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Dear Papabear,

Hi there! This is my first time using this platform. Anyhow, I was wondering should I be a furry? My parents think I’m trying to get closer to these possive therians at school, but this is how I express myself. I’m not sure if I want a fursona head but my parents say it’s OK. What do you think I should do?

Chip da Cat (age 10)

* * *

Hi, Chip,

Thank you for your letter. Please read the following and have your parents read it, too, for their information.

To answer you, it all depends on what you mean by being a furry. If for you it simply means enjoying furry cartoons, movies, TV shows, etc., and maybe getting a fursuit head, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. And if you have some friends in school who are furries or therians and you enjoy hanging out with them, that is also okay. Another option is to invite furry friends to your home, where you can play games or watch TV shows, which is a safe and fun activity. Now, I'm not sure what a "possive" therian is, but you should know that therians aren't really the same as furries. Indeed, the people who call themselves "therians" these days use a different definition than we did back before you were born. Often, it means simply wearing ears and a tail and running around doing quadrobics (running on all fours). This is usually harmless, although as you know human beings were not meant to run on all fours, so this activity can potentially cause injury to your back, hands, and joints. Here is some helpful information on that which you should read, please: Quadrobics: Ultimate Guide to All-Fours Fitness [2025].

If you want to get active in the fandom and do something like go to a furry convention (furcon), then you will of course need your parents to accompany you since you are 10 years old. Many cons allow minors such as yourself to attend as long as a parent or guardian accompanies them, but some do not. I don't know where Broadmoor Rd is, since you do not provide a city or state, but you can look up conventions using this handy resource: Future Furry Convention Calendar | FurryCons.com. If there is a convention near you, check out their website to see what guidelines they have concerning attendees under the age of 18.

When it comes to the furry online community, this is a trickier thing. You need to be aware--if you are not already--that there is a lot of "adult" material online. This is true of furry and non-furry stuff alike when it comes to the internet, and even if you are not doing furry stuff on your computer or phone (if you have a phone), you should always have a parent supervise what you are doing. It sounds like your parents are pretty cool, so this should be something you talk to them about. There are a lot of nice people online, but sometimes there are bad people such as bullies and trolls, and you really have to be careful about that, Chip, sorry to say. 

When done correctly, the furry community can be a great way to have fun and make new friends as well as express yourself creatively. At your young age, though, you should do it with parental supervision at all times. When parents and kids team up to have fun, it can be a wonderful thing, and I feel pretty confident in saying that your parents are open to that, so that is great!

If you or your parents have further questions, please feel free to write me directly at this email address.

Welcome to the Fandom :3

Bear Hugs,
Papabear
​

拉丁美洲兽迷在新影片中讲述在地成本、参与条件与社会接受度

Imagine this: You’re on the playground(or maybe the park) and decide it’s a good time to break out Pokemon GO or a similar app and go hunting for cute creatures that might be hiding around the landscape. This is the premise behind Critterrupters, the newest critter catching adventure being developed by Isle of Swaps dev Fuzz Force. I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to play and share my thoughts on a pre-alpha build of it and I have to say, there is a lot of potential here.

The rain pours, and behind the clouds is the spring sun! Welcome to the month of April, all you lovely writers and authors out there! My name is Flash Kitterson, and I’ll be taking over as president for the time being! I’m a black furry author that’s been with the community forever now! Gabe decided to step down to focus more on her company, Doppelfoxx Publishing. It’s a new Pub House that furry authors can publish with. You can message her for more details! We appreciate Gabe for helping as President with the short amount of time she had, and wishing her the best on her future endeavors!

April is also election month! Guild members can shoot their shots at positions within the Officer crew. To go after a certain position, you can make a post on the Discord in the “guild officer elections” channel. The deadline is the end of April to announce candidacy.

Don’t forget that the Cóyotl Awards for 2025 are still open for nominations! They close next week on April 5th.
https://coyotlawards.com/2025-coyotl-awards-nominations/

Contact any of the Officers if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We’re here to help you the best we can!

Thanks for reading! Keep on writing and supporting your fellow furry authors!

