Pondsmith's resume looks pretty damned good. So I am wondering how would you would define 'merit," in this case. Looks to me like he has more than enough of a career to be named a "Guest of Honor." But I guess if it isn't him, then who should it be?
Pondsmith is absolutely qualified, based on his accomplishments and contributions to the hobby, to be guest of Honor at Gencon. The problem people have is that he wasn't chosen for any of those accomplishments. He was chosen because of the color of his skin. If Pondsmith was white and Greg Stafford was black, it would be Stafford there instead. The Regressives now in control of Gencon's decisions this year didn't give a fuck about what the guy has done for us, they only cared that he was part of an identity-politic group they are manipulating to push their ideological agenda.
This is awful in no small part BECAUSE it belittles everything else Pondsmith has done. It reduces someone who absolutely deserves praise for his work into someone being praised for an accident of birth, all to satisfy the agenda of people who don't actually give a fuck about him.