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Note: This is an opinion article. The views expressed in this article do not directly reflect the views of the Furry News Network as a whole or the views of any of its affiliates.

Original Article: https://web.archive.org/web/www.furrynewsnetwork.com/2011/09/room-366-“how-furries-realize-sex-sexuality-exist”/

To begin, allow me to congratulate AsylumCat for being bold and brave enough to, as he said, get up on a soapbox and speak to the fandom about this subject. Not many furs have the audacity to talk about this highly controversial topic for fear of ensuing drama or other negative attention associated with it.

I agree with the point that many of the furries who are attempting to shield us from all the negative attention are, at the very least, ineffective. For years, perhaps decades now, the fandom has had a preverbal dark cloud hovering over it in the mainstream media. No amount of “Oh, that doesn’t really happen,” or “Well, that is just about 10% of the population,” can cover up the truth that some furries do in fact have sex in fursuits. The trouble with stereotypes is that fact that in order for them to become stereotypes, they have to be true some of the time.

However, that isn’t to say that we should remove the people actively working to clean up the image of the fandom. That would be extremely counterintuitive and would open ourselves up to a whole new form of media attack. Let’s say that if the fandom were a bull-riding competition and a vast majority of the riders removed the rodeo clowns from the ring, that would leave the riders (the furry fandom itself) without the aid the clowns (the “Shield Furs”) and at the mercy of the bull (the media).

The efforts of the “Shield Furs” are not something to be scrutinized or degraded. It is really such a bad thing to have even a tiny group of people trying to uphold some sense of cleanliness in the fandom? I would certainly say not. Any potential fur that discovers the fandom will be subjected to some of the worst the fandom has to offer –Heaven knows we all were. In my opinion, without that group off to the side of the furpile waving their arms to invite the new fur over, the fandom would begin to die; even though there may not be any noticeable change at first. Those furries who are interested little in the smut and are more concerned with the social aspect of the fandom will lose considerable interest if they are constantly surrounded by it.

As a friend of mine put it, “Whenever I tell someone that I’m a furry, I show them the Wikipedia page. I tell them, however, to not look at the bottom of the page.” Is it really so wrong that some furries want to make the fandom a – dare I say it, kid-friendly environment? One of the primary reasons FurAffinity has the content filter in place, besides avoiding lawsuits of course, is to make the website friendly and accessible to young or brand-new furs who want to explore the fandom for what it truly is underneath.

That is not to say that I believe the sexuality isn’t a major part of the furry culture. In all honesty, I believe that sex and the fandom go together like toast and jam. Sex is hard-wired into the brains of every human being and for some of us it’s the only thing we generally think about. What I believe most of the “Shield Furries” are attempting to do by denying the existence of pornography and smut in the fandom is that they are trying to attract more people who have a sense of balance in their sexual appetites; rather than the ravenous porn-addicts that only seek the fandom for its yiff yaff. If you were to turn the content filter on (referring to FurAffinity again) and search a popular artist with hundreds or thousands of watchers, I can almost guarantee that you will only see maybe 10 submissions out of their listed 200. Does that mean the fandom or its artists are purely sex driven? Of course not, yet they are still a major part of the entire population.

AsylumCat mentioned how anime, yaoi, loli, and tentacle fans do not have to, “Come out of the closet” when telling their families and friends. I believe there is a very simple reason behind this fact. Anime fans do not shove pornography into the limelight like the furry fandom does.

If you Google the word, “Furry” and go to Google Images, the first picture is of Krystal in a provocative pose and the second is a deer chained up while wearing leather. Scroll down just a level or two more and you find a nude picture of a jaguar. Google Image the word, “Anime” and you will find quite a few pictures of anime drawings before you find something considered inappropriate. Many of you are probably thinking that the nude and seductive photographs are not pornography. The fact of the matter is, the very first images the general internet public see are sexual and fetish related. This, I believe, is the driving factor behind the “Shield Furries” and their efforts.