-Flash Kitterson

Here are the current open markets for your short stories!
CLAW Vol. 2 – Deadline April 30, 2026
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Also a few side markets!
Tales from the Cryptids – Deadline April 30th, 2026
WERE-2 – Deadline July 31st, 2026
Zine Machine

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
The Bones Behind the Glass, by Renard Avec-Histoire, Released August 18, 2025.
Gravitational Pull, by Ty Fox, Released August 19, 2025.
Tikadi’s Gift, by Moth Flutterby, Released October 17, 2025.
Thorns, by Roscoe G. Beetle, Released October 31, 2025.
Legend of Ahya: A Divinity Decayed [Book 5], by Matthew Colvath, Released Nov. 30, 2025.
The Wideness of the World: An Early Modern Anthology, Released December 13, 2025.
The Analog Cat and Other Animals, by Alice Dryden, Released December 2025.
Tethers Torn [Book 2], by Utunu, Released March 2026.
Archon [Book 2], by Mark Smith, Released March 27th, 2026.

Arrkay has so many zines to catalogue! Keep him company while he and Tempe O'kun chat about vintage furry art and writing and the furries we meet along the way. Merch, Sweet Tees and stuff: https://culturally-fd-merchandise.creator-spring.com/ Support Culturally F'd: https://www.patreon.com/culturallyfd Listen in on TEMPO TALKS with Tempe O'Kun https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPyIK2c7mK-LpbvfDNqfcSW Check out Tempe O'Kun's books "Sixes Wild" and "Windfall" here: http://furplanet.com/shop/?affillink=YOUTU2907 Here's a playlist of his other Culturally F'd videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPS7tnT4hdJwBI-CeLF8Kb_

Dear Papabear,

I’ve read many of your columns, and I’ve always admired how kind and thoughtful you are with the people who write to you. I’ve been nervous about reaching out, but I finally worked up the courage because I don’t really know who else to ask about this.

I’m a woman IRL, but my fursona is a male coyote. He helps me express myself more freely and feel more confident socially. I also tend to connect more easily with guys than with women, so having a male fursona feels natural and comfortable for me.

I want to be honest about that in my profile, but I’m not sure how to say it in a way that’s clear without sounding awkward or like I’m trying to hide something. My worry is that people might think I’m being deceptive or “catfishing” because I’m female behind a male character. I’m happily married and only looking to make positive friendships, but I’m afraid people might misunderstand.

In the past, I’ve had several friendships with women end in betrayal, while my friendships with men have generally been more straightforward and honest. That’s part of why a male fursona feels safer for me, even if I’m not sure how to explain that ^o^;;;

I also know that male characters are more common and tend to get more attention in the furry fandom, and I’m worried that having a male fursona might look like I’m trying to take advantage of that, especially since I hope to take commissions in the future.

I don’t want to mislead anyone or make people uncomfortable. Could you help me understand whether it’s okay to have a male fursona as a woman, and how to navigate this in my profile without crossing any boundaries?

Thank you for your time and for all the kindness you show in your work.

Anonymous

* * *

Dear Furiend,

Thank you for your kind words and for your letter on an interesting issue. I could probably talk about this topic for many pages, but I will try to keep my reply fairly concise yet informative.

To begin with, judging by your letter, you are not trans but are fine with being a woman IRL. It's just that you enjoy projecting a male sex in your fursona for the sake of personal interactions within the fandom. I will write my response with this in mind.

There are two main points to respond to in your letter. I, being very German in my attitudes, will now proceed with a very short numbered list :3

1. Male characters (fursonas) are more common than females in the fandom for the simple fact that there are a lot more men actively participating in the fandom than women. According to FurScience, males outnumber females by a margin of about 3 to 1. There are many reasons for this, really, that have to do with the fact that young males, especially, tend to be the largest demographic in fantasy, sci fi, and other fandoms in general. When it comes to fantasy/sci-fi, genre writing tends to be of a type that is packed with action and violence and dangerous adventures, which are subjects that tend to appeal more to the masculine gender. The furry fandom is strongly tied to these genres, too, as well as to anime, which tend to, again, have plots dealing with action. Women, on the other hand, tend more to enjoy fiction involving romance, mysteries, political intrigue, and generally less-violent plots. This is, I must stress, a gross generalization, but it tends to be true. There are, of course, women who like more action, and so it is not surprising that there is a good percentage of women furries (about 25%, a figurte, I believe, that is increasing), just not a majority. If you are someone who also likes action and adventure, furry fiction can definitely provide that. Also (have to mention), males tend to be more attracted to adult themes of which there is a preponderance in this fandom.

