I received a phone call from Diane Gies this evening. She was calling about a post that appeared on this list in the past couple of days saying that the reason Horizon had a ban on advertising Redemption was because of our policy on slash. Diane asked me if I would reply on the list to correct that. I have no desire to open up old wounds and arguments, especially just a day after getting back from what was one of the most exhausting but enjoyable weekends of my life. Until this point, I also regarded the discussions in the past year I have had with Diane over her policy on Redemption should not be aired on this list. However, as she has asked me to do so, I will give an outline of what was said:
The official reason that Diane gave to us for refusing to publicise Redemption through Horizon was because she regarded our policy on art as to be one that encouraged the use of adult art, which she said was offensive to Horizon's honorary members. She came to this conclusion because of a piece that appeared in the first progress report for Redemption 01 that said we were putting adult art into a separate category in the art show and that this would be displayed separately so as not to offend anyone. This was also our policy for Redemption 99, which was publicised in the Horizon newsletter and on the Horizon web site.
I explained both verbally and in writing to Diane that our policy was not to bar any legitimate form of fannish expression and that the very reason we split the categories was to protect those who found such art offensive and to ensure they weren't subjected to it by accident. Diane said she didn't accept this reason and the ban was enforced, with no links from the Horizon web site to Redemption (despite us having a link to Horizon) and no mention in the Horizon email bulletin. There was technically also a ban in the newsletter, but has that hasn't appeared for some time, that is largely academic. I understand the next issue is about to be published.
It is ironic that, as it happened, there were no entries to segregate. However, I have no regrets about our policy. The aim of Redemption is to encourage fannish expression in as many ways as possible, and I believe we were successful in that aim. I am proud of what we achieved last weekend and am looking forward, after a bit of a break, to creating a similar and, hopefully, even better weekend in two years time in what will be the 25th Anniversary Blake's 7 convention and the 10th Anniversary Babylon 5 convention.
I hope that Diane will rethink her policy and try to work with us to help make the event even better, but we are not in the business of excluding and barring fannish expression.
-- cheers Steve Rogerson http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/steve.rogerson
Redemption: The Blake's 7 and Babylon 5 convention 21-23 February 2003, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption