The FURRY Debate

*NOTE* I had someone decide to spend their time going online and find every fact to prove me wrong. As far as statistics go, all the information here is from my OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND STUDIES.

HATERS GONNA HATE: A Furry Tail

IF YOU ARE ANTI-FURRY, I know this is a bit long, but I BEG you out of respect to please read this.
If you are a caring, loving, forgiving, respectful human being, you will read and understand this.

This rant is a followup to my "The TRUTH About Furries" rant → fav.me/d4903a6


I know there is a wide population out there who are 100% Furry haters.
In this world, everyone has the right to their own opinions.
But for a good and logical reasoning for any argument, there has to be research from both sides.
If you are one of the many out there who support Anti-Furdom, I ask, have you accounted for both sides?

IF YOU ARE ANTI-FURRY, I'D LIKE YOU TO READ ALL OF THIS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART THE SECTION AT THE END CALLED THE DEFENCE.

I BEG YOU TO READ IT IF NOTHING ELSE!

I'd like to start by admitting that yes, I AM a Furry.
But PLEASE, DON'T let that little fact stop you from reading.
I don't shove who I am into people's faces, but rather make people aware of the truth.

I'd like to begin with the definitions I used in the previous rant.

There are, as I see it, FIVE main types of Furries.

1. The Character: A "Furry" character is simply an animal like character with human qualities. There is a wide range of these characters. Some have human bodies with very few animal qualities such as the ears, tail, eyes, teeth, hands and feet. Other full Furries are in a human-like state (human body shape and on two feet), while having all animal qualities. These characters are the first form of Furries and are NOT in any way sexual initially. The artists chose to do this, and while it is a common trait of Furs, it is not a requirement.

2. The Drawing: The drawing of Furries themselves is considered Furry, specifically, Furry art. Not much to say here really.

3. The Costume: Men and women who dress in a Furry costume, commonly called a fursuit, are considered Furries. Some wear full body suits, while others, like me (on a day to day basis), wear a hat with ears on it, ears alone, a tail, paw gloves, sharp fake teeth, animal-like contacts... etc. 90% of these Furries' costumes are of their own character, usually their "fursona" (animal form of themselves). Not everyone who dresses in this way is sexual with their costume. Many do it for fun to express themselves. A lot of the time it is for a sort of convention, fundraiser, or event.
4. The Inner Animal: Some people follow Furry culture based off the belief they are an animal in a human body. This one is hard for me to explain because this is not why I am who I am. I see it as similar to people who FEEL they are a girl or boy trapped in the opposite sex's body. It's NOT a sickness, and I HATE when people say it is. It's just a feeling that something isn't right. The same goes for Furries of this nature. Something just feels out of place.

5. The Sex: Then comes what the media has put out there. These are those who dress in costume and have sex. Doing this however does NOT make you a Furry, just like being a Furry does NOT mean you use it for sexual means. As a Furry, I can honestly say I have never done anything sexual by means of Furdom.

There are two sides to this sexual Furriness...
Side A - The BAD Side: This is the side of so called "Furries" who dress up and lure young children in and have sex with them. THIS is the side the media blew up in everyone's faces and made all Furries look like sexual deviants. This is the extremely RARE side of Furdom.
Side B - The GOOD Side: This is the more fetish / love side. Many Furries like to become couples, and while seen as odd in some people's eyes, like to express their love to one another in their Fur form. This can just be an act of love, or a fetish. But if you see it as weird, think of all the other odd fetishes out there. From simple foot licking, to Vampirism, to getting peed on, having a Fur fetish is pretty normal if you ask me.

OF COURSE, just because you fit in one of these categories, does NOT mean you are a furry. It's like saying "All German Shepards are dogs, but not all dogs are German Shepards".
YOU YOURSELF makes you a Furry. The fact that you say and believe you are (while following one or more of the ablove categories).

AS TO NOT BE HYPOCRITICAL, I HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED BOTH SIDES TO THIS ARGUMENT.


THE ANTI-FURRY SIDE
Of course, I know the Anti-Furry side quite well. However this side is full of harsh misconceptions based off true facts.

1. One of the top misconceptions is that Furries have sex with animals.
This fact, while true, is VERY RARE. There are very few Furries out there who go so far as to have sex with other creatures not human. However, there are many out there who AREN'T Furries who do this do. The proper term for this is NOT "Furry", it is "Bestiality".
Bestiality within furry culture: RARE

2. Another HUGE misconception about Furries is their sexual acts of dressing up as Furries and having sex. This has two sides, a CORRECT and a WRONG side.

THE WRONG SIDE: This is the side the media started when an older woman dressed up in an animal suit and molested a child. This woman was NOT a furry. This woman dressed like this to lure in young children. She DID NOT follow in a Furry culture.

THE CORRECT SIDE: Furries who dress up and have sex do exists. This however is NOT THE DEFINITION OF A FURRY. My best explanation of this is "Some priests have sex with little boys, but it doesn't mean all of them do". Some priests HAVE done this, it has been all over the news. But people are STILL religious.
SO, the Furries who dress up and have sex do it because it is their FETISH. Fetishes are normal for many humans, while sometimes the fetishes themselves are not. But there are more disgusting fetishes out there, like being peed / dedicated on for example.