2. You do not have to be LGBTQIA to be interested in exploring a fursona of an opposite gender. I would like to compare this to the phenomenon of male cross dressers. As you might know, about 80% of cross dressers are cis hetero males, followed by cis gay males, neither of whom have any desire to transition. According to this article, some reasons that men cross dress include a simple exploration of one's feminine side, an enjoyment of the comfort of women's fashions (styles and materials), and release of tensions of trying to always conform to societal standards of what males should be. Now, in your case, being a woman who enjoys socializing with men, do you also enjoy wearing "men's" clothing more and perhaps other "male" things such as football, fast cars, working with tools, etc.? If so, that certainly doesn't mean you want to be a man, just that you like those things. As for the simple act of socializing, you are not alone there. My mother, for one, was like you: She always preferred to hang out with men who, she also felt, tended to me more direct in conversations, more forthright.

Believe it or not, there have been studies on women and the sex with which they prefer to hang out and how other women perceive them. In general, women tend to see same-sex friendships with women as being nurturing and supportive and good for one's well-being while women who prefer hanging with men are seen as looking for romantic and sexual partners. This is not surprising. "On the other hand," according to this 2022 PsyPost article, "women who have mostly male friends may see women who engage in same-sex friendships as jealous or needy." The article continued: "Results showed that women who preferred friendships with men were more hostile and less trusting towards other women ... [and] women viewed the female target as not being trustworthy based on the stated preference for male friendships. Additionally, women who preferred cross-sex friendships had more mating success and reported more unrestricted sexual freedom." Since you are happily married, the sexual relationship factor isn't relevant to your preference for male friends. Also, other women might be suspicious of your motives and would therefore be less likely to extend offers of friendship. So, you might garner more animosity from women in the fandom. Also, you are right that it might be seen as a "move" on your part to try to gain more popularity. Drama and neurotic competition for validation and approval in the fandom is common, although usually it comes about for other reasons such as jealousy over fursuits or who gets the most attention at cons or in TikTok videos.

But you did not create a male fursona to be a popufur nor did you do it to find a romantic or sexual mate. You just did so because, as you said, you enjoy the company of men more. Is what you are doing "catfishing"? It is only catfishing if you are not honest about your true identity. I would, therefore, be very open and upfront about your true sex when making friends or even acquaintances online. If you are starting to make a new friend and are having an informative, sharing moment with them, just tell them early on that your fursona may be male but IRL you're a married woman and you adopt your male fursona for RPGs and social interactions in the fandom. (You are certainly not the only one who has done this.) If someone has a problem with that, then just acknowledge it and move on. No harm done. 

In your profile, just state the facts, a la, "Hi! My name is X, my fusona is This Name and he is a coyote etc. etc. In my real life, my name is XX and I am a happily married woman living in Arizona. I love the fandom because of Z and Q, and I enjoy interacting with furries in adventures and social scenes as a male coyote because that is simply where I feel most comfortable. If you want to chat and learn more about me, DM me anytime!" or something along those lines.

You know, in fantasy fandoms like the furry world, everyone is exploring the possibilities of being other characters. I mean, I'm not really a bear hehe; you're not really a coyote. My fursona, Grubbs, loves to fish, but I haven't fished in 40 years; he's also a lot more chill than I am. OCs are fun ways to explore aspects of ourselves in a safe environment, and experimenting with sex, gender, and sexuality, as well as age, race, abilities, and so on. These are all ways of exploring ourselves and our possibilities. Almost no one has a fursona that is exactly like they are (ignoring the obvious exterior differences).

