So true. I have to keep it hidden from the people at my school since the general stereotype of a furry is either people who dress up as animals and have crazy sex or get down and funky with dogs. Considering I'm in vet school... it probably is best to keep it quiet since I am in a profession where I work with animals constantly. I'm not into any of that crazy furry sex stuff, nor are most of the furs I know personally... but I just don't want to try to explain that NO I don't want to have sex with people's dogs just because I'm a furry and happen to work with animals in my profession.

exactly DX because of a few horny idiots our reputation is destroyed, and the media is not only the news but CSI, 1000 ways to die , terra banks show , my strange addiction, youtube videos, AND other types of documentaries all because regular furry stuff is dismissed and they just us for the idioticy of other peoples mistakes that go public like that fursex party in Florida years ago that hit the news Q.Q and now everyone thinks we are all in the same...its embarrassing, there is no more pride

I never got what the big deal was. Mostly, people ask me why I like drawing animals and I just tell 'em, I have LOVED animals ever since I was a little girl. I love the fact there's no race issues with them, that they come in all shapes and forms, that you can create entire social systems and customs for them and it's totally acceptable. I love the world that I can create when I work with anthropomorphic animals; the world that I cannot convey with human beings due to all the hang ups that come with them.

When someone does speak on furry and they come to the conclusion that you've mentioned, I just tell 'em, No...that's not what furs are. Furs are just people who have an affinity to anthropomorphic animal characters, the same characters that you've grown up watching on Saturday morning cartoons. ...that's it. Every fandom has it's "less than savory" side. Furs just aren't very good at concealing that, but then again, neither are anime fans as they have entire HUGE sections of the fandom devoted to explicit, gory, mind-debilitating sexual encounters. ...so...yeah. There it is.

oh wow thats a good come back :), but having a fursuit they always ask the purpose of it, i just say, ever tried to go to manahttan with one and everyone wants your picture and hug you and you put smiles on everyones faces, its fun! , but they always have the dark thought of maybe its for something more -__-; and that really bothers me

Well, let them have their dark thoughts. At the end of the day, you'll never be able to please or convince everyone so never mind the ones who can't open their minds enough to see the value of what you're saying. Just let it go and keep moving forward ^_^

true <=p sad i have to keep this to myself x.x

Art, friendship, clean fursuiting, having your own character, and just having fun is why I like the fandom. I don't care there is porn and people are sexual but I do care and hate it when there is art showing strange, wrong, and sick things like humans having sex with animals, cub, minors, vore, scat, macro, water sports, really cubby, unborn, pregant, tentacles, satanic, rule 34, and anything else; that is just fuck up and wrong. Fursuit sex, people having sex, or doing sexual things with animals or children is fuck up and really wrong also.

yeah sadly people only see the bad in the fandom and not the good side , if people want porn there is pornhub, xtube, bangbros, naughty****suckers, etc XD

Man I feel you there... it's annoying sometimes. There is not a single person in my life (besides those that I have met through the fandom) that knows I am a fur, and unfortunately I'm pretty sure it's gonna stay that way. Heh, I actually run with a group of some hardass MF-ers, I can only imagine how that would go if I started telling people I own a fursuit and go to furry cons lol. 2 people know I have been to a con, but even then they think I sort of ended up there by accident... Just the way people talk about furries, all the misinformation they have that they love to spew out about us like we're some sick cult. Not only do people think it's all about freaky animal sex and other dirty shit, but being straight it's even harder because everyone assumes all furs are gay too which is another deal entirely (I have no problem with homosexuality, but I don't want everyone to think I'm some weird gay animal fucking pervert...) It's too bad. Like you said, people only know about that side of the fandom and nobody knows the whole story. I doubt that's going to change anytime soon because not enough people give it the benefit of the doubt to learn the truth about it so knowledge of such will never become widely known. And I sure don't feel like putting myself in the situation to explain it to everyone. Frustrating to say the least.

exactly how i feel about it, the fandom is like 50% gay 25% bi/pan 10% straight 15 % female ( and in those female 10% lesbian/bi 5% straight) o_O

Wow, this is kinda cool never knew you really felt that way dude, pretty much EXACTLY how I feel to this day!
Love the inputs of you all on this :)

*likes status* damn straight broham =3

i have grown to hate this way of life now because im tired of all the crap that comes along with it, but anthro's are atill amazing to me, just not some if not most of the people associated with the idea, you bring up a completely valid and true point

yep yep, <=/ its true , also in my opinion its worse to come out as a furry then a sexuality

ya, to be honest ive thought of leaving several times, but ive become too associated, although soon ill be taking a leave of absence to relieve stress and think about things, im even starting to get a few grey hairs...im only 20 in a month...

same here x.x been there done that, but also drama is the like ...the blood of the fandom DX

ya, its just all too much, especially once you know so many people in it, its just impossible to handle, and its also been making my ulcer worse from the stress, so taking a break might also save my life, ive dropped 38 pounds this month, i was 160, now im 122 , im a 6'2" 19 year old, that's dangerously unhealthy for my type, right?

damn o.o yeah, and also ...all the time i see/hear this one of my friends has sex with another and then one actually had a mate who he just cheated on and the other had an std who he didnt know about and its like a vicious cycle DX like seriously! furries must control themselves!

