in the last year, or especially since Jan. 20, who have had experiences that qualify as “seriously dangerous”? Or even “dangerous”? Or are you just projecting?
@ima
Cite sources for “many tourists”, please. (Yes, one is too many, but you’re making the claim that it’s lots.).
@Lis Carey I trust you’ll be asking them hard questions about virtual access, too, right?
And this is the deeper point, yes. Between the pandemic and the various controversies over bids in the last few years, it should be obvious that virtual access is a necessity for inclusion. But it’s still seen as an optional extra by fans who’ve never had to think about access issues, or borders, or the risks of existing visibly in public. That needs to change, and acting like the real problem is people drawing attention to the issue is not going to help
PJ Evans: Googling “Detained at US Border” brings up many links, including, for example, this:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-detention-of-european-and-canadian-tourists-creates-fear-over-traveling-to-america
Some people are grossly exaggerating, which makes their claims less plausible. There have been too many horrible cases, to be sure, but all that I’ve heard of have affected people with visas, not tourists on short-term visits. This can change in the coming months, but at present the risk isn’t high for people who can make the trip as a short-term visit without a visa. The risk is higher than usual, even for them, but it’s not in the “DON’T COME TO THE USA NO MATTER WHAT” range. Fans considering coming to a US Worldcon should assess their risk factors, including their looks and what they’ve said publicly, and decide if they’re comfortable with the level of risk they’ll face. Trans people are especially at risk of being turned away (or worse) because of the new passport rules. Anyone planning a trip should follow the news and be ready to cancel if things get worse.
A pledge to help reimburse people who accept this assessment of the risk as not too bad if they are forced to cancel would be nice. In the case of people who claim there is no risk whatsoever (NOT Gary), a pledge to swap places in jail or exile would be very appreciated.
@Gary McGath–Becky Burke was a tourist. As for the correct visa–it’s far too easy, coming to a convention, to say something that to CBP sounds like you’ll be working here. That’s what happened to Becky Burke. And while normally that would be a “put you on the next plane home” kind of “offense,” in her case it was 19 days in ICE detention.
It doesn’t take 19 days to find a flight back to the UK, and reading a variety of news stories, it doesn’t appear that they even offered her a chance to book her own flight back.
She did, though, have the benefit of a lot of media attention on her case, something she points to in stories I’ve seen her quoted in as likely making a real difference for her.
Also, the likelihood of being someone this happens to isn’t the only factor to consider. The other part is, what’s the downside if it does happen to you? In Burke’s case, it was 19 days in ICE detention, in one set of clothes, being in shackles when she was moved even to finally be put on the plane to go home.
We know ICE is capable of worse.
We know Trump hates trans people.
Also people who have ever criticized him.
And they’re searching phones.
I think going somewhere that you need to take a burner phone rather than your own phone, for a vacation, is ridiculous. There will be other Worldcons. I believe that eventually, there will e other Worldcons in the US, when we get through this and come out the other side. I believe that crossing the US border, right now, for a vacation, while Trump is still pushing harder and harder to see how much he can shred the Constitution and spit all over common decency, is an unwise choice.
Of several articles I pulled up in half a second.
Becky Burke’s dad says she was taken from a detention centre handcuffed and chained at the legs and waist
@Sophie Jane–Yes, absolutely. Even without the current crisis, it’s past time, for accessibility and for enhancing the ability to have a truly world event, to use the tools our technology gives us. Conzealand proved we can do it; now we need to embrace it.
@bill–
So, no one should worry till it’s happened to someone who fits exactly the category that makes them vulnerable? Even when the government in question is already, in other ways, actively working to restrict rights for people in that category?
Wow.
No, I really do not think trans people should assume they’re safe crossing the US border, right up to the time the first trans person is arrested at the border, and thrown into ICE prison, in facilities that fit what ICE decides is their “real gender.”
@Andrew J Porter
I don’t feel safe now. I have family who are not safe now. I shouldn’t feel like I need to carry a passport (even the wallet card) to do anything.
And this started in 2001, with the so-called “Patriot Act”, which made every place within 100 miles of a border a debatable zone.
If someone from a marginalized group is afraid for their own safety and the safety of people like them, it’s a bad idea for someone not from that group to sneer at them for it or accuse them of getting carried away. That fear is based on something real, usually closely based, and the out-group probably can’t see it instinctively. Trans people of color are already at enormous risk simply by living their lives, because that is how much hatred there still is. Making a call about whether someone’s exaggerating, when you’re such a long distance away (in terms of both familiarity and relative level of social power you have access to) is probably going to be off-base. I recommend first hitting pause on the instinct to demand ‘objective’ ‘evidence’, then reading 15 book-length memoirs by people from the group in question, and finally coming back to revisit the question with a much better understanding of the perspective you were wanting to challenge.
Germany alone has six citizens who have been detained at the US border, thrown into jail and deported. One was a Green Card holder (who’s still in jail), one was the German boyfriend of a US citizen, the other four were tourists, all young white cis women. Just recently two 19-year-old German backpackers were detained in Hawaii, thrown into jail and deported to Japan (!), most likely because they did not have pre-booked accomodation for the entire trip, i.e. something that’s perfectly normal. Germany now has a travel warning for the US.
