There seem to be some people on Lemmy who genuinely believe that they are an animal. They say they are an “unperson” or discuss conversing with “animals” who “happen to be born in human bodies”. They see their struggle as on par with the struggle for trans people, and their right to be recognized as animals as a part of a broader societal struggle for queer acceptance.
Well, this is fucking stupid.
First of all, comparing “I’m a puppy uWu” to gender dysphoria trivializes what trans people go through. Furries are not struggling like trans people. They are simply mocking trans people (whether that mockery is intentional or not is besides the point).
Second of all, you’re not a fucking animal bro ffs. Being an animal isn’t a state of mind. It isn’t a vibe. It isn’t a social construct. It isn’t something you’re assigned at birth. It’s about DNA. You have 50% of DNA from a human mom, and 50% of your DNA from a human dad, so you have 100% human DNA (granted maybe you have like 0.1% Neanderthal DNA but whatever). So you’re a human. This shouldn’t be a hard concept to grasp.
If you can speak a human language, and have the mental wherewithal required to use the internet, then you have a HUMAN MIND. And if you “just so happen to be born in a human body” then you have a HUMAN BODY. HUMAN MIND + HUMAN BODY = HUMAN. IT’S ALL HUMAN. YOU ARE HUMAN. Just because you have a bestiality fetish does not make you a fucking bobcat ffs
The only furry I’ve known is also trans, fwiw.
I mostly agree with you that I do not get the subcultures at fucking all, only to know that they are distinct. I don’t think most furries actually think that they are actually spiritually that animal in any way. Thats otherkin; you’re conflating two weird subcultures.
So the otherkin folk are really weird to me, but I dunno that they are clinically weird unless they truly believe their own shit.
Furries who like to get into suits and party, hey, do your thing, and sorry the real perverts make your existence harder. I don’t wanna yuck anyone else’s yum, just keep them at arms length.
I barely have enough spare cash for my hobbies. I can’t afford fursuits even if I wanted them. It’s weird! (Just mostly harmlessly so.)
I would guess that the overwhelming majority of furries don’t own a fursuit or even a head/mask. Most furries participate in the fandom through media - art, fiction, and so on.
Everyone has their own reasons to be a part of the fandom, their own interests and things they enjoy. Personally I enjoy the culture of people not taking themselves super seriously, willing to act a bit goofy, engage in imaginative play, and thinking about silly what-if scenarios.
The best thing I can think to compare it to is like, if you’re familiar with the Mistborn series of books, thinking about how different metals/powers might interact, what their traits could be, and engaging with art/fiction around that, like… if wolf-people had to build a functioning society with sheep-people, what would that society look like, how would it function, how would they interact, how would infrastructure and the world have to adapt for the differences in biology and physiology? It’s kinda like fantasy/sci-fi.
If they truly believe what they say they believe, then it very well could be clinical and they could benefit from seeing a psychiatrist. Anyone who earnestly believes that they are literally a zebra is suffering from delusions
Just gonna say that a century ago the same was said about people that believed themselves to be the gender different from assigned at birth. And then science caught up.
Haven’t seen any studies on otherkin, but it doesn’t mean there won’t ever be any.
The struggle to exist as one’s authentic self in life is not related to the furry fetish, at all. Studies on the trans identity typically go towards the “let them live and be who they are” conclusions. Are you suggesting that 100 years from now, studies on otherkin would come to similar conclusions?
For all we know, they might. Unless there already are studies that prove the opposite that I don’t know about.
That’s absurd. The societal struggle for gender minorities cannot include fantasy. I’m not anti-furry; to each their own. Anyone who wants to be associated with the LGBTQ+ movement should be encouraged to do so and be welcomed. There are challenges that we all face together, and others that we do not. Societal integration of gender minorities is weakened when non-human identities (fantasy, barn yard animals) are included. Supporting people’s freedom to express themselves how they like, such as being a part of a community of furries, is not related to the struggles gender minorities face.
I’m open to anything that has scientific studies backing it. If there aren’t any, the only opinion I can form is blank, regardless of how “right” or “absurd” it might feel.
🙄