Chlorine gas sickens 19 at furries convention

[Buster's Uncle]

Chlorine gas sickens 19 at furries convention
Associated Press
By DON BABWIN  15 hours ago



Chlorine gas sickened several people and forced the evacuation of thousands of guests from a suburban Chicago hotel early Sunday, including many dressed in cartoonish animal costumes for an annual furries convention who were ushered across the street to a convention center that was hosting a dog show. Nineteen people who became nauseous or dizzy were treated at local hospitals, and at least 18 were released shortly thereafter. According to the Rosemont Public Safety Department, the source of the gas was apparently chlorine powder left in a 9th-floor stairwell at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.



ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Chlorine gas sickened several people and forced the evacuation of thousands of guests from a suburban Chicago hotel early Sunday, including many dressed in cartoonish animal costumes for an annual furries convention who were ushered across the street to a convention center hosting a dog show.

Nineteen people who became nauseous or dizzy were treated at local hospitals, and at least 18 were released shortly thereafter. Within hours, emergency workers decontaminated the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and allowed people back inside. Six-foot-tall rabbits, foxes and dragons poured into the lobby, chatting and giving each other high paws.

"I think we'll recover from this," said Kit McCreedy, a 28-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, his fox tail swinging behind him as he headed back inside for the last day of the Midwest FurFest. "People are tired but they're still full of energy."

The source of the gas was apparently chlorine powder left in a ninth-floor stairwell at the hotel, according to the Rosemont Public Safety Department. Investigators believe the gas was created intentionally and are treating it as a criminal matter.

McCreedy was one of a few thousand attendees for the FurFest, in which attendees celebrate animals that are anthropomorphic — meaning they've been given human characteristics — through art, literature and performance. Many of the attendees, who refer to themselves as "furries," wore cartoonish animal outfits.

While authorities conducted their investigation, organizers tried to assure the participants that the evacuation would not overshadow the convention. But attendees seemed to think the evacuation was part of the fun — particularly those who recalled being herded into the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center as it was hosting a dog show.



People walk on the street outside of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Ill., on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, in Rosemont, Ill. Thousands of people were evacuated after an chlorine gas leak at the Hyatt hotel hosting the 2014 Midwest FurFest convention, where attendees dress as animals to celebrate art, literature and performance, in suburban Rosemont early Sunday morning. Investigators believe the leak at the hotel in Rosemont was caused intentionally and are treating it as a criminal matter. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)


"In walk all these people dressed like dogs and foxes," said Pieter Van Hiel, a 40-year-old technical writer from Hamilton, Canada, chuckling as he thought back to the scene.

Others said they did not have a clue as to why anyone would intentionally disrupt the convention that includes dance contests and panel discussions on making the costumes, with some quick to point out that the brightly colored outfits are made from fake fur and foam and not real fur.

"Nobody uses real fur," said Frederic Cesbron, a 35-year-old forklift operator who rode a plane to Chicago from his home in France. He attended the convention dressed head-to-toe in a fox outfit that he said cost him about $2,000 four years ago but would go for $3,000 today.

Attendees said they came for fun, but also for the spiritual and artistic aspects of the convention that have them celebrating animal characters from movies, TV shows, comic books and video games. Some also create their own characters and appreciate being in an atmosphere where nobody seems surprised or shocked by an elaborate, bright purple dragon.

"Everyone is from a different background," said Michael Lynch, a 25-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, who, like his buddy, McCreedy, dressed as a fox. "Nobody judges anybody. It's nice to come to a place like that."

Or, as Van Hiel put it, "It's kind of weird, but it's not weird here."

http://news.yahoo.com/chlorine-gas-leak-sickens-19-furry-convention-161452329.html

[Unorthodox]

Attendees said they came for fun, but also for the spiritual and artistic aspects

spiritual?  OK. 

[Buster's Uncle]

This just demands jokes.

[Unorthodox]

Which?  The convention or the people trying to wreck it? 

[Buster's Uncle]

Well that right there's why I'm not making the jokes.  Hate crimes aren't funny - even though, furries.

[Unorthodox]

I got nothing against furries. 

Don't really see them any different than the cosplay crowd. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Oh, I got nothin' against furries compared to people who write bad Star Trek fanfic that gets the characters wrong - but it IS a hilarious fetish.  That's all.

[Unorthodox]

If you're referring to a sexual fetish, Zoophilia/Plushophilia is an extreme minority of the Furry population.  For whatever reason, CSI and other media chose to focus on that aspect (and make fun of it) and it's led to a wide misconception of the group as a whole in the public mind.  I'm sure one could focus on a subset of Trekies that would be just as LOL. 

Otherwise, I'm not one to talk as I sit collecting bones and skulls. 

[Buster's Uncle]

[shrugs]  Even as cosplay, it's weird - not that cosplay in general isn't.

[Unorthodox]

The great Mickey Mouse and various knockoffs around the country are GODS to kids.  Mascotts are treated as royalty at virtually any sporting event. 

I can see some people thinking a similar costume will get them some of that attention/make them that cool/etc, along with the blessed anonymity that comes with being behind a mask.  I can sympathise to a point. 

Not for me, but I get it. 

Then there's the pure artists that focus on drawing/sculpting/creating 'furry' art as well, which I don't find strange in the least, to be honest.  Not all about the costumes. 

In fact, Disney's Robin Hood is often considered one of the founding examples of 'Furry' art.  Among my favorites in the Disney collection (and second favorite robin hood movie after men in tights) as well, and a lot of that HAS to do with the 'furry' nature of it. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Let’s All Watch Mika Brzezinski Learn What a Furry Is

[Lorizael]

Maybe someone was cosplaying as a skunk?

[Buster's Uncle]

Of course.

[Rusty Edge]

I guess I missed this in my travels.
Furries.
They're silly. They're weird.

But once you get past that, with few exceptions, they aren't bothering anybody else. They are just social misifits escaping from the stress and strain of their regular lives and managing to socialize.

It's more mainstream to hide in a book or go camping or video gaming or get deep into a religious organization. Drinking or gambling or motorsporting, are accepted outlets, but not without problems.

As conventions go, I'm guessing that Furries require little security. They started in Pittsburgh when I lived in PA. The only trouble I remember hearing of originated with outsiders picking on them.

I befriended one once. Smart girl. She felt a spiritual connection to certain animals. She drew creative and personal inspiration from that. That's weird here and now, but 300 years or more ago it was the norm in North America. Europeans will tell you that 300 years isn't that long ago.

Furries are just nerds of a different stripe. It's okay to laugh at them, but we need to stick up for them too. There are real people inside those suits, and they can be hurt just the same as  a sausage racer, college mascot, or somebody in a Barney suit. If they weren't wearing the furry suits we'd these people for what they are, victims of bullies.