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I have been watching how things have changed over the years, I'm not terribly ancient but I was a kid around the time when being called fag was still a social norm, circa 2000 for high school. Genderqueer freedom and equality has kind of exploded, and my awareness has gone from, "Well that's not my thing, but I don't care what they do as long as I don't see it and I am not confused for one" to "This is their life, their body and to punish someone for their sexuality is wrong." It took a long time to go from a sexually-insecure teen to a fairly comfortable 30-something adult but I'd like to think my mind has been changed for the better.

Despite this, furry stigma is just as strong, if not stronger than ever. The meme of "kill it withe fire" or "yiff in hell furfags" is just as prominent today as when I was kid when "faggot" was still an acceptable term of endearment in school. Things change, but I'm not seeing change for sexual cultures like Furries. Why is that? Is it that there has yet to be a Stonewall for Furries, a rallying point? I think I remember my transformative realization, Matthew Shepherd. It became something that remained raw in my mind, how the little cruelties become acceptable until we don't see people anymore. I hope that the point of awareness isn't something so horrific, but then again I think about it and I realize how little exposure I see to furry culture.

With homosexuality it started small, Polari becoming seen on TV, gay characters portrayed sympathetically and gay people we meet through life helping us overcome our prejudices. I feel like it's still taboo for your culture to be mentioned still, as if it will incite riots and persecution because it's still hidden and still secret to an extent. The loudest voices seem to be the crypto-furries behind the mask of Bronies, unabashedly loving things not for their gender, sexualizing animated characters. I think it's something that is universal in our culture but so taboo once you reach a certain age that it becomes painful to ever speak of such things. I remember as a kid I used to love Mrs Brisby from the Secret of Nimh, and I don't care WHO you are, Minerva Mink was stacked O.O

I think this is all winding around to the feeling that I've neglected standing up for people who need it, and for kids who grow up thinking they're weird or broken and wrong because they like something that is not the norm, even the subculture norm. Even those with alternative lifestyles turn their nose up at furdom, hypocritically. Everyone has a preference, everyone has a sexual desire that fits them. I'm a vanilla hetero kind of guy, boring in fact, though a bit of a chubby chaser if that term is still PC. It's just my preference. I like chocolate sometimes but I generally stick to what I like. No one needs to be shit on for liking a different ice cream than you, or enjoy a different sexuality.

It boils down to the basics: Do all participants enjoy it? Are they consenting? Are they of legal age? Is what you are doing safe? Then it's time to destigmatize it. There will always be fringes to what people find acceptable, even among furry culture I'm sure there's an underbelly that people shudder to look upon.

It may simply be ramblings, but I think it is specifically because of things like the Trevor project, it made me think of kids like me who were lost and didn't know what they wanted and believe this is wrong, this is shameful or should be hidden.

I'm a 30-year-old white, married, anglo-saxon christian american male adult, telling you you are exactly who you are supposed to be, and you have an ally in me when the time comes that you want to come out. I may be only one, but I am still one and I'd accept you and defend you like any brother or sister of mine. This is not a throwaway, this is my main account. My name is Jacob and while not many will accept or understand at first, they won't know until you show, and I'll be there.

submitted by octopodesrex
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Author: Dear Papabear, Sorry for bothering you multiple times over the past year, but I’ve found your advice to be some of the most helpful stuff in the fandom (yeah, we’ll get to that in a minute). Let me jump right in on this one. I have a friend who I know outside of furry-related […]

Assuming that your fursona is a character, what does their Thursday routine look like? School? Job? Snuggly laziness?

If your fursona's not a character, then what are you up to this morning/afternoon/evening?

submitted by MydasThrown
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What emotions do animals feel? This discussion came about as an extension of our talk from the first Animal Rights episode. Today we talk about what emotions animals are capable of, animal intelligence, and just what separates humans from animals.

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Season 3 Episode 17

Runtime: 30m

Cast: Braniff, Levi, Starlight Wolf, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3 Copyright: © 2014 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. If distributed with a facility that has an existing agreement in place with a Professional Rights Organisation (PRO), file a cue sheet for 30:00 to Fabien Renoult (BMI) 1.67%, Josquin des Pres (BMI) 1.67%, WagzTail.com 96.67%. Rights have been acquired to all content for national and international broadcast and web release with no royalties due.

Podcast image belongs to Michiru Maeda, used with permission. Animal Rights II - What emotions do animals feel? This discussion came about as an extension of our talk from the first Animal Rights episode. Today we talk about what emotions animals are capable of, animal intelligence, and just what separates humans from animals.

What emotions do animals feel? This discussion came about as an extension of our talk from the first Animal Rights episode. Today we talk about what emotions animals are capable of, animal intelligence, and just what separates humans from animals.

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Season 3 Episode 17

Runtime: 30m

Cast: Braniff, Levi, Starlight Wolf, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3 Copyright: © 2014 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. If distributed with a facility that has an existing agreement in place with a Professional Rights Organisation (PRO), file a cue sheet for 30:00 to Fabien Renoult (BMI) 1.67%, Josquin des Pres (BMI) 1.67%, WagzTail.com 96.67%. Rights have been acquired to all content for national and international broadcast and web release with no royalties due.

