You cast “furries” in a bad light.
Whatever your research indicated, “furries” and “furry fandom” arose out
of a love for anthropomorphized (i.e., talking) animals, anything from Yogi
Bear to Disney’s Robin Hood to Planet of the Apes. Just about every major
science-fiction convention used to have a “furry” party, where people of like
interest could watch G-rated furry videos, trade sketches of furry characters,
and talk about their fan interests.
Of course, sex has always been an aspect of furry fandom. Some of the early
sketches were sexy, erotic, or pornographic. And of course, the best known (and
critically acclaimed) comic of the time, Omaha the Cat Dancer, featured
sex among its furry cast. As a result, some aspects of “furry” got a bad name.
But the vast majority of furs have no interest in fursuit sex or having sex
with stuffed animals, as you stated in your column.
Fed up Rabbit
Excuse me, FUR, but how does stating that “furry fandom” has something to do with sex put furries in a bad light? We’re pro-sex here at Savage Love Inc., and decidedly pro-fetish. As far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing wrong with getting off on fursuit sex or fucking stuffed animals or anything else that doesn’t involve grave bodily harm, real animals, children, or Ann Coulter.
While I did make one wee mistake in my column about furries (for the record: Not all furries are into fursuited sex or “modified” stuffed animals), in no way did I imply that there was something wrong with being a furry. For a taste of what being cast in a bad light looks like, FUR, I encourage you to read on.
Sorry, Dan, but your “AIDS scared them away from sex and
into fucking Pluto” theory is way off.
When I first moved to Silicon Valley, the housing market was tight and
I had to rent a room in a house full of random strangers. I wound up with a
“furry” roommate. He spent all his money and free time traveling all over the
country almost every weekend to go to furry “conventions” to buy “art” (read:
“cartoon animal porn”). He was, by any social standards, a freak. Everyone he
brought into the house was a different “animal” with a different fetish, and
all they ever wanted to do was tell ME about it.
My theory: Furries are often too ugly or socially awkward to date or score
with “normal” people. When they find their “culture” on the Internet, it gives
them something to belong to. And if you’re a sweaty, overweight, and socially
awkward dude on the outside, it must be liberating to fantasize about being
a beautiful and majestic centaur inside. I’m still good friends with one furry
guy I met through my ex-roommate. He’s pretty much normal, except that he wishes
he were a cute, skinny, fuzzy animal man because he’s got some body issues that
get in the way of real relationships with his fellow human beings.
Needless to say, I don’t live with furries anymore. Now I rent a room with
a good, wholesome, God-fearing gay man and I only have to listen to terrifying
conversations about how to hook up in 30 minutes or less on gay.com.
We’re All Terrifying Freaks
Thanks for sharing, WATF.
Your correspondent who wants a modified fursuit should look at www.fursuitsex.com.
This is a fairly new business, run by a fur, and intended to produce and distribute
fursuit sex videos. They sell the suits once the video is made.
Ostrich
I’m a little reluctant to print your letter, Ostrich, because I’m afraid that supply won’t be able to keep up with demand. I mean, think of all the people out there just dying to own an actual fursuit that some COMPLETE STRANGER wore while shooting a porn video.
Yech.
Anyway, I checked out the website you mentioned and… uh… it’s not for the faint of heart. There’s something about the combo of big-eyed, human-sized mascots/plushies with decidedly unfurry pink human dicks sticking out of their crotches that… well… I don’t mean to judge or anything… and I don’t want to cast furries in a bad light or anything… but, Christ Almighty! Fair warning: People who are going to Disney World in the near future shouldn’t go to fursuitsex.com until well after their vacation.
I’m sure you’ve got a fair share of mail to go through, so
I’ll make this as quick as I can. Furry is NOT about fursuit sex or stuffed-animal
sex. Furries simply like anthropomorphic animals. I’m sure you can understand
how a white-bread furry, say, a guy who enjoys sexplay with his girlfriend wearing
cat ears and purring, would cringe at being grouped with someone who likes to
stick his dick into a hollowed-out Winnie the Pooh.
Neuracnu Coyote
I don’t know, NC. After checking out some furry porn–nothing so restrained, however, as a guy and his girlfriend wearing cats’ ears and purring–I can state with some authority that images of people fucking hollowed-out stuffed animals is infinitely less disturbing than images of people sucking off theme-park mascots.