Just be honest with everyone in your profile, and you'll be fine.

If you have more questions or need some clarifications, hit me up any time.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear

Oh no! You’re a duck who has been turned into a human! Now you find yourself indebted to the Goddess who saved you, and they need you to help them find stuff for people so that she can regain her power. You establish a new company to do just that, and Lost and Found Co. is born. Thus begins one of the greatest point-and-click searching games ever made.

MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!

Welcome to BFFT! Come on in and set a spell with the cast of Bearly Furcasting. Tick Tock has the Furry News, Cheetaro reviews the 2005 movie Chicken Little streaming on Disney+, Taebyn zens out, Taebyn tells us about the Good Furry Awards nominations now open, we talk about our watching habits and the shows we are consuming, Taebyn gives us some math, and surprising to all of us; we pretty much stay on the rails this episode! So join us, won’t you, for another T-Riffic (that is Taebyn-Riffic) episode of BFFT! Moobarkfluff everyfur!

Click here to help RayShugga on the Head to Heart GoFundMe

https://www.forbrukerradet.no/breakingfree/

https://otherworldscatalog.substack.com/p/how-i-disconnected-from-tech-in-2025

Good Furry Awards: unclebearpublishing.com/good-furry-awards 

MERCH: https://bfft.dashery.com/

Email: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com  

Staff Artist: https://www.instagram.com/bunncubus 

This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.

LOTL: Queer Conversation
We all crave Queer Conversations. Follow the link to listen.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.

You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com 

Bearly Furcasting S6E20 - Buy One, Get One

Author G.W. Olson has a new science fiction novel out, Tears of a Thousand Years — proudly featuring a cast of various non-human furry species. “On her first assignment as a Rememberer, Vega travels to Small Home, the newest planet the Race adopted. The planet’s inhabitants, the Caelings, are a friendly native species with an agrarian culture. Vega has heard reports of a native who performs miracles, and she wants to record him and other Caelings for her people because she knows that someday the Caelings will be gone. She takes her younger brother to assist her and travels into the back-country to find this miracle worker. The townspeople tell her amazing stories about Tantea, the teacher of miracles. When Vega meets him, she believes he is a charlatan –until Tantea picks out the star she comes from in the night sky and convinces her. Yet, a miracle worker is hard to fool. When he finds out the Race’s longevity and indifference always result in Vega’s people destroying the native populations with their carelessness, he becomes furious and decides to grant Vega a miracle she inadvertently asked for — one that will throw her entire civilization into chaos but gives her people a chance at redemption.” Take a look over at Barnes & Noble.

image c. 2026 Belle Isle Books

Furries tend to know what kind of merch furries want. So what happens when non-furries try to make stuff for furries? One word: Cringe. The cast laugh (and shudder) at the “furry” merchandise some mainstream companies think we want.

Note: This is a highly visual episode. We recommend watching it on our YouTube channel to fully enjoy all of the merch we found.

Episodes are now streamed live on Twitch.tv. After which, the video and audio only formats will be posted after the stream. You can find us on Twitch at FurWhatItsWorth!

NOW LISTEN!

SHOW NOTES Thank you!

Those that were able to join the livestream!

To all of our listeners! And your continued support!

PATREON LOVE

THANK YOU to our patreons! You help us keep the show going!

A Cookie Factory – OwO

*empty*

A Pallet of Cookies

Nuka

A Case of Cookies

Basel the Dragon, Black Baldrik, Ichigo Ookami (Pic Pending), Lufis the Raccoon

A Jar of Cookies

 

Alex the Piian (Pic Pending), MephistophEli, Miles Seawind (Pic Pending), Plug, Sirene Tokala (Pic Pending)

A Box of Cookies

• JakeFoXx
• Juke Hyena
• Lygris

A Delicious Cookie

• Ausi K
• AspenTheCurious
• Barnaby Panda
• Bass Blitzed
• Bunbe
• Citrus Fox
• Gary Holland
• Puzzleboy
• Ralley
• Sage Lightfang
• TyR52
• Victor Mutt

MUSIC

• Intro: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth
• Patreon: Inflammatus – The Tudor Consort, Creative Commons 2019
• Closing: Cloud Fields (RetroSpecterChill Remix), USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth

S12E9 – Mainstream “Furry” Merch

Content Warning: This episode talks about death and loss. Which can be a difficult topic for many of us.