3. The NUMBER ONE OVERALL misconception is that Furries are ALL SEXUAL DEVIANTS. Being a Furry myself, I can assure you, we aren't. Yes, there ARE people who draw Furry porn, this does not mean they use it for themselves or even do anything sexually with Furdom. They are just there to please the sexually Furry population. There ARE Furries who use Furry porn, drawings and photos alike, for sexual means. However this is no worse than using Anime porn, pictures of naked children, etc... It is equal to (or better in some cases like the naked children) than these examples.



THE FURRY SUPPORTING SIDE
So, here is how we see it. EVEN IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT FURRIES, OR NEVER PLAN TO, PLEASE RESPECT US AND READ THIS.

1. The Furry Culture: Furries are a culture, much like Gays, Cliques (Jocks, Emos, Preps...), Religion, Vampires, White and Colored people, Countries, etc... Unlike Gays, skin colors, and countries of origin, we DO have the ability to chose whether or not we want to be Furries. But this is a choice we are PROUD of.

2. The Feeling Of Belonging: Furries are a family. Being a Furry means you can be a part of something that will accept you, even when the people who are supposed to don't. A good, true Furry will accept anyone who supports them and the Furry culture, and we ill always protect each other.

3. The Simple Fun / Style: Some, while not many, become Furries for the fun of it. Some do it because they love the style. Others do it because the "animal – like" actions and personalities fit them well. Anime styles have hit the world pretty hard, and much of the Furry style derives from Anime. Some have their own characters which they like to express through dress. Some, like Anime lovers, like to go to Anime Conventions dressed as animals. It's the fun of the character that drives some to become Furries.

4. The Artist: The art of anthro is an interesting and fun concept. A great deal of it derives off of Anime,which is rarely seen as terrible as Furries are. The style of anthro and Furry art is fun and unique, and people draw them in many ways. Yes, some people enjoy drawing things which are on the more sexual side, but it IS still art no matter how you try and fight it. Art is described by the artist, and if you don't see it as art, that is YOUR oppinion. But as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

5. The Love: As said before, SOME Furries do in fact do some nasty things. Most of the time, these "Furries" are not Furries at all (because they don't follow popular Furry culture), but rather use the image of a cute loveable character to lure young children in. Those people who are into bestiality are also usually not Furries, but are labeled as such because of the animal reference. While I HAVE heard of some true Furries doing this, it is RARE and DOES NOT define Furries.
Most of the sex related Furries are those who have a fur-fetish, and do it in a respectful, non-forceful, not disgusting way. Just like any fetish, it may not be normal, but having a fetish in general is. EVERYONE has something that turns them on whether it be looks, clothing, object, action, pain, etc... Furdom is just one of those things. Some people dress up because they like the look. Some people hiss, scratch, purr, etc... because they like the animal personality. But, USUALLY this is done like many fetishes, both parties agreeing to it because they enjoy it. Compared to fetishes involving fecal matter and bodily fluids, dressing up for sex is pretty normal.


THE DEFENCE
If you are ANTI-FURRY, here's where I'd like you to read the most.

Furries, like I said, are a culture just like Gays, Cliques (Jocks, Emos, Preps...), Religion, Vampires, White and Colored people, Countries, etc...
We are PROUD, but the sad part is many of us are too scared to express ourselves for fear we will be verbally bashed or physically abused. If you are Gay, fit into a clique, are religious, or have colored skin, and have been verbally or physically abused, did it hurt? Did you fight for your stand? If not, would you if you were?
Although you Anti-Furries may not see it, bashing Furry culture is like being racist. It is just the same as protesting Gay Marriage. It is exactly the same as bashing a religion. If you support those who have or yourself have colored skin, support Gay Marriage, or are religious, think of how hurt you'd feel and how much you'd try to defend your beliefs.

Many Anti-Furries get mad when Furries defend themselves. But you'd do the same in the same situation.

To further explain my prior example.
"Some priests have sexually molest little boys, but it doesn't mean all of them do". Some priests HAVE done this, it has been all over the news. But people are STILL religious. While some people stopped going to that church, or maybe few stopped being religious, there are still millions upon millions of people who still follow their faith and don't believe EVERY priest molests little boys.

To say ALL or MOST Furries are perverted sexual deviants, is like saying "ALL ravers are druggies", "ALL Muslims are killers because of 9/11", "ALL pregnant teens are irresponsible people", and that "ALL Priests are molesters because some have had sex with young boys".
NONE of these statements are true. Just as not all Furries are horrible, perverted, disgusting, sexually driven people.

You should NEVER judge someone based on how they look or dress or behave based on what others in their same culture have done.



TO MY FELLOW FURRIES...
Be PROUD, but don't be forceful. STAND UP for yourself, but don't be rude.
Many Furry haters hate us because we shove our culture into their faces, instead of talking and trying help them understand. Nobody will listen if they are being harassed. They will go into defense mode and just hate you more. Tell them you are proud to be you, and say nothing more unless they ask. We want to educate people, not push them away, or they will never listen.



I respect everyone's right to opinion, and while I love a good HEALTHY argument, will never deem a wrong until I know 100% they are by doing the research necessary to know.
I will never bash a person for who they are and for their beliefs without talking, asking, and getting the full story from them first.
I never judge on impact, but rather I judge those who give me reason to.