Being a furry is a LOT more than simply wanting to have sex
in a fursuit or with a plush toy! It’s media coverage of furries such as your
article that gives that impression, and it has caused problems for many furs.
In the simplest terms, furry culture centers around animal anthropomorphism,
i.e., the mixing of human and animal characteristics. There is no clear definition
of furry culture, but my experience leads me to believe it is possible to split
the culture loosely into two groups–“furries” and “furry fans.” Furries are
people who actually believe their personalities would better fit a particular
animal, and express a deep empathy with that animal, or might even wish to become
that particular animal. Furry fans are people who express an interest in furry
culture, but not necessarily a wish to be an actual furry, although they may
have a furry character in role-playing games, and enjoy furry artwork, fiction
and just the general idea of furriness.
Of course, it’s not all “go’od clean fun.” There are those in furrydom
and furry fandom who will take their interest to a sexual level. What offended
me in your article was your blatant assumption that ALL furries do this.
Fed up Furry
Okay, okay: Furries are just fans–Trekkies with flea collars!–and not all furries take their interest to a sexual level.
But… shit… maybe you all should. In some ways it’s easier to accept and sign off on bizarre-yet-harmless behaviors and obsessions if there’s a sexual component. None of us can really help, control, or direct our sexual interests or fetishes; we can, however, control how we choose to act on them. Someone who gets rock hard or dripping wet when dressed up like a fox or a raccoon or Ann Coulter makes a rough sort of sense. But someone who fantasizes about being an animal or hangs out with people who do without the excuse/cover of sexual fetish or compulsion? I’m sorry, but that’s just sick.
i don’t see what’s so wrong about relating furries directly to sex. how can having a reputation for extremely fun, creative and wild sex be bad? ok, so gay reputation has it’s ups and downs, but we’re certainly known for having a good time in bed, or public bathrooms, principal’s offices and what have you. all i can say is that if it made my boyfriend get a cement hard erection and fuck me like a tsunami because one of us was dressed in a crotchless barney suit, i’d have a smile from here to london.
I don’t know many furs over in the US, but here in the UK there are quite a few of us, and we’re not all socially maladjusted losers (although there are a few, who I do tend to steer well clear of). We’re pretty much just a bunch of geeks, freaks, and deviants, who like anthropomorphic animals (and porn thereof). Hell, some of us -including myself- are full-on fetishists who like nothing better of an evening than to be whipped and buggered senseless in leather puppy gear.
We organise meet-ups, have fun, frolick, drink heavily, and generally get along very well. Indeed, the staff at the furry boat party in London last December said we were the most fun lot they’d had in ages (although the 250 glowsticks a friend of mine distributed to the dancefloor helped with this). The furries who get pissed off at the media sniggering at them are without exception the socially retarded ones who never leave their mother’s basement; the rest of us just laugh it off and say “fair cop”. It is fairly ridiculous, and that’s half the fun!
it is just a fetish people just like some people like role play
or cartoon sex(hentai)
@2 is right. Furries are pretty normal fetishists. They like cartoon animal porn and mascot suits, along with some other pretty interesting and creative fetishes like inflation, micro/macro, maieusophilia, and vorarephilia.
The PROBLEM with furries is exactly what you see in this column: For some reason, something like 50% of furries have absolutely no sense of humor and no realization of the inherent silliness of their kink. But I believe that this will change with time.
As a furry, I’d say the real problem with many furries is that they’re not willing to acknowledge that it’s a fetish. They’re completely in denial about it and there’s no reason to be, because it’s not a big goddamn deal–we’re attracted to anthropomorphic characters. It’s ridiculous, it’s creepy and disgusting, and it is definitely hilarious, but that’s also what’s awesome about it.
They’ll be like “oh it’s just a hobby” and then spend hours talking about the best way to draw a dragon dick. “Sheesh it’s just a hobby, now why does the porn get 90% of the pageviews”. These types are usually by far the creepiest, least socially adjusted furries.
The BDSM community didn’t gain acceptance by pretending it was a star trek convention.
Admittedly, there are a few furries that have no interest in the sexual aspect. They just like drawing cartoon anthros. That’s totally fine, but I don’t see what’s significant enough about that for it to merit a whole subculture. If that’s your thing, go to comic book conventions. Go to anime conventions.