Sexual assault is, unfortunately, not uncommon at conventions. The problem here lies in the response of the convention to the sexual assault that occurred during their event, and lady furs, who already feel ostracized and alienated among furries because “omg boobs are icky!!!,” are seizing this opportunity for a furry “Me Too” movement that’s been handed to them on a silver platter.
Conventions are often caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to requests like Tess made. Yes, as private events, they can choose who they accept registrations from. They can even ban people for no reason at all. But when they start to curate their membership like that, they have to take responsibility for conducting the research when folks won’t volunteer the information. And they can become liable for misinformation that gets leaked to the public.
It’s complicated, but no less complicated than a vaccine requirement.