And there are many stories of citizens of other countries, including western countries, detained at the US border and jailed and/or deported. Even people who have travelled to countries like China or Cuba or Eastern Europe pre-1989 would not travel to the US now, because unlike those countries, where you knew what rules to follow and what to avoid in order to be safe, avoid travelling to the US right now, because there is no rhyme and reason for why people are being detained and deported.
That said, trans people, people of colour and also people existing in the gray area between business and tourism (which includes many Worldcon members, because people are panelists, volunteers, writers, etc…) are at a higher risk than a random tourist, so travelling to the US is really not advisable for them.
The chairs and volunteers of the Seattle and Anaheim Worldcons are absolutely not to blame for the shitshow the US has become and it’s clear that moving either con elsewhere is not feasible at this point, if only because “The president of the US has gone insane” is not part of any known force majeure clause. Plus, it’s not safe for many American fans to cross the border either.
However, saying that fans knowingly voted for Anaheim, even though the US election was four months away at that point and we knew Trump was running again and there was a chance he would win, is not quite fair, because Anaheim was the only bid for 2026. There was no non-US alternative short of a write-in campaign.
I agree with Lis and Sophie-Jane we need robust virtual programming to improve access for everybody, including people who cannot attend for reasons of cost, disability, caring responsibilities, etc…
However, I think we also shouldn’t support new US Worldcon bids until the current shitshow has resolved itself. Though the next US Worldcon bid is the Texas in 2031 bid, which is far enough of that we know if the US is a safe place for a Worldcon again and can vote accordingly.
This is happening to people I know personally whose experiences are not being reported. I can only, therefore, take the view that is far from just isolated incidents and it’s not the case that the majority of people are safe.
I strongly suspect that the cases we know of, because the victims or their families went public, are only the tip of the iceberg and there are many more cases we don’t know of, including people who are being detained with no one even looking for them.
@Gary McGrath: About people coming to the US for short-term visits, not on visas. Until recently, I did not know that people from elsewhere (like the UK) have to get the equivalent of a visa to come here. Us US citizens have only very recently had to get the equivalent to visit the UK, and when commenting/complaining about the inconvenience, have been told by our UK friends, “Oh, we’ve had to do that for years.” So there is essentially no difference between short-term and longer-term visits for our non-North American friends. (If Canadians now have to go through a similar entry process, let me know.)
Appreciate the words of support. Thank you!
Cora Buhlert:
Um, is that https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-updates-us-travel-advice-after-citizens-detained-2025-03-19/ (“foreign ministry spokesperson … emphasised that the change did not constitute a travel warning”), or has it changed in the month since? Sorry, my German is poor, so can’t easily/quickly find it at the Ministry website.
@Lis Carey – okay, go beyond trans people. For whom, of any gender, race, nationality, is it “seriously dangerous” (your words)? Whose life has been put into peril by crossing the border?
“And they’re searching phones.”
No, they are not. Not at any statistically significant level, at least. In 2024, there were 420 million border crossings, and 47,000 device searches. About 1 in 9000 people get a device searched, and only 10% of those had the device electronically scanned by attaching it to another computer. Look at it this way: a mid-60s woman is more likely to die of pneumonia this year than she would be of having her phone seached if she flew into America.
And Becky Burke didn’t “say something that to CBP sounds like [she’d] be working here” — she explicitly told Canadian border officials that she had been working while travelling with tourist documents, who passed that information on to American officials.
@ P J Evans
“And this started in 2001, with the so-called “Patriot Act”, which made every place within 100 miles of a border a debatable zone.”
100 mile border searches came into being from the 1946 Immigration and Nationality Act, as implemented by regulations issued in 1953 and 1956.
@Cora Buhlert — What I’ve read about Germans who have been recently detained must have been horrible for them and certainly seems excessive and possibly unjust, but six occurrences out of ~2 million Germans who come to America each year is statistical noise, not a strong reason to stay home. (And the tourists who were deported to “Japan(!)” were taken there at their own request, rather than back to New Zealand, from whence they had come. The deported Green Card holder had possessed marijuana and picked up a DUI while in America, both deportable offenses.)
@bill: You are wrong on at least one fact. Becky Burke was not working. She was doing household chores while staying with hosts. That was not considered working. The definition was arbitrarily and capriciously changed by the administration, which came into power while she was on her trip. Much of what the administration is doing is blatantly illegal. They are intentionally creating an atmosphere of fear and chaos where border agents feel empowered to act on personal biases and cruelty. This is very well documented. Fansplaining about statistics dismisses the fact that the clear stated intent of the administration is to cause harm and distress.
James Bacon said that fandom needs to band together and help the Seattle and LA Worldcons. That means supporting the fans from other countries who choose to attend in person, and also supporting the fans who choose to attend virtually. Not arguing with their choice either way.
@bill – You really like to practice the form of deception whereby a person applies a newly-introduced, and very narrow, definition to argue against a statement of fact. You say:
By your own admission there were 47,000 device searches, which supports Lis’ quote that “…they’re searching phones.” Had Lis used the phrase ‘they’re searching all phones’ or ‘they’re searching most phones’ you might have an argument but since Lis didn’t – your argument fails.