-_- ya, im glad we share the exact same perspective, if i attend ac again next year, we gotta hang, i only got to say hi and run off this year

yeah totally =3 i has memory problems so if u see me be like ITS ME BRO! and ill be like wait wait....ZOMG! *HUGS*! =3 , i hope ill see u at this years ac ^.^

lol, im the same XD, but will do, i hope i can afford to cross the border XD , ill look forward to it

me too X3 make em canadianz go ZOMG AC! U CAN GO FOR FREE! 8D

lol, ya XD eh? XD

We are the victims of a social witchhunt. Goths and emos were hated on in the 90s and now they're hip...or whatever I'm so outta touch with mainstream. Yeah, so basically we the people who get hate because of a few furverts. =/ maybe the bronies will draw the hate away from us? Im hoping they won't tarnish the already pissed upon title of furry :(.

indeed Q~Q also why do we show off how gay we are DX like such a high % of homosexual furries...it just overwhelms the fandom, there is very small % of heterosexual people and since the sexuality of being "gay" includes promiscuous sex as a stereotype people use that against the fandom judging from sexuality alone. its so wrong for none furs to think that but its true and they get their info on sexuality off wiki-fur...

True dat but what's wrong with gay?

nothing, its the fact that heterosexuals aka the straight people disapprove or make fun of the fandom because of it , more straight none furs who are haters then furries who are none haters who are straight differing from the "norm" of a social group even more then it already is

^valid argument^ yeah there's too many haters and trolls...Maybe they gonna hate occupy wall street hipsters/bronies? I know I mentioned them before but they are seriously making us look a lot worse, mainly because they are the ones that yiff.

indeed, its just the fact that they stereotype people is what really ticks me off

Yeah, society can truly be a bitch sometimes. But we(the fandom) will persevere through the haters and critics. And besides, who honestly cares that much about your status or who you dated or what shoes your wearing... Basically be yourself and people who know you and that know your a furry will see furries as you behave, so don't make an ass of yourself! Jk!

About making an ass of yourself if the JK wasn't clear enough >.<

haha XD i kno , for me, like my career is media , and ill be targeted for ridicule and i want to be a hegemonic male in america nyc, but i cannot be that if anyone were to findout about my status, or being a furry, and media is based off being hegemonic popular norm Q~Q

Well I think this discussion has proved that the general populace are asshats with no intention of liking subcultures and generally just a bunch of hipsters. By the way I was in NYC a few weeks ago Nov 10-13 and I remember a fursuiter. Didn't get any pictures, but have been suiting in grand central lately?

i havent but a bunch of us do how did he look like i might know him X3

Just a typical gray wolf, but with green markings and a green bandanna, and I'm pretty sure it was a guy. Also had a hat with the suit, but can't remember much about it.

omg...did he have hair braids <_<

I don't remember...maybe? O_O

i might know that guy and where he was headed too XD hes a dj i think going to the previous NY fur admin

I don't know I was just walking out of grand central to rockfeller center and I saw him and then he got mobbed by a load of people.

lol mobbed XD, but yeah sadly, the majority of the people look at the group the person is in and not the person...

My opinion is that drama is drama no matter what group ya in or associate with. Same with the whole src thing. When to people share a large intrest that is out of the ordinary its like "hey u like this and i like this,now lets make babies" sure furs have more of a sex drive the most other groups but i mean half the fandom are guys with high ass levels of testostrone and a huge sex drive. But i do blame the crazy people who jump in front of the press first chance they get and make a fool oit of themselves in a bad way. I meet some awesome people i the fandom but also had my share of drama too. It has is highs and lows, but thats life basically

yeah, but the stereotyping looking at what group the person is without looking at the person them selves, "oh your a furry ur gay!" ,just cause the general furry population if over 60% gay , even if your straight they will think that or make fun of u and they wont believe a word u say cause of the group u associate your self with, i mean if its a friend they might understand if they are a good friend, but others ...well u understand :/

True, i do try to hide it every once and a while, most of the time i say im a freelance mascot perfotmer or something

haha, exactly, cause of the reputation "furry" gets ? :p