Markos Sinister, the head of the Furry News Network, wrote that he noticed a double-standard amongst the furry fandom and the anime fandom. I believe the reason behind this negative vibe between the two extremely similar sub-cultures is due likely because of the way we present ourselves. Anime fans generally present themselves as… well nerds having a fun time at their conventions. Furry fans are no different in that aspect. However, when you look at it more closely, ComicCon receives more positive media attention than AnthroCon. Why? Well, if the “Room 366” video has anything to say about it, it’s that furries are sex-crazed animal-costume-wearing nut jobs.

Now, is this true? Absolutely not! Yet with videos like that circling around the internet, what kind of message are we sending out about ourselves? It worries me to no end that furries are actually approving the fact that the video leaked out. Sure, some may claim that the video was made as a joke or some such malarkey; but stop and consider what that video is broadcasting to the world about us.

“Look. Sex exists in the fandom. Suiters do it, random people do it, kinky furs REALLY do it. STOP marginalizing it and just EMBRACE IT. You don’t have to do it, but you shouldn’t act like it doesn’t happen nor should you try to stop it. Grow the fuck up.”

Yes, sex does exist in the fandom. That was established a long time ago. However, resisting the sexual perversions and wishing the fandom had less of it is not a damnable offence. Denying the existence of something that brings shame to that particular person is not a horrible thing. Honestly, I don’t think anyone is necessarily trying to stop it – it would be, at this point, a failed attempt right from the start. Saying that the “Shield Furs” and the “Squeaky Clean” furs need to “Grow the fuck up” and “Embrace” the thing that has caused our beloved fandom so much difficulty is an insult. Without the clean half of the fandom to balance out the dirty half, there will not – rather there cannot, be a generally positive reaction from the public media.

It would be as if you were to tell your white blood cells to stop doing their job in protecting your body because you know that bacteria and viruses are already in your body.

In conclusion, I do believe that every furry knows that sex and smut is an everyday part of the furry fandom. I also believe that a vast majority, myself included, accept it as inevitable. I also believe that saying people need to grow up and stopping worrying about the consequences is ignorant. Saying that those who dedicate their time to promoting the positive, non-sexual side are doing, “injustices” to the fandom is an injustice all its own.

Some claim that people need to start accepting the fandom for what it truly is; sex-filled and naughty. I say that those same people need to accept the fact that in any argument, there will always be opposition. They need to start accepting the fact that there are, and always will be, “Shield Furs” who resent the dirty side of the fandom and hope to restore its image in the public.

-Rainstar

http://www.furrynewsnetwork.com/2011/09/room-366-%e2%80%9chow-furries-realize-sex-sexuality-exist%e2%80%9d/

Just sayin...

My opinion on it, Sex is fine, just keep it in the bedroom, I love the video, nice coreography and camera use. But furs who say "People must know!!" No they don't. Sex isn't supposed to be talked about like nothing. You don't go out of your way to tell strangers you have sex... if you do you're a rather pathetic person.

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This is an Opinion piece republished from AsylumCat’s site.  As stated on FNN before, there is little denying that there is a growing sexual side to the fandom.  This is not going away, and with media attention coming to the fandom like never before, it is something that we all need to learn to deal with.

Room 366 or “How furries need to realize that sex and sexuality ACTUALLY EXIST”

So it seems that a fairly tame, especially by today’s standards, furry-made fursuit video has made it publicly onto the web. The video in question? Room 366:

Some furs are absolutely up in arms about it “destroying our image.”  Others are happy it got leaked. And a lot of us are like “meh.”

For the most part I’m glad this was publicized. In all honesty that “squeeky clean” image of furry needs to go.  Everyone knows what exists beneath the fuzzy coat of furry, and it’s not innocent.  And no, it’s not everyone either.  Some furs are genuinely squeeky clean themselves.  For the most part tho the majority of furs have SOME sort of sexualization towards their interests. I mean COME ON look at what some of the most popular images, videos, and suits are… Sexy.  We are human after all, and sex is a innate part of our psychological makeup.  The groups of “furry police” that try to shield everyone from things like this are just doing a disservice to the fandom.  Saying “Oh no theres no sexual/kink/fetish component to furry, its just a bunch of creative people coming together for sheer camaraderie.” BULL.  SHIT.  All that does is shield the public from something that is there and they would eventually get used to.