Let’s move further into the paragraph where you say:
You now further narrow the definition by focusing on only computer searches of a phone because that number is only 10% (if I accept these numbers on just your say-so) trying to obscure the fact that 90% of the 9000 people had their phones searched some other way. A search by hand and reporting what was seen on a police report is accepted as a valid form of evidence for arresting someone. Which makes 100% of the 9000 at risk of arrest and detention by ICE. Your second argument fails.
You also argue that because there were “420 million border crossings, and 47,000 device searches” that therefore the risk is so small as to be ignorable. However, how many of those 420 million border crossings were by US citizens? Those should be excluded from the total. How many were crossing on a diplomatic visa or some other type of visa? Those should also be excluded. Factor in that security forces frequently give more scrutiny to situations that appear unusual or that they encounter infrequently – and people attending SF&F conventions are by no means the average tourist – and that 47,000 device searches can become statistically significant quite quickly.
And as a final note – the number of people suffering from rare diseases that leave them scarred, disfigured, or dealing with life-long after effects is also statistically insignificant as compared to the total population of people on the planet. That does not mean their suffering should be ignored or treated as unimportant. I would argue that even 1 person suffering the kind of human rights infraction we now hear about daily in the US is too many. I don’t care if the number is statistically insignificant or not. Injustice is injustice and people have every right to avoid putting themselves at risk.
Bill wrote
I appreciate that those are probably the most recent available numbers, but a lot has changed since 2024.
@Lorien Gray: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” can be read in different ways, but my impression is that injustice to a single person is not excusable even if there are utilitarian benefits. Which there never are, over the long run.
@bill–
An American citizen, not doing anything even vaguely illegal.
Not even crossing the border.
And only released because he had family making a stink.
U.S. citizen in Arizona detained by immigration officials for 10 days
@Tom Becker — I didn’t say that Becky Burke was working, I said that she told Canadian immigration officials that she had been working. And every detailed account of what happened to her that I have read backs that up.
@ Lorien Gray — If you think that searching 1 phone in 8900 is statistically significant, and represents a risk that the average Worldcon visitor should mitigate by getting a burner phone, then we disagree. If you think that saying “They’re doing X”, when 99.99% of the time they are doing the opposite of X, is an accurate way to describe things, then we disagree.
“(if I accept these numbers on just your say-so) ”
You don’t have to accept these numbers on my say-so, because I linked to hard data (something that is sadly missing amidst all of the fearmongering about travelling to the United States).
You pick apart the numbers I quoted. If you have more accurate data, please share it.
@Lis Carey
The one from Georgia, who was arrested and held in Florida by ICE, even though his mother appeared in court with his birth certificate. The judge accepted it, but ICE had to be convinced.
@bill: There is no justification for how Becky Burke was treated. The rule had just been changed. The border agent should have allowed that what she did was compliant at the time. Instead it was a Catch-22 where nothing she could say was okay. They should have let her go to Canada as she was intending. Instead they detained her for 19 days. It was maximally malicious and vindictive. Also, it was blatantly illegal. The 14th Amendment says “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” I want to emphasize that it says “any person.” Becky Burke is a person and was deprived of liberty without due process.
You really need to stop making excuses for authoritarian excesses. It is not okay. You are in a hole. The sky is a tiny circle high above you. Stop digging.
@Tom Becker: I’m not sure if you mean to address your comment about “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” to me, but yes, we agree that the point of the story is that injustice is not excusable no matter the reason or how many people it effects.
@bill: In case you missed the point of my post, I addressed two issues; (1) you purposefully narrow definitions of terms in order to use statistics deceptively, and (2) whether something is statistically significant is not a useful guide in this context. Your response does not meaningfully address either of these two points. However, I would like to respond to this statement of yours:
The statement “The tide is going out.” is an accurate statement despite the fact that the tide also comes in. You attempted to spin Lis Carey’s comment to imply that Lis meant that ICE is searching phones a lot. I believe you did so in order to move the argument to what is ‘statistically significant’ where you thought you could play games with statistics. To quote the great Inigo Montoya “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Mm….my fellow Irishman James B hit the nail on the head. And my own views on the mega daft suggestions to cancel/move Worldcons 2025/Seattle and/or 2026/Anaheim-LA are well known elsewhere on this column. What is notable is that on/from 2027 and now possibly to 2030, Worldcon bids are being made for places other than the US of A. All of the following have recently emerged, and some were specifically displayed at the recent UK Eastercon/Belfast (Reconnect), which BTW, James B successfully co-chaired. These are : 2027/Montreal, 2028/Brisbane, 2029/DUBLIN and now for 2030: Maastricht (Netherlands) and also for that year, Edmonton (Alberta Canada) . And I’ve heard that even the World Fantasy Cons are looking into locations other than the States: (confirmed) 2025/Brighton, UK, (confirmed) 2026/Oakland CA with a tentative 2027 in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2028. I’m not sure re future World Horror Cons. This year (confirmed) is for Stamford CT. Best wishes