I've been asked a few times (and once, somewhat embarrassingly - albeit in hushed tones - in public) whether or not I would identify as a 'furry'. Back in heady early days of the fandom, when porn was something you had to really SEARCH for, I might have said yes. Now that, in the eyes of the world at large, 'furry' is viewed as more-or-less synonymous with bestiality, pedophilia, and unsavory fetishism at large, one would be hard-pressed to get an affirmative from me without employing bamboo shards under my fingernails - and then only maybe.

This is not to say that I do not ENJOY porn and certain fetishes; one look at my choice of favorites on this site attests to that. So long as it hurts no-one else, and so long as there is no drive to convince others who do NOT share these interests that it is, in fact, perfectly okay and that any revulsion on their part confirms them as insensitive bigots, then I feel that all is right with the world. Sadly, there began a movement (in the bowels of the fandom, har) to perpetrate that very latter bit of my credo. Suddenly, it was not okay to say 'ew, gross' when confronted with the latest multilimbed hermaphroditic dick-nippled slimebeast engaged in anal vore (to say nothing of what one said when they finally got to the ARTWORK - again, HAR). As a counterpoint, imagine the BDSM scene, which was until recently one of those ultimate taboos: if you encountered something that you did not like, for the most part, you could say as much, opt out, and those involved who DID enjoy that sort of thing would generally bear you no ill-will. That's why BDSM is more accepted now, methinks, and I renew my vow daily to smash the face of whoever it was who coined the term 'fursecution.'

Not a FAIR comparison between BDSM and furry, I know; at the core, BDSM is about sex and furry is a fandom akin to, say, Star Trek or Final Fantasy or Battlestar Galactica. But furry has become PERCEIVED as about sex, and so might need to comport itself as such - at least for a while - if it wants to gain any credibility back whatever. And while there is assuredly porn contained within all fandoms, IT IS NOT ALLOWED INTO THE FOREFRONT. Do some digging and one can find porn of BSG (original OR new, I'm sure), Final Fantasy, and Star Trek, yes. But that is the point: one has to DIG a bit, to seek it out. Throw a brick at any furry convention (often an appealing prospect, I know), and odds are good that it will wind up as an abrupt and impromptu paperweight for hardcore porn.

Websites such as this one, by their nature as a depot of artwork are - by their nature - allowed and expected to have porn. Many fandom sites, I'm sure, have discreet little 'adults only' sections as well, and others surely exist exclusively as receptacles for fandom porn. But again, one needs to go looking. And, more importantly, those who DO go looking do not announce it to the world nor do they expect that world, when they are caught at it, to enjoy it just as much.

So, while I know that it is too late to make a 'long story short,' I will at least summarize. I won't admit to being 'furry,' because the meaning for that label has changed - and not for the better. Those individuals who harass those who do not like the same fetishes, etc., as they do need their heads battered against nearby walls until they learn to respect the fact that others MIGHT just view a propensity towards, say, 'taurs as a bit odd, and that this is ENTIRELY OKAY. I, for example, while being 'gay for furry,' or at least 'bi for furry,' do not find human males in the least bit appealing, although I appreciate the fact that there is a subset of the population (straight/bi women, gay/bi men) who DO. In fact, my prospects for sex rest entirely on the shoulders of a significant portion of that subset! (Straight/bi women, for anyone not paying attention.)

So let's all of us get our heads out of our asses (unless that's your thing, I guess) and stop acting like the world is out to get 'furries' because they don't all get off on furry porn.