Look at anime and hentai/tentacles/loli/yaoi.  Anime conventions are HUGE money and anime fans don’t feel like they have to “come out of the closet” when they tell their friends and family they are interested in it.  Then look at furry… People hide their interests like they are shamed by them, pretend that it doesn’t exist. Then eventually they “come out of the costume closet” and tell their families and friends like they are homosexual…

Look. Sex exists in the fandom. Suiters do it, random people do it, kinky furs REALLY do it. STOP marginalizing it and just EMBRACE IT.  You don’t have to do it, but you shouldn’t act like it doesn’t happen nor should you try to stop it. Grow the fuck up.

Like the current sentiment in the equal rights fight goes:

Don’t like gay marriage? Don’t get one.
Don’t like abortions? Don’t get one.
Don’t like drugs? Don’t do them.
Don’t like sex? Don’t have it.
Don’t like kink? Don’t be kinky.
Don’t like furry sexuality? Don’t participate in it.
Don’t like your rights taken away? Don’t take away anybody elses.

*steps off of soapbox*

Until next time,

RubberGator (Fetlife – Twitter)

The site(s) linked above is NOT SAFE FOR WORK – You have been warned.

From Xeni Jardin @ Boing Boing

Cowboys vs. Gray Wolves

In case you missed it, here’s video for +Miles O’Brien’s PBS NewsHour piece on the return of wolf hunting as sport in the American West. I accompanied Miles and producer +Jenny Marder on the trip, and shot some of the footage you see in the piece. My first television cameraman credit! Transcript here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/july-dec11/wolves_09-19.html

For the first time in years, hunting season for the once-endangered gray wolf is underway in Idaho and Montana to reduce the predator’s population. Cattle ranchers say the hunts are necessary to protect their herds, but environmentalists disagree. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

 

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http://toshcommunity.comedycentral.com/Video/Room-366-Music-Video--HD/050BFFFFF0248312A001B015EBD52

Some fur showed me this, all worried that the media had gotten a hold of it.

My reaction.

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After talking with a few friends, and generally getting a good review for it, I might be melding my main 'sona, and alt-sona into one. A raven/fox mix which resembles a gryphon-esque form. Now I come to you, oh inhabitors of /r/furry to possibly interest someone into providing a simple sketch of what this may look like. (I'll leave a sob story below for those interested in why I can't purchase a commish.) If you're interested in perhaps indulging me in my request, leave a message or note notifying me so. And be gentle. :3

And now, why I'm a cheap bastard. I'm in debt. Quite a bit. And the speeding ticket I got this morning rushing to my first day of work didn't help none. So there it is. My sob story. Flame away.

Tl;Dr: I'm damn poor.

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Author: E-Mail Hidden (..::XANA::.. Creations)

I think the first half of the show was so crazy it wasn’t even a show. But oh well! Some good points made, and one of the most confusing emails we’ve ever received in the second half. Have fun!

Download MP3 (Right-click, Save)

News:

• Glowing Kittens Fight Feline AIDS

• Elk rescued from tree

• Is that cow really a tank? Kill it!

• Furries: are we trending?

• Cuddly Like A Fox: Meet Gizmo, A Pet Fox, And His Keeper

 

E-mails:

• Anonymous – “A simple yet difficult question”
• Short Wolf, Matt – “Is it okay to want to be gay”
• Troll – “MUST HAVE INFO”
• Anonymous – “Dear Furcast”
• Arctic Wolf, Isaiah – “A God Complex & Apathetic Parents
• Arctic Wolf, Bael – “Question that has been bugging me for a while”
• Dragon, Zelig Wiegand – “That email”
• Klein Loutre – “Furries and Therians and… I can’t think of any-fucking-thing else…?”
• Skyler – “Convention info requested”
• Black Foot – “Hyptnotism VS. Mateship2?