When the loss of a loved one hits you, it shakes the world around you. Maybe you feel nothing, and maybe you feel every emotion at once. The cast and community members talk about loss and how it affects us.

Episodes are now streamed live on Twitch.tv. After which, the video and audio only formats will be posted after the stream. You can find us on Twitch at FurWhatItsWorth!

NOW LISTEN!

SHOW NOTES Thank you!

Scruffy, Jay, Gogashi, Azure, MephistophEli, Timid, LandDragon, Citrus, and Sotolo for sharing your emails, pictures, and videos!

Those that were able to join the livestream!

To all of our listeners! And your continued support!

PATREON LOVE

THANK YOU to our patreons! You help us keep the show going!

A Cookie Factory – OwO

*empty*

A Pallet of Cookies

Nuka

A Case of Cookies

Basel the Dragon, Black Baldrik, Ichigo Ookami (Pic Pending), Lufis the Raccoon

A Jar of Cookies

 

Alex the Piian (Pic Pending), MephistophEli, Miles Seawind (Pic Pending), Plug, Sirene Tokala (Pic Pending)

A Box of Cookies

• JakeFoXx
• Juke Hyena
• Lygris

A Delicious Cookie

• Ausi K
• AspenTheCurious
• Barnaby Panda
• Bass Blitzed
• Citrus Fox
• Gary Holland
• Puzzleboy
• Ralley
• Sage Lightfang
• TyR52
• Victor Mutt

MUSIC

• Intro: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth
• Patreon: Inflammatus – The Tudor Consort, Creative Commons 2019
• Closing: Cloud Fields (RetroSpecterChill Remix), USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth

S12E8 – Death in the Fandom

Animals Rule This Land is the very odd and ambitious graphic novel from first-timer Luke Milton, available in hardcover from Black Panel Press. “The world has ended- you’re the only human left in a village full of erratic- freshly-evolved animals- and a maniacal rabbit in a vest is gifting you a blood-covered toaster. They say they want to be friends- so why are you constantly being drugged and threatened by henchmen- kidnapped and insulted by the dog next door- and falling prey to a seemingly friendly duck who’s running an unnecessarily complicated bread scam?” Check out the review and preview at Slings and Arrows.

image c. 2026 Black Panel Press

以茶会毛《猎人盛宴》活动 三天活动逾千人参与

Something beyond words compelled me to try out Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime. With its simple design, off-beat characters, and the question of “what the heck is frogtime” needing to be answered, I clicked start and began a little adventure that kept me guessing, laughing, and transported into a world beyond words. At the heart of it all is this mysterious “Frogtime” game that everyone in the game is absolutely obsessed with. No one has a qualm with quelling quarrels with this simple to understand yet deceptively strategic Chinese Checkers-like experience, where the goal is to move your frogs from one end of a game board to the other while your opponent tries to do the exact same thing. You never know who (or what) you’ll be playing Frogtime against, but it’s the engine that drives the funky comedic trip that is Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime. It’s off-kilter, made from a place of surely beautiful personalities, and always runs parallel to a feeling of community and friendship.

We found a new (to us!) comic series from Dark Horse, one that claims to be “Hellboy meets Redwall“. William of Newbury was created by Michael Avon Oeming, who previously brought us the well-known Mice Templar series. Here’s what Dark Horse says: “Loosely based on real events in 12th century England during what was known as ‘The Anarchy’. A time where the country was beset with plague, civil war, and demons. William of Newbury is a neurotic monk, fearful of the earthly world, but confident and unwavering in the face of true evil. He fights the dead to restore peace, but his brother is intent on stopping him, fearing for his soul. Newbury is dark, yet quaint, deadly yet cute. Follow him as he negotiates with thieves, evades his brother and the church, and battles the undead and evil spirits.” Issues 1 through 4 are now together in a trade paperback.

