Furries are not Boylovers
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 Boys Art and Entertainment LGBT+ RSOL Politics Science, Technology, Health Current events Deaths by Staff Writer - February 5, 2022
Furries are people who enjoy dressing in costumes of anthropomorphic animal characters. Some of the characters are from anime or other cartoons and video games. Many furries have created personal characters, also known as fursona(s). These characters can represent many things, such as their interests, a spiritual guide, or things they find attractive or perhaps an alternative version of themselves. During the mid-1980s, furries as a group or "subculture" grew out of science fiction fandom communities to having their own conventions beginning in 1989. Furry conventions are know for fundraising for charities. The money raised usually goes to support the welfare of wildlife or domesticated animals. As reported a recent news article, a group of online furries used crowdfunding to help support the Madison County Library System when the Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee (R) indicated that he planned to withhold $110,000 in funding unless the public library got rid of all its “homosexual materials.” The media has portrayed furries as a group with a sexual fetish for furry costumes however this is not a complete or accurate depiction of what furries culture entails. Furries describe themselves as fans, artists, writers, gamers, and role players and coming from all different walks of life. Furries are an extremely diverse group and there is not a "typical furry". As a whole, the fury community is made up of a number of different sub-cultures, some of which are completely non-sexual and some that do have a sexual element to them. This seems to be dependent on which genre of source material they are drawing from for their fursona. The average cost of a fur suit is between $1700 to $2200+ depending on complexity. Fanart and fanfiction are also part of the furry culture. There are numerous websites dedicated to this creative aspect of furry fandom. Sources indicate that the furry community is not dominated by heterosexuals. The majority of people involved in Furry fandom self-identify as a sexual minority, including gay, bi-sexual or transgendered. A 2020 survey by FurScience involving 559 participants found that 28.8% of participants were homosexual, 10.1% heterosexual, 23.4% bisexual, 16.5% pansexual, 10.5% asexual, 5.8% stated they didn't know, and 4.9% were other. In the follow-ups to a recent BoyChat post, several boylovers indicated that they are currently or have been involved in Furry fandom and found it to be a positive experience. That is not to say that this group is boylove friendly in any way and many of them likely have the same prejudices and misconceptions about boylovers as the general public. There is a faction within furry fandom that consider themselves to be "cublovers", who may roleplay as younger characters or create artistic depictions of younger anthropomorphic characters in erotic situations. Furry is also not necessarily "boy friendly" either. Though the majority of participants identify as male, most of their websites state that participants must be 18+. There are similar restrictions for their conventions. There are factions within the furry community that are attempting to make participation more "family friendly". Though many furries believe acceptance is a fundamental part of the community and that inclusiveness as well as being welcoming and non-judgmental are central to furry fandom, these ideas may not be compatible with becoming more G rated. It is unclear how the furry community is going to evolve. Certainly, it faces opposition. Furries recently have become a target for far-right zealots. In recent months, accusations and rumors have spread across the internet that a high school in Michigan had installed litter boxes to accommodate “furry” students. The rumor was started by an anti-LGBTQ parent upset over federal regulations that allow transgender students to use the correct restroom in school. Even though there was no truth to this, it was believed by many people including the Co-Chair of the Michigan Republican Party who posted on her Facebook page the afternoon of January 20, 2022, “Kids who identify as ‘furries’ get a litter box in the school bathroom”. In Texas, a Republican candidate for the state legislature, tweeted that, “Cafeteria tables are being lowered in certain @RoundRockISD middle and high schools to allow ‘furries’ to more easily eat without utensils or their hands (ie, like a dog eats from a bowl).” There was no truth to this accusation either. Despite all the hoopla, furries are basically just a bunch of people who enjoy putting on costumes and playing "make believe". Sounds like fun to me.
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