I need to use my furry disclaimer :

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer (Action) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the neither furry community nor posting of my opinion does not in any way enter a convenient relationship with the furry community.

In other words do lay this “why you are causing drama in the furry community” line on me. I am not you and you are not me. In addition, I never recalled joining your idea of community and have to sway over my life. Finally, you do not have to read what I am posting below the cut

In a recent Post in {adjective][Species ] , the writer  JM has made a post Furry As A Queer Identity.  He engages in word obfuscation  to link fury fandom with LGBT culture.  His closing paragraph drives home his point.

“We furries are queer: we diverge from the traditional species paradigm. We belong with the LGBT. Our zoophile brothers and sisters (and Ts) belong there as well. We’re all different, but we suffer from the same source of discrimination: we all cross, in one way or another, a societal boundary that is arbitrarily taboo.”

 I find it distastefully to offensive   when advocates for one agenda try to lump us together especially in this example of the identity politics.  The article shares two major logical fallacies: starting faulty comparisons between sexual orientation and furry fandom and committing a red herring in turning to persecution the LGBT community which has no relation with the furry fandom. The first fallacy goes like this: LGBT are persecuted   , Furries are persecuted   LGBT = Furry= Queer.   Furies are not equal to LGBT for Furries ,regardless of orientation, nationality, and religious background, are often falsely persecuted   for what we are not, a sexual fandom or fetish, where LGBT are persecuted   around the world for what they are an attraction to the same sex.   Furthermore JM  engaging in of word obfuscation   to link Queer culture, which I believe a radical subset of gay radicalism, on the west coast, and a view not shared by some who are in the gay community.  

Furthermore this is not the first time LGBT activist tried to link the furry fandom  to LGBT culture. AA certain rodent tried to so in two articles in Flayrah Questions for Russian furry fans about anti-gay oppression and Furries at San Francisco Pride 2013. The common thread in both is the attempt  to declare the existence of a common axis between LGBT culture and Furry fandom. Both articles raised issues to where I wonder we are seeing a resurgence of the same  Bay area “queer” activist  push when at  ConFurence where   Mark Merlino advertized in gay and fetish magazines that furry fandom as a place for one to get in touch of one’s sexuality: no holds barred.  By inviting outside sexual lifestyles, it started the problems and unjust stigma we furries face even today.  In a comments on Opinion: Misconceptions about the origins of furry fandom Calbel summed up the problem :

“> Are you implying that someone pulling a stunt like this is somehow my fault?

I’m not implying anything; I’m stating the obvious. Putting ads for the convention in a gay lifestyle magazine will have a natural tendency to attract people who think the convention is about being gay. Promoting porn and sexual lifestyles, when speaking about your convention at other conventions, will have a natural tendency to attract people who think the convention is about porn and sexual lifestyles. And failing or refusing to crack down on sexualized public behavior, when it occurs, sends the message “this is okay with us”, thus encouraging more of it, even if that isn’t the goal.”

To sum problem I have with all there article is the natural tendency for some to think the fandom is a primarily gay fandom.

Furry fandom contains a diverse   group, from old to young, LGBT to straight, atheist to religious, liberal to conservative, coming together on the common of love of anthropomorphism   in art, literature and fursuting     Not all LGBT like to be called Queer; nether all LGBT are not furry nor all furries are LGBT, and especially many of us who are Evangelical Christian, Catholic but also furry.

I see this line of equivalence have very little value to the furry fandom and only add more problems to many of us who are Christian Furries and growing number of pre-adolescent   to young teen furs who like the fandom for fursuits and cute art but not interested in the sexuality.  Some have suffered undue hardship by ill-informed parents when the parents discover their child furry interest.

 Furthermore may furries object to zoophiles, zoophiles are not brothers or sisters because we care for welfare of animals and consider zoophiles as a form of animal abuse. Animals cannot give consent nor are physically built for human-animal intercourse.  

I am not say one cannot go to gay pride as a furry  but remember we are bigger and more diverse that the LGBT community or somebody’s  political  identity hobbyhorse .

Update: JM replied to my post noting the problem

“But I appreciate your perspective, that the queer community can m=be seen as divisive rather than inclusive, and that many straight furries would prefer not to be lumped in as queer. It’s something I didn’t consider in my article, and a point worth making.”

Good on JM