In the episode, a furry is alleged to be a murderer and is brought in for an interrogation. One such portrayal was an infamous episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” called “ Fur and Loathing. Part of the reason that this misconception is common is because of the portrayals of furries on television and the internet. The “main misconception,” they said, is that being a furry means you have a twisted fetish. “I’ve met friends that I wouldn’t have met under any other circumstance,” he said.įurry sex is what one FAU furry, “Alex” - an opossum character chose to remain anonymous in both name and fursona - calls the “elephant in the room.” As a regular participant in local furry meets like Southeast Florida Furs, which lists 500 members online, he says that the experience is the same. Another notable convention last year was Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, which rang in 8,407 attendees, the organization also said on social media.īut DeCelles believes that not every convention worth going to needs to have a five-figure turnout. The most-attended last year was MidWest FurFest in Illinois, which attracted nearly 11,000 people, according to the convention’s social media. There were a handful of major national conventions that attract thousands of furries, especially in 2018. The individual-driven community flourishes online and at annual furry conventions, often called “FurCons.” These conventions are a hub for furries - a place to buy art, mingle, and meet new furries within the confines of a judgment-free zone.
“The fandom isn’t based on a TV show or a book … It’s the individuals in the community,” she said. Skyler thinks furries aren’t going anywhere anytime soon because of this. But instead of rallying around a tangible fad, they rally around a concept for fun. “It’s like the universe is taking care of something for me.”įurries at FAU like Skyler, whose character is a house cat, argue that their community is just like any other “fandom,” or fan community. “My fursona is like a guardian for me,” Skyler, an art major who preferred to use her fursona instead of her real name, said.
To display these, furries typically either commission an artist to do a digital drawing of their furry, or order full (or partial) customized body suits that resemble those of mascots. Those who don’t enjoy dressing up as anything from a bird to a sloth fall usually fall into two categories: People who could never fathom such a thing and, as a study from the journal “ Society and Animals ” found, people who think it’s a great mental disorder.Īnd whether you know it or not, the community is present at FAU.ĭeCelles, like most furries, goes by an alter ego called a “fursona.” Fursonas aren’t simply a name - they’re either a real or fictional animal with their own likes, dislikes, and features. “Furries,” he said, are people with an infatuation for anthropomorphic animals - which are human-like animals such as mascots or cartoon characters. The animated children’s show about wide-eyed ponies that live in anthropomorphic utopia is what DeCelles, who is a junior communications major at FAU, believes turned him into a furry. “My Little Pony was it for me,” Joey DeCelles said. Editor’s Note: Some sources are anonymous or go by altered names in this story to protect their identities.