Libertarian Feels Unwelcome in Furry Community

Papabear,

I feel unwelcome in the furry fandom. How can I find others who respect me? I’ve been into the community for years now, and I came out recently in order to find others of similar interest. That being said, however, I feel like I will never belong there because of my beliefs. Furries are mostly either apolitical or left in beliefs, both of which I am not  (Libertarian). As such, I feel such anxiety when it comes to this fandom that it’s genuinely making me have symptoms of depression and other such things, things I’ve tried to go back on. Whenever I see people like S******x or others who are so brazen about their beliefs to the point of annoyance, I just feel lost.

I don’t want to have to agree to vaccine mandates (due to my heart problems with anxiety), support Black Lives Matter (socialist belief organization which I disagree with and movement helps that out), or have to scrub away my sense of edgy humor just so I can feel welcomed. This fandom was supposed to be my escape and exploration into the good of humanity, not one so drowned in drama and bullshit. I constantly think I have to change myself in order to be that way cause my beliefs have changed over the years from Republican to independent, but whenever I see other furries support the stuff that I can’t--and I have researched in order to make sure that I didn’t--it makes me feel even more depressed before I came out. And these people excuse it with weeding out bad people and it’s like, maybe people like T**********n wouldn’t have to do this reactionary shit if they didn’t harass him for liking Trump; maybe you should stick to your f**king motto of being accepting to those who need it. Unless they are a Nazi or an active dickhead to other people, they deserve to feel love and accepted.

It’s so hard to feel genuinely happy and loved when it feels like everybody hates me or will hate me for being different. I don’t hate anybody else for their beliefs and choices, but I feel as if I’m the outcast for not “fitting in” with the main consensus of popular furries and ones that are political. Are there any communities that accept people like me who aren’t also political? How can I find the inner strength to keep going on without crumbling just to appease others?

Axel (16)

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Dear Axel,

Thank you so much for your important letter. Don't give up hope! There is a place for you in the fandom. Let me begin by saying I am very progressive in my social and political beliefs, but in democratic countries like America and others, you are supposed to be able to hold your own personal beliefs without being persecuted for it. 

You are correct that the fandom, in general, leans heavily left. Check out this FurScience page https://furscience.com/research-findings/demographics/1-9-politics/ to see how political beliefs and other liberal v. conservative ideals are weighed in the fandom. It is interesting to see how social concerns (e.g., LGBTQI, women's, and minority rights, and issues like abortion) lean very hard to the left, but note that political beliefs are a bit more evenly distributed toward the middle ground and economic views (e.g., taxation) are even more moderate. A big reason for this is how many in the fandom feel themselves to be social — not political or economic — outcasts in our society. So, you will see a lot of LGBTQI people as well as a lot of furries dealing with various forms of social anxiety, body shaming, and so on. You also see far fewer conservative Christians in the fandom versus in America (only about 25% of furries consider themselves Christians vs. about 60% of Americans). Many in the fandom have therefore come to be furry because they were searching for a community that would accept them for themselves.

But this is not why the fandom began. The furry fandom started because a bunch of sci-fi geeks who enjoyed anthropomorphic movies, TV shows, and books and comics got together to share their interests, publish their own journals, and talk about creating stories and art for adults featuring characters that were once considered only appropriate for kids or funny animal comic strips. 

It had nothing to do with your politics, social beliefs, or sexual orientation.

Like everything else, politics has been invading every aspect of our society from business to family to entertainment. And it is ruining not only our ability to have fun but also our ability to maintain interpersonal relationships. To go into exactly why this is happening would take many books to explain. Let's just note here that it is happening everywhere, including in the furry fandom, a place that is supposed to be an oasis for escapism and imaginative arts.

It is my personal belief that politics should be kept out of the fandom. When I attend a furcon, I don't want to see Antifa demonstrations or fursuiters wearing swastika-reminiscent armbands. I want to fursuit as Grubbs and attend some panels and forums and go buy stuff at the dealers' den and hang out with friends. This is something we all should have in common, including you and me.

So, one strategy I would suggest to you in order to have a better time is imagine you are in a bar (gay or cowboy, you pick) and you DON'T want to get into a fist fight. What do you do? Don't bring up politics. The worst fight you should get into is whether you're a Cowboys or Patriots fan. 

When you're hanging with furries, talk about furry stuff. Talk about movies, art, comic books, video games, fursuits, and those sorts of things. Avoid furries who insist on shoving their politics in your muzzle. There is no reason to talk about Black Lives Matter or the state of abortion laws in Texas when you are at a furcon. Enjoy that part of yourself that is furry, and be yourself when it comes to your furriness.

If you simply HAVE to talk politics and share your conservative ideals with furries or else you will feel deprived of your individuality, then I have news for you. There ARE other furries you can hang with who are conservatives, Republicans or Libertarian or Independent-Leaning-Right, and/or Christians/Muslims/Other conservative religious beliefs. Here are a few groups you might check out:

• Conservative Furries on Discord https://discordservers.com/server/488826405690277928
• Libertarian Furry Caucus  https://libertarianfurries.weebly.com/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/libertarianfurries/ and Discord  https://discord.gg/VTKaNvMS7w 
• Christian Furry Fellowship https://www.facebook.com/ChristianFurryFellowship
• Furries with Guns (if you like guns) on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/furrieswithguns/

​I'm sure with a bit of research you might find more.  Obviously, stay away from Nazi Furs.

My personal preference is to keep politics out of my furry life. This is why, as admin of the Greymuzzle group on Facebook, I prohibit such posts. I also run a group called Outcast Furries https://www.facebook.com/groups/1300922643291266, which is for furries like yourself who don't feel too accepted in the fandom. Feel free to join if you like.

In conclusion, don't change yourself or pretend to be someone you're not just to gain acceptance in the fandom. Furry is not a political party or belief. It's a freakin' fandom and that's all. I truly wish people would keep their politics in their pants and not wave it around like a banner. It gets tiresome.

Stay furry because you like furry entertainment. Don't let others chase you out because of who you are. As long as you aren't hurting anyone, you should do what you like.

Hugs,
Papabear