01/30/2020
Several years ago, my ex and I decided to create the Cleveland Puppy Contest. The purpose of the contest/title was to provide a safe space for members of the community to gather and for contestants of any gender to vie for the title of Cleveland Puppy. Those were our two main goals: a safe space and a gender inclusive title.
Since that time, people have come and gone, and the community has evolved. When a community evolves, the event and the title must evolve. We’ve faced detractors and other challenges and have become better for them. Now, we have the Cleveland Pet Contest: open to all pets, all genders, anyone that upholds the values of the title.
This year we are gearing up for our first “Cleveland Pet Contest”, and we were very excited about this most recent evolution. Just one month before the contest, my production staff and I were informed, through the grapevine, that there was interest from someone who’s past actions and who’s past decisions did not align with the title’s values or my own values. They correctly assumed that their application would be denied (despite the fact that they actually had made no such attempt to apply because the application is publicly available online).
We made it known that this person’s past idolization of N**i and Confederate imagery, racist rhetoric, on both their page and their person (in the form of a belt buckle), as well as their criminal record were simply not appropriate for the title or for a community leadership position. These concepts do not just counter the values meant for the title and any titleholder they are dangerous. They also run counter to my values.
The venue where we were to hold the contest, The Leather Stallion, got involved, and over multiple messages and comments, we were told that this person should be allowed to at least apply and potentially compete. This is extraordinary and rare behavior on the part of a venue, not least because this particular venue has shown little interest in this contest in the past. After multiple attempts explaining why the application would be refused even if they had applied, we were told that we could deny the application after its receipt but that we had to 1) allow this person to apply and 2) provide ample evidence for the denial. While this evidence exists, we were also informed that symbols themselves should not discount a person from competing.
As the owner of the contest, I reject this premise on multiple accounts.
1) It’s dishonest.
2) It’s disingenuous to tell someone to apply when their application will be denied.
3) A venue that attempts to steer or influence a contest from behind the scenes is just flat out inappropriate.
A venue has many rights and responsibilities. A venue has a right to bar people from attending. A venue has a right to bar an organization from holding events at their location. A venue has a right to charge for the use of their space. A venue has a right to do whatever they want with their location (in accordance with the law). What a venue doesn’t have the right to do, is to attempt to force a contest to allow someone to compete. That choice lies solely with the production staff and the owner(s) of the contest itself.
These views were expressed to the venue owner. We also reiterated our thanks for the use of their facility in the past. However, we will be seeking a different venue this year and in the future.
I cannot allow a contest I own or produce to be subjected to the whims of an individual that has no controlling share in the event, who faces no consequences through the title year, and who doesn’t have to perform the mental/emotional labor of dealing with the fallout. I cannot allow my friends, family, or my loved ones to go through the emotional labor of standing on stage with someone that has openly embraced N**i/Confederate symbolism (criminal past notwithstanding). I will not force my judges to make the decision of awarding/not awarding the title under these circumstances.
My production stuff had already made the right call which was to not allow this person to compete. The buck stops here though. I’m the owner. The anger and the outrage are mine to deal with. In the end, the final decision was mine to make.
No, I will not allow this person to compete. This ideology will not represent Cleveland Pet. Nevertheless, insults have already been hurled at me… I lack integrity. I’m a bigot, etc. with the basic argument being that I am bigoted against those that wield the symbols of N**ism and the Confederacy because those symbols have never hurt anyone. To that I say, “F**k your privilege, and f**k your ignorance”.
Allowing an individual, any individual, into a contest that supports these symbols or this backwards interpretation of what their symbolism represents is not inclusion. In fact, it is an act of violence toward those whose are already dealing with the trauma that those symbols represent, facilitate, and promote. If your version of inclusion requires that we include racists and white supremacists, then you are doing it wrong.
In the end… everyone has the freedom to make the choices that shape their lives. Freedom has consequences, and I include myself in this. I’ve made a choice to move the contest, and I will live with the consequences.
Mjolnir,
Owner of the Cleveland Pet Contest
