this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Asklemmy
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furries
While I agree and have no problem with furries, I think the issue is people seeing, what a lot of people in their own community see as linked to a sexual kink, being brought out into public spaces.
So like clearly there is a large sexual component to the fandom, and I think it weirds people out and makes people uncomfortable when they see these people wearing their fur suits out in public. Which again to be clear is not something the entire community does or even tolerates, but there's enough people who do so that it's become part of the cultural zeitgeist.
But it's also just the fact that it's so far from normal vanilla experiences. Everyday people think role playing sexually is already adventurous and out there. Now add big animal suits that are typically associated with mascots for entertaining children and I think anyone can see why everyday people think it's weird.
honestly that argument just feels like recycled homophobia to me. and just because something is weird doesn't mean it should be hated.
It's like you glossed over my entire comment and only read the last word...
Hello.
I don't understand the furry thing. If anyone wants to explain it that would be cool.
I've gone to lgbtq+ bars and sometimes 1 or two people will have leather dog masks on. I don't understand it though. Is it a sub/Dom thing? I'm kinda new to to the LGBTQ+ culture.
I don't think those are necessarily related.
Furries are just people who like animal mascot type characters and made a whole subculture around that.
The dog mask people are generally not furries. They're called pups, and you're actually right that pup play is a BDSM thing. The whole acting like a dog thing is more for dehumanization than anything else.
Furries are people who enjoy anthropomorphic animals for... well, a variety of reasons. Fursuits are extremely uncommon because they're expensive as fuck, difficult to clean, easily damaged, etc. Most furries just come up with fursonas (generally online animal personas) and make art.
I know more about this than I otherwise would because I have friends who are pups and others who are furries.
basically, its a subculture of people who like anthropomorphic (i.e. humanized) animal characters, like zootopia, for one fairly recent mainstream example. some furries do dress up in costumes, but the leather dog masks are a somewhat unrelated bdsm thing, though there's probably some significant overlap in the groups.
They've still a way to go though as well. I remember when FA banned porn of child-looking characters half the website quit, ironically leaving known groomers who were flagrantly breaking the rule and getting away with it. The alternative sites aren't much better, with some outright dying on the hill of allowing toddlercon. I dipped because I was insanely uncomfortable with how much of a grooming culture there was and as fun as it was to crash&burn the 40th discord server with admins doing that shit, it was stunting my development into a functioning adult.