image c. 2026 Dark Horse Comics

Every so often, a game comes along that not only surprises me but becomes one of my favorite games of all time. It’s rare - especially as of late - that it happens, but when it does? I can’t help but gush about the game and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is one such game. Not only is this one of the coolest and best games I’ve played so far this year? It’s also, quite easily, my third favorite game of all time and a prime contender for my game of the year. I’m serious, I’ve never had a game that made me smile this hard and gave me this many hours of fun since Earth Defense Force 2025. Yeah, there were games in between that release and this one that I had fun with and that also made me smile, but not to the extent I did with this title. Would you like to know more?

Every so often, a game comes along that not only surprises me but becomes one of my favorite games of all time. It’s rare - especially as of late - that it happens, but when it does? I can’t help but gush about the game and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is one such game. Not only is this one of the coolest and best games I’ve played so far this year? It’s also, quite easily, my third favorite game of all time and a prime contender for my game of the year. I’m serious, I’ve never had a game that made me smile this hard and gave me this many hours of fun since Earth Defense Force 2025. Yeah, there were games in between that release and this one that I had fun with and that also made me smile, but not to the extent I did with this title. Would you like to know more?

Hello, Papabear,

How to know what animal for a fursona is for you? It's so hard to pick one, and I feel like I don't have their whimsy and pizzazz.

Cain (19)

* * *

Dear Cain,

Welcome to the furry fandom :3 IMHO there are two types of furries who pick fursonas for two very different reasons. The first type of furry is the kind who is a joiner and for whom a fursona is just a tool for playing games or participating in social activities. For such people, the species or type of fursona doesn't really matter because it is not a matter of personal expression. It is more like having a miniature figurine to play with in a game like D&D. If you are this kind of furry, then choose whatever and go have fun with it. Change it for the next MPORPG you play, if you wish, and so on, and so on....

The other kind of furry is the one for whom the fursona is a matter of personal expression. The fursona can be an extension of yourself, or it can be an idealized version of yourself, or it can be a form of experimenting with potential versions of yourself. For example, I have met furries who are male who create female fursonas, or they might consider themselves straight but create a bisexual or gay fursona. I have seen furries who create sexualized fursonas to experiment with kinks in a safe manner (you can't contract STIs by having virtual kinky sex). On the less erotic side, there are furries who love fantasy and sci-fi play, imagining themselves as bold warriors and adventurers, even though IRL they might be very shy and timid. But mostly, I have seen furries who use their fursonas as a way to express who they truly feel like inside, to shed the facade they put on for the sake of family and society and become real. 

If your fursona is a personal experience for you, then dig down deep into yourself and feel what the right choice is for you, not forgetting that you can have multiple fursonas, hybrids, mythologicals, and even original species. You don't need "whimsy" or "pizzazz," words you are using that indicate you are concerned what others think about your fursona choice. You should never pick a fursona just to please or impress or gain the approval of others. The only person your fursona is for is ... wait for it ... YOU!

What species do you like? What features do you like? What colors? What body coverings? What personality? What occupation or hobby? The world is your oyster, and the pearl inside is whatever you make of it. This should not be a stressful pursuit. It should be fun! Joyful! 

And remember, nothing you design now is written in stone. If you create a fursona and then change your mind about it, no biggie. People do it all the time.

In short, don't get so uptight and worried about your fursona. Relax! Chill! Whether your fursona is just a tool for game play or a deep personal expression of yourself, you're here to have fun, so don't forget that. Go play. Make friends. And stay away from judgy people.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear

【一鹿向光2】活动现正报名中 邀请粉丝感受表演者们的光

Source: breakicela – Protest March 15, 12-6 at LAX Hilton

Hilton collaborates with ICE while states and civil rights groups sue

When you rent a room at Hilton, you’re contributing to one of the most valuable hotel corporations in the world, worth around $70 billion. With that power, the brand has thrown their weight behind ICE operations that violate the US Constitution.