Podcast image belongs to Michiru Maeda, used with permission. Animal Rights II - What emotions do animals feel? This discussion came about as an extension of our talk from the first Animal Rights episode. Today we talk about what emotions animals are capable of, animal intelligence, and just what separates humans from animals.

Normally I wouldn't advertise auctions (I have done countless auctions for this and that, but have never advertised them), but since this is /r/furry I figured that just this once I would advertise an auction, and also tell a little story for those who make fursuits to keep in mind.

First off, auction is here: http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1055972.html

Now, story: I had this character, Malk, created awhile back. I went on to commission the partial (He was always intended as a partial for clothing changes) from a suit maker a friend recommended. I started to work on creating this character, from all his quirks down to his accent (Russian, in fact I spent money learning to keep up a Russian accent from a voice trainer). He was, and still is, probably one of the most diverse characters I have because he was designed to be totally insane, so really sky is the limit on him.

During the process of having him built, I was largely ignored. He was pushed back for other suits that either were more interesting or whatever other reason (Speculation but I knew queue order and where he sat). There were weeks, during the final stages of his work, that I had radio silence, with no updates. As the weeks progressed...I started to hate the character just due to the circumstances. Finally, about 2 weeks prior to completion (And basically there being a tail and hand paws with /maybe/ the beginnings of a sculpted head), I told the maker to just stop work on him, and don't worry about him (Wasn't asking for money back, just didn't even want him. I had paid /more/ than 3/4s of what was owed by then).

Now, he is up on FurBuy, selling not only the partial, but all memories of the character (Ref-sheets, badges etc etc).

Basically, I tell this story to tell suit makers: People do generally care about their characters. Some just have suits made to have them made, most, however, take pride in the character, and everything around them. If you just shove them aside, ignore them or what have you, you do run the risk of destroying the character for the person commissioning the suit. In my 25 years, I have built up at least a dozen, if not more, characters, this one is the first one that I want rid of just because looking at him reminds me of the whole process. My artist has also done the same thing (She loved the character as much as I did), by deleting all of the files she has of him, and taking him down off her galleries (She watched the process of the suit as well, and it bothered her as well, though for different reasons than me).

submitted by PendoFur
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The world  of movies lost another big name this week when actor Bob Hoskins passed away at the age of 71. Though he was known throughout much of the world for his dramatic roles (and earned award nominations for several of them), here in the United States he will perhaps forever be best known for his role as gumshoe detective Eddie Valiant, playing opposite a crazed toon bunny in the groundbreaking 1988 live action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which went a long way towards putting animation back on the American landscape after a long slump in the previous decade. But not even counting that, Hoskins had numerous roles in movies with more than a bit of Furry Fandom interest. Some of them cringe-worthy (Mario Brothers, anyone?), some of them wonderful (like the voice of Boris the goose in Balto), and some of them rather obscure (he played Badger in a 2006 British TV movie of The Wind in the Willows). Check out his page at the Internet Movie Database to find out just how diverse his career was. He will be missed.

image c. 2014 Walt Disney Pictures

Here is a Miazaki-esque animated short for an an unusual art project.

“By creating an image that is so unexpected and unusual – a cute,
innocent bear taking off his own head – the artist communicates his message:
you control everything, be strong willed and don’t be controlled
by others or just follow what others expect you to do.”

submitted by Azure_Fox
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Info here: http://www.flayrah.com/5607/voting-begins-2013-ursa-major-awards-ballot-released

For 2014, nominate College Humor's "Furry Force" if you like comedy and don't care if it's bad taste :) http://dogpatchpress.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/talking-furry-force/

submitted by Ipatfurries
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submitted by Ipatfurries
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Does anyone here have a chimpanzee or primate fursona? Are they common?

I ask because furs are animals that have been humanized but...wouldn't humanizing a chimpanzee or something similar just be making a human?

Do primate furs count as furs?

Why yes, this is the stupidest thing you've read all week!

submitted by HonorInDefeat
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my friends are trying to get me to create a fursona. Since I have never been a furry or really been around them that often I dont really get the whole alter-ego kinda deal related with them.

my question is: what is the easiest way to create a fursona? like first pick a favourite animal or do I figure out what kind of personality I want to portray?

this will be helpful because it seems like a lot of fun and a really creative thing to do.

submitted by unknown1321
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submitted by HarmonyHeartstrings
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submitted by Blutfuss
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submitted by newdurrythrowaway
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submitted by KrytheonRenzorii
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submitted by ThegreenwolfReis
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I've been playing with RedditGraphs and I liked some of the tools, specially the 'daily trends' graph.
Found it curious since it shows when this sub and others are more active.

http://imgur.com/Ye8qYhU

The bot watches the reddits 24/7 so the posting habits of the bot should be consistent with the overall reddit activity.

The huge spike in activity arround ~10:30 EST is nothing unexpected... but europe seems to work in two shifts, Early afternoon and early night.

A couple of posts outside relevant reddits ... maybe I forgot to login with the non-bot account (;-_-)

Edit: A typo in the title. FML.

submitted by fa_mirror
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