I have not changed my decision, I will be attending conventions in red states this year but those were commitments I made last year, before the election was held. It would have been unprofessional to cancel on them if the organizers deemed that they still wanted me there. For those shows I am donating the money I earn at the shows to charities benefiting causes now in danger, like Planned Parenthood, several LGBT causes, Immigration and feminist supporters. After these prior commitments I will no longer be accepting invitations to shows in red states. I am sincerely sorry for any disappointment or enmity this decision has engendered, but this is my choice and my right.

However, there will be two exceptions. The most notable is Dragon Con, which isn’t really a comic convention but a major party with the great majority of partygoers being exactly the people who are now being ostracized, threatened or marginalized by the new administration. It is also a show where my wife teaches belly dance classes, as she has done for close to a decade, and I would not wish to rob her of that pleasure. Any money I do earn (and I spend less time at my table at this show than I do at most) I will donate to an LGBT charity.

The other show is Fetish Con, which is not a comic show at all. I receive no fee, nor do I earn any money. I’m there to support my friends, including those very people whose rights and lives are now endangered.

And for the record, even though it really is nobody else’s business, I plan to donate the fees I earn at the blue-state shows to charity as well, but they won’t necessarily be the same red state threatened organizations. This would include the Hero Initiative, St. Jude’s Hospital, K-9s for Warriors, Make-A-Wish and whatever other worthy cause comes my way.

Oh, and for those who may be wondering, I do intend to continue providing financial aid to the threatened charities I noted earlier, even though it won’t be earned at red state shows.  It will just be from other sources of income.

I do not wish to continue defending or explaining my decisions, so, I hope this is the last time I will be asked to do so.

Respectfully and sincerely,
George Pérez