Every year, fandoms of all different kinds get to rejoice in their respective convention seasons. As such, summer is a time that hosts many conventions including more notable ones like San Diego Comic Con and more niche gatherings like the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention.
While there are diehard fans of comic books, video games and other mediums, another titular group of people known as furries hold their own conventions too, with their main event each year being Anthrocon held in Pittsburgh, PA.
First off, a furry is a person who is interested in anthropomorphic characters or humanized animals that display personified characteristics like walking on two feet, speaking a language, and having human levels of intelligence. Those interested in these types of characters can have varying degrees of interest in them from a surface-level appreciation in games, cartoons and drawings starring the characters (including ones like Mickey Mouse and Sonic the Hedgehog) to a deep fandom that can result in original content such as fan art, fiction and fursuits for cosplay at conventions like Anthrocon.
With the extremes of the fandom including sexual fetishes and mainstream media exposure focusing on stereotypes that not all furries participate in, many outsiders have succumbed to the myths of most furries being sexual deviants willing to endorse kinky endeavors inside their fursuits.
In the past few years however, mainstream media coverage has largely shifted their perspective from the sex-obsessed columns of “Savage Love” and “Vanity Fair” to a good-natured curiosity and celebration shown by outlets including “NBC News” and the “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.”
Last year, NBC News ran a special titled “Furries of Anthrocon: Beneath the Fursuit". Reporter Amna Nawaz interviewed several participants of the Pittsburgh gathering, learning about the vendors, activities, and social aspects of the approximately 6,000 furry fans in attendance.
As the modern internet took off in the beginning of the new millennium, so did the furry community as people from all places realized they were not alone in their interests. Some use these interests as an excuse to organize a tightly woven community of friends and accepting individuals and some, indeed, use it as a subculture to explore romantic and/or sexual themes, just with a different cast of characters, whether in literature, art or in real life.
The 2015 Anthrocon was held from July 9-12 in its home of Pittsburgh as usual. The Gazette reported on it with a focus on its charitable benefits. Since furries have been using Pittsburgh as their national hub for years, Anthrocon’s parade will be open to the public for the first time. The proceeds from events such as these usually go to charitable causes including fitting ones like Therapy Pets and other popular organizations as of late like the Best Friends – Haiti Fund.
With the saturation of furry characters in the media and the growing presence of people feeling comfortable and open with who they are, the subculture will likely continue to grow and prosper among interested individuals throughout the country and the conventions in which they celebrate and participate in.
