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MNFurs Is In The Star Tribune!

Minnesota Furs has had the honor of being interviewed for an article in the Star Tribune – some of you may remember the reporter and photographer at the spring picnic. The article has finally been published, and is to be the cover of the Variety section in tomorrow’s paper! To jump straight to the article, click here.

Minnesota Furs has a long history in Minnesota – over 12 years of history in fact. What began as a small gathering of furs at a small restaurant’s back tables has blossomed into a group with hundreds of members, dozens of volunteer opportunities, year round events, and its own convention. Minnesota Furs has even become the first year-round furry organization to become a 501c3 charity non-profit group. This growth has not gone unnoticed. With furries appearing in the news, MNFurs came to the attention of the Star Tribune, Minnesota’s premiere publication.

We had the honor of being interviewed by reporter Sharyn Jackson (@sharynjackson) and Aaron Lavinksy (@adlavinsky). They attended both the Winter Carnival Parade as well as the Spring Picnic, talking to furs of all walks of life to put together this article. Some of you may remember them from the picnic especially. In honor of their attendance they were even made honorary furs.

This article is a shining example of reporting on the world of furry. It covers a lot about the unique perspectives of furs, the positive work we do, and points out some of the challenges and stigmas faced while still remaining upbeat and positive. It is hoped that more articles like this will follow here and elsewhere, showing furry as just one of many different, normal, and happy subsets of the geek fandom that exists today. To those whom spoke to the interviewers, knowing this would be an article it is a brave step and one we are proud of many of our members taking.

For the chance to appear in the paper and to talk to them, Minnesota Furs, the board of directors, and the community would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our members who spoke to the reporters, Sharyn, Aaron, and the team over at the Star Tribune. Thank you, all!

 

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Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • #31530 Quote
    I’ve been on the edge of my seat for this one lol XD

    Round of  applause for such a good article!

    #31532 Quote

    I’ve been on the edge of my seat for this one lol XD
    Round of applause for such a good article!

    I think we were all holding our breaths :).

    It should hit the newsstands tomorrow in the variety section. I’ll be picking up a copy for sure!

    Member of Minnesota Furs a 501c3 Non Profit, former Convention Chairman for Furry Migration, volunteer, and always doings lots of other stuff.

    Feel free to ask questions because I'm here for you!
    Kurst "YipYap" Hyperyote

    #31534 Quote
    Honestly I wasn’t too concerned.  Star Tribune is a pretty liberal and non sensationalist paper.  The folks who post on their story threads are another matter.  Trolls.
    #31535 Quote
    I thought the article was good with the exception of a couple of minor incorrect details. Shrug — they can’t get everything right.

    Some of the comments made me sad.

    I, personally, do not see the difference between dressing in fursuits, athletic garb, theater costumes or any number of other activities where one takes on a persona other than their day to day self.

    I do not agree with name calling, in any fashion, but I will say they are uneducated and uninformed on this topic!

    Amethyst

    Help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cannot handle!

    #31538 Quote
    Don’t let it get to you, Amethyst. Most of the people who commented negatively did not even seem to read the article. I thought about registering an account and responding, however, Kellic is right. Many of the commenters (not all) were trolls just poking and looking to get a reaction.

    The best thing we can do is continue being awesome. I want us to help more people – both inside and outside of the organization. And I want us to work with more charities and focus on doing more good in the world. That’s what matters. That’s what is important.

    #31540 Quote

    Don’t let it get to you, Amethyst. Most of the people who commented negatively did not even seem to read the article. I thought about registering an account and responding, however, Kellic is right. Many of the commenters (not all) were trolls just poking and looking to get a reaction. The best thing we can do is continue being awesome. I want us to help more people – both inside and outside of the organization. And I want us to work with more charities and focus on doing more good in the world. That’s what matters. That’s what is important.

    I completely agree. I guess I guess I just get so frustrated by “stupid.” 😉

    I have felt more accepted by this group than many of the church groups I have been a part of.  People in the fandom seem to accept me — in sprite of my “faith” and I like that — Not all people who believe as I do as horrible — just as not all “Furries” are horrible!

    Hugs to my friends here!

    Amethyst

    Help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cannot handle!

    #31544 Quote
    This can be so true for so many of us!

    Amethyst

    Help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cannot handle!

    #31548 Quote
    If they did a decent honest article or not, there is always going to be a bunch of cowardly anonymous online asswipes willing to slander anyone worthwhile who gets a mention in the paper.  They will do so un-imformed, and without any personal regret because simply there is no consequence for their actions and they obviously were not raised with any moral compass.. The important thing here, is that some folks did notice.. And they liked what they saw.

    When im wearing my suit, my ears/tail or just an anthro ID around town at cons, these cowards seem to never want to talk negatively to my face… I wonder why.. (Although at MFF i did have one such moron get on an elevator wih me, and wait until i got off, and the door was closing to shout out a biggoted slur just as the door closed). he got away with it, but it did make me smile that he took extreme precaution to avoid getting mauled.

    No i dont think this article needs to be “liberal” to be appropriate.

    No i do not feel this, or any article, is going to get the facts EXACTLY right for everyone, ever

    I personally feel that if they wanted to do an article, it would have been nice if they focused on individuals, activities, group functions, goals, and progress as opposed to targeting the mainstream taboo often un-educated perception that the fandom exists to explore deviance in one or many soecific ways.., besides, are we really a Furry group still?  Collectively its difficult to tell.

    -Cence

    #31558 Quote
    Hmm good point, Cence. We are more like, “Furries and Friends”… It’s kind of like, “Fox and Friends” except fair and balanced. 😀
    #31562 Quote
    I’m quite happy with it. It was honest, a bit informative, and fair. I only wish it had been longer and had information about our upcoming convention but that is nitpicking.

    I'm just a Hodgepodge.

    #31575 Quote
    It was fun to know more about others in the fandom!

     

    Amethyst

    Help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cannot handle!

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