Regarding furry: Are you open or closed off?

[Aerak]

It would be interesting if this difference might be based off of different generations as Sauce suggested. Although I know a few people who are an older generation and yet still very out with their interest in furry. Some others mentioned an apprehension concerning how to properly explain furry. Given how many different interpretations there are of furry from within the fandom, I suppose it makes sense that there a wide variety of reasons why I person is either open or closed with their interest.

 

 

[Mouring]

I keep my “furry elevator speech” short about how furry is a collection of artist, photographers, cosplayers (people who dress up), etc that enjoy the ideas of cartoons and books that paint animals as having human like qualities. I then talk about MNFurs/Furry Migration/MFF/Fur Squared/etc and the community work they do around animal awareness and fundraising.

Then I sit back and let them ask questions.  I let the listener prompt what rabbit holes they wish to go down.  That may including laughing off the CSI show with a joke about only Gene Simmons could get his tongue out of a fursuit muzzle, or shrug off sexualization as something that happens in every genre.
Of course, as a photographer I tend to show off photos of the last event and geek out on photography if I can. =)  Which makes for a great diversion if they aren’t responding well I can swap over to zoo, landscape, and other photos and leave the minefield of exploded fluffy bunnies (sorry, had to make a Full Throttle reference… =).

Mind you, I also have thick skin which is someone one must have to be open.

[edited for spacing: Some days I hate how the editor chews up posts and spews them back up.]

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Mouring.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Mouring.

[Tyrell]

That’s a good way of explaining it, Mouring. I just told one of my friends that I am a furry and I just described it as a strong love of animals, and how the characteristics of the wolf are part of my personality and make me feel better.

Engineer by day, artist by night.

[Tala]

Well, I am definitely closed. My family is VERY conservative and judgmental. They are also very loving too and try to keep their criticisms to themselves, which makes it hard to disappoint them. I know if I came out as a furry it would be a disappointment, so I’ve kept it a secret. In fact, until recently, the only one I have told I’m a furry was my boyfriend, who introduced me to the fandom in the first place.

Truth be told, I’d like to be more open, but it is much easier doing that over the internet than in person.

[Ryakka]

I’ve been openly furry for as long I can remember nobody seemed to care much my parents just joke about it and the most hostility I’ve gotten was a small amount of shit from my non furry friends but they quickly accepted me for who I was. *Mostly*

[Sling]

I’m pretty closeted when it comes to furry stuff with everyone except my wife. I fear my career would potentially be made more difficult if I was open to my coworkers about it, and even some of my other family members might look at me differently.

[Rareraven]

I’m not sure what I am… I just know I need some people to talk to.  Anyone is free to talk to me.

[Tundra Everquill]

I feel the same about this that I do with people who want to be able to come out to their parents or friends about being a furry. Furries are a sub culture of people that all enjoy the idea of anthropomorphism. We share loves towards the art, music, literature, designs, socialization, etc. We come together so that way we can share our love for the hobby with other folks that also love it as well. The idea of feeling ashamed of it to me is as silly as nerds in the 80’s being afraid of liking Star Wars because it was not understood by the modern day people at the time, or in the early 2000’s when Anime was just hitting it big and no one understood that either.  Just because people aren’t gonna grasp the idea of something you like doesn’t make you weird or closed it. It makes you human. We all have different tastes that’s what separates one person from another and helps us create new ideas to inspire others into these types of things.

[Procyon]

I’m open, bordering on confrontational. But anyone who knows me should not be surprised.  Furry, educated, and proud of both.

 

 

[Speyeder]

I treat furry the same way I treat sexuality, if they ask I tell them. Most people honestly never ask so I suppose I could be “closeted” in that sense. I’m not ashamed of it though, I just never get asked.

What can be so dangerous in a world where so many people are smiling?

chaoticravings.com

[Furbit]

I was at the co-op the other day, and there was a motorcycle parked in front of me. When the rider came out, I noticed that his helmet had black furry ears on it, so I pulled up next to him and asked, “are those ears on your helmet?” He replied, “They sure are!” I said, “I am a Furry, and I think that’s awesome!”

October 20th is Openly Secular Day in the US, where you let people know that you are nontheistic. I think we need an Openly Furry Day … lol.

All of this is a round about way of saying that I am open about being a Furry, as I am happy to be one. I wear FurCon shirts in public from time to time, and if anyone asks, I am happy to explain what the fandom is, that it makes me happy, and it is a fun hobby.

Usually such conversations come about when I am going on vacation, and people ask what I am planning. I usually start out by saying I am going to a convention (either Furry Migration or MFF), and the ball rolls on from there….

Life is amusing, though we are losing, drowned in tears of awe. — Kerry Livgren

[Omni Possum]

I never really thought of it as a major deal.. There’s way weirder stuff out there. :3

I haven’t seen much stigma over it in recent years, to be honest.

[Braxis]

I’ve only been a furry for about less than a year and I haven’t been very open to telling people about it. Especially if I don’t know the person very well. I have told some people about it, but only because I do know them well and when I know they’ll accept me and my furriness.

[Peter the Bear]

I’m more closed off. I do see the fandom as one of the geek fandoms, but with the stereotype we have I’m careful. Some of my friends do know, I even found out one of them is one and I helped another one find that they are one, but my family does not know since I used other experiences of telling them things to let me see how they would react, and my parents would not accept it with open arms. I do wish this could be like the rest of the geek fandoms where you can be open about being in the fandom, and it’s ok to go to conventions and meetups and events and not be questioned.

[Arkus]

Very closed, no one outside the fandom knows I’m a furry.

Arkus A. Mouse

 

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