I guarantee you have heard of furries.

The question is, do you know them?

This article is delving into the definitions and all out myths surrounding this somewhat obscure subculture. 

A furry is a person who shows interest in anthropomorphic animals or humans with animalistic traits. They also take part in conventions and other meetups.

Let’s first skim through the history. The furry fandom started in the late 70’s as a subculture to the DND fandom, but later merged with others like the LGBTQ+ and the comic fandoms. 

In the mid 80s they held the first convention called ConFurence. And once that happened the fandom boomed. 

Hundreds of cons started all over the world; the first one not to take place in the US was Eurofurence in Germany, 1995. And with that, ideas like fursuits and fursonas came into play. 

And not long after that, the community became what it is today—-today, a time of hate crimes and controversy, not just for the fandom but for many  minorities and groups. 

But first, the question many people have is, why do some people hate furries? 

The earliest sign of the fandom being attacked took place in 2001 were a Vanity Fair article ridiculed and mis-labeled the furry community. Another source of hate surprisingly came from the CSI episode “Fur and Loathing.” All these things took place during the early 2000’s; twenty years have gone by, and the hate has done nothing but grow. 

The war against furries mainly takes place on social media. People threaten to bring guns and other weapons to conventions.

A crime did take place at Midwest Furfest 2014 where somebody planted a probe ejecting chlorine gas throughout the building. It resulted in the hospitalization of 19 people. But the worst of all of this occurred in September of 2016. This event was titled the “Fullerton Triple Homicide,” the murder of three innocent people (two  furries and their parent). 

I have searched everywhere, and furries have never and I mean NEVER threatened to kill, or even shoot a non furry. Overall I find that the furry community has been abused and misunderstood, especially in our own town. 

The furry fandom is just like any fandom. People wearing fursuits to conventions is like wearing a jersey to a sports game. 

Furries want to be part of a group, a group they feel that can belong to. Just like how you may identify yourself within a group of friends who like soccer. It’s not about perversion or anything like that. It’s about meeting people, and belonging to something. 

Many people use furries as an excuse to hurt the LGBTQ+ community, since 80% of furries world wide identify as LGBTQ+. 

I have also realized that in this school specifically, you can’t be different. If you are part of the LGBTQ+, DND, and especially the furry community, you will be chewed up and spat out.

That’s why I found it important to make this article, to continue my mission to have these people properly accepted in this school.

If you want more information please consider clicking these links to read the articles “It’s not about sex, it’s about identity: why furries are unique among fan cultures and ”How the world of furries gives people the confidence to become their true selves.”