Hilton hotels hosted ICE agents in Minnesota while they murdered people like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, and illegally kidnapped people off the street. In response to the brutality, Minnesota is suing the Department of Homeland Security for violating the constitution. It joins numerous fellow lawsuits from states, counties, and civil rights advocates like the ACLU.

Hotels that serve ICE have become “part of the front lines of local resistance“, according to an article from The American Prospect: ‘No Sleep for ICE’ Campaigns Expand. Hilton “has found itself in the crosshairs of local residents who are unequivocally fed up with the hotel chain for its role in what they see as enabling state violence against their communities.” Pressure has grown from Minnesota, to solidarity protests from the east coast to the west, New York to California.

What happens when event management comes in conflict with member values, when events are already in motion, with contracts signed, tickets sold and travel plans made? Let’s look at two cases.

The National LGBTQ Task Force and their Hilton contract — and Punk in the Park’s problem promoter

While Hilton collaborated with brutality, The National LGBTQ Task Force had to address their Creating Change conference being scheduled at a Hilton. Their Statement and Action on ICE and Hilton Corporate was torn between obligation and values: “This contract was signed years in advance, as conference contracts almost always are. Canceling Creating Change at this point would have a devastating financial impact—not only on the Task Force as an organization, but on other movement organizations, local partners, workers, and activists who depend on this gathering.”

That didn’t resolve everything, but it was responsive. Their statement offered support against ICE and said: “This Hilton location has assured us that ICE will not be staying at the property during Creating Change.”

A multi-city music festival series, Punk in the Park, had internal conflict about their promoter (not their partner venues.) Veteran musicians were among dozens of bands who learned that the promoter donated to the MAGA cause. In the classic tradition of protest music, and punk’s fundamental anti-authoritarianism sung by Jello Biafra in the Dead Kennedys song Nazi Punks Fuck Off — people standing by their values condemned the promoter. Bands began to pull out, petitions circulated, and the promoter issued a statement claiming “it’s not about politics”. Some bands refused to pull out and were judged sellouts. Then Punk in the Park lost so much support that the whole series was canceled.

Punks put their money where their mouth is and took a hard choice instead of money not to. If furries did this, it would be like having dealers and Guests of Honor withdraw from a convention… which they did in New Jersey, in protest of corruption at Garden State Fur the Weekend, successfully rebounding with a new convention, Furgeddaboutit. LGBT people, punks, and furries have all stepped up to assert values instead of collaborating when injustice comes down.

Source: keystonenewsroom

Golden State Fur Con’s contract with Hilton leads to ICE Breakers protest

Since 2019, California’s Golden State Fur Con has held 6 conventions at Hiltons. Who knew the hotel’s collaboration with brutality would push the gentle fun of furry culture in front of a politics bus — and will we just act like deer in the headlights? People with shared values are finding out. They know that if we don’t do politics, politics will do us, and it isn’t a choice. Trans people who visit the US for a con can already be treated as illegal for being trans.

ICE Breakers is a campaign by Grassroots Activist International Association (GAIA). This activist collective was founded in 2018 to campaign for progressive causes, like addressing climate change, and this. It operates out of several cities to put pressure against collaborators who keep ICE operational and normalized:

• Private detention contractors
• Corporate logistics and supply chains
• Technology and data companies
• Hotels, transportation services, and facilities
• Advertising and recruitment platforms

ICE Breakers works to make this collaboration visible, unprofitable, and untenable. Furries at a Hilton makes a case of a corporation working against our interest, but here’s why it’s a dilemma for the con to act.

Ignore problems, go bankrupt, or… (?)

For an annual convention, a hotel contract is a long relationship that isn’t easy to do or undo, especially on short notice. Agreements written long ago mean canceling can leave the event management liable for the cost of unsold rooms. According to posts by the con chair to a con Telegram group, the only operating funds Golden State Fur Con has are from registrations. Canceling and refunding would bankrupt them. ICE Breakers made statements (below) that appear unfamiliar with this bind.

Requests for official reply were seen and unanswered, so this is unofficial.