Shout-outs:

• Dashofweak – “I need advice”
• Rabbit, Sume – “Thank you and here’s more!!!”
• Wolf, Gunnolf – “Amazing Therian/Furry books for all (Contains romance & wolves)”

Find the full article here: FurCast

The contents of this Podcast may have adult language and adult themes. The content is not produced by Furry News Network, but is posted for your convenience.

Author:
Howdy folks!

We’re back for episode 17a (good lord!) of the Bad Dog Book Club, and we’re pleased to present Rechan’s story “Fireworks”, read for us by the ever talented Sparf.  Rechan is making his BDBC debut, and if you enjoy the story be sure to check out his other works.  We’re also very pleased to have “Fireworks” as it’s a special sneek peak…

…read more at www.baddogbookclub.com

Find the full article here: The Bad Dog Book Club

The contents of this Podcast may have adult language and adult themes. The content is not produced by Furry News Network, but is posted for your convenience.

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As I just got the time off work, now comes the fun part of finding a room.

Anyone out there need a singular, normal, (weird as fuck), sometimes drunk, though all around nice and clean and shower-y hyena as a roommate at Furfright?

(Thinkin of bringing partial suit if it matters. +booze perhaps. Room-owners word is law on booze / trees / whatever in my book.)

If you wanna chat, feel free to leave a comment. And/or my FA page. And/or my AIM: Kravenyena /// YIM: Kraven_Lupei . And/or my email: Kraven_Lupei@yahoo.com

OR SHOUT REAL LOUD. I MIGHT HEAR YOU.

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Source: The Virginia-Pilot, September 20, 2011

It would appear that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is up to its old tricks once again; old tricks, new weapons. The radical Norfolk, Virginia animal rights group has announced that they are going to undertake an extreme attempt to turn even more people to their cause. Their plan this time is to release pornographic images on the new .xxx domain coming in November. These pictures will also harbor strong vegan and animal-friendly overtones throughout their pictures.

“As soon as we heard that the.xxx domain was becoming available, we thought that would be triple extra effective in helping us bring our important issues of animal rights and eating a vegan diet to a greater number of people,” Lindsey Rajt, the organization’s associate director of campaigns, said Monday. According to The Virginia-Pilot, the site will contain “sexually suggestive” erotic images but will not contain hard-core porn.

 “A lot of people distinguish between erotica and pornography, this will be erotica. [The images] …will lead viewers to information and graphic images of how animals suffer in the food industry. That’s what we hope will shock people, get them talking, question the status quo and take action to benefit animals,” Rajt said.

Daniel Howard, a marketing professor at Southern Methodist University of Dallas, believes this plan will backfire on PETA. “It makes them appear as if their organization is extremist based. Even though some have accused them of being that way in the past, they’re about to confirm it. There are a lot of ways to get your message out there, but doing it through a pornography website is not a socially acceptable way of going about it, at least according to a vast majority of Americans.” Howard said.

Rajt fired back with her own rebuttal defending the decision to launch the soft-core porn site. “We live in a 24-hour news cycle world. We’ve found that it’s the racier things we do that are most effective in grabbing people’s attention… Nudity is a tactic PETA uses with some regularity.”

This tactic, however, is believed to be a step above and beyond the previous campaigns of scantily clad women protesting the abuse and use of animals. PETA has drawn fire from feminist support groups for their previous campaigns, such as “I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur,” which held at least one all nude demonstrations. Rajt claims that the women photographed in the previous promotions, as well as those to be featured in the .xxx website, “…were willing adults dedicated to defending animals.”

The website is scheduled to receive approval for the site by November 7th. PETA partnered with ICM Registry, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to create peta.xxx.

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You can read the full article at: http://hamptonroads.com/2011/09/peta-plans-erotica-website-promote-cause

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-Rainstar

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