There’s more to say. Take the cases of canceling Punk in the Park, or Garden State Fur the Weekend. We’re talking about a big party and not going. One that has (1) a lot of money and travel plans attached, but with that, the power of a $70 billion corporation to maintain brutality that (2) we can fight. Priorities? Pick one.

If a con chose bankruptcy, incorporation is meant to protect individuals from debt. Then you have bad credit for starting a new con, but maybe others start from scratch, maybe you go to Anthro SoCal, or no con, but… you stand on values with victims of brutality. It’s a cost that comes with the politics of mass movements, like labor strikes where workers go without pay to force concessions from power by long-haul sacrifice and solidarity.

There’s also working to change venues in the long term, even if the con can’t move now, and supporting a message of “don’t do business with Hilton”. The con may feel silence is the least worst option, but ICE Breakers pressure on the Hilton brand is a tactical goal no matter where con management stands.

ICE Breakers response to Dogpatch Press.

Dogpatch Press contacted Golden State Fur Con for response, but got no reply by publication deadline, so the ICE Breakers response is posted in full below without further questions. Dogpatch Press raised rumored fear of fursuiter safety and asked what methods might they use, for what goals?

“We are honestly all so happy to see how invested the Furry community is towards protecting against ICE. With each new tactic we learn about another community, in coalition we stand together with hundreds of groups throughout LA, comprised of every imaginable culture and subculture.

For us, working with the furry community is new. But fascinatingly we’ve gotten far more response, interest, communication, and energy from GSFC than 99% of the conventions that use this Hilton. Commendable.

Regardless, We must understand that ICE Stays at this Hilton.

It is well documented. Weekly we see vehicles with people in full mask, with license plates taped. We then see those vehicles go into the Metropolitan Detention Center. They are ICE.

We also must understand the Hilton corporation has taken a strong stand to protect the interest of ICE Agents.

Even when people like Renee Nicole Good, and Alex Pretti were being murdered.

Hilton must agree to make a public statement that they won’t house ICE Agents.

Until they do we will:

Use any method available within the law. With zero regard to whose feelings we may hurt we will use every drop of creativity and commitment we have to protest this Hilton and many others consistently until they stop housing ICE agents. You can read here more about our tactics www.gaiaactivist.org/hilton We cannot relent. We must remain totally vigilant in finding Hiltons where ICE is, and letting every customer know.

We don’t tell the customer what to do, we let them decide if they want to sleep in a room covered in blood.

We can offer no reassurances. The convention, and its attendance (many which have already canceled) should feel a great sense of fear knowing that ICE is in the building. Any narrative which alludes that it is the protestors, or actions that present a risk… Is a gross negligence to the fact that it is far more dangerous to house an agency that routinely causes so much destruction. To lie to international travelers about whether ICE is in the building is heinous. GSFC is choosing to ignore local grassroots organizers, lie to its staff and attendance, all while putting people at great risk by not choosing a hotel with a strong commitment not to house ICE. (We’ve offered a few.)

While we have a great amount of solidarity, and a strong sense of protection around any marginalized communities that face oppression, we are not the same as trolls, nazis, or traitors [referenced by Dogpatch Press as reason why furry organizers may feel cautious in engaging, especially with history of the Califur convention being attacked by neo-nazi trolling].

The approach and tactics we use, we’ve been using since 2019 with great success. We just recently won a campaign on Spotify. But that is only one among hundred of corporations we have gotten to divest from ICE. In fact, we can happily say we win every single campaign we start. Because we never give up.

I hope this sums up a bit more about why regardless of the potential for disruption, or potential for upsetting some attendance, we must continue our weekly protest of this Hilton location.

If GSFC were to announce that either;

• • They will commit to choosing a hotel or site that has a public commitment not to house ICE Agents
  • Produce evidence of any kind that ICE is not staying in the building, or that Hilton has assured them as such.

We would immediately end the protest, and going forward, use every bit of our social capital to praise GSFC for doing the right thing to protect our community, and frankly for standing on the right side of history.

In Solidarity,

Grassroots Activist International Association”

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