Kevin Hsu is a sexology researcher based at Northwestern University on the outskirts of Chicago. In 2013 he sought, and received, approval from the Northwestern Institution Review Board (IRB) – an ethics committee that oversees research with human subjects – to study furries.

Hsu's research is intended to follow work published by Dr. Anne Lawrence in 2009, which references furries as a group possibly displaying a hypothetical phenomenon associated with fetishistic behaviour named "Erotic Target Location Error". Hsu's hypothesis is that many furries – possibly most – are zoophiles, where that attraction manifests as the furry identity and in activities such as fursuiting, and that furries can therefore be classified as "autozoophiles".

Midwest FurFest 2010's guests of honor – Vantid (Amber Hill), Redstorm (Alexis Rudd, aka The Blue Hyena) and Kipper Otter – kindly allowed me to record their answers in the "meet the GoH" panel, hosted by MFF chairman Takaza. So here they are!

Midwest FurFest 2010 occurred last weekend, with 2285 attendees, including 413 in the fursuit parade. 388 art show pieces were sold (of 1121 on offer), bringing in over $12,000, while $11,347 was raised for their charity, Castaway Pet Rescue.

Two guests for next year were announced – Rick Griffin, creator of Housepets! and Thornwolf. The convention is accepting suggestions for a third guest, as well as a theme.

The first Furry Convention Leadership Roundtable was held this weekend in Lincolnshire, Illinois. According to Duncan da Husky, all U.S. and Canadian furry conventions with over 100 attendees were invited to send up to three representatives of their choice.

The event is modeled after SMOFcon, a science-fiction runner's con named after the so-called "Secret Masters Of Fandom" who attend; unlike that event, the FCLR is currently invite-only.

Discussions covered feedback surveys, hotel negotiations, working with the media, membership suspensions, A/V setups, technology, budgeting and fiscal management, age-related issues, marketing/branding and convention horror stories.

Midwest FurFest 2007, the third largest furry convention in the world, broke it's own record in 2007, drawing a crowd of 1,689 furs - almost 1,000 more than it's nearest competitor Furry Weekend Atlanta, which recorded 762 attendees in the same year.

This doesn't match up to last year's exponential growth of 36% however, following the cancellation of Conifur Northwest, with this years convention reporting only a 16% growth on last year.

At ninety minutes to midnight, the Hyatt Regency Woodfield's main atrium - newly accented with eerie colour-shifting LEDs - is packed with furs, tails and fursuits. Old friends greet one another with smiles, laughter, and a more-than-occasional hug. Midwest FurFest 2007 has arrived.

Registration opened promptly at 7PM, with badges flying off the printers as fast as staff could call the names out. A total of 649 were registered by the end of the day.

As has become customary, Thursday's early arrivals were greeted with a sweet treat, along with a variety of tasty toppings. Somewhat less customarily, the treat consisted of sweet mashed potato. Regular mash was also provided, along with pitchers of kool-aid.

While the official schedule doesn't start until Friday, a combination quiz and betting game was in progress down the corridor. The question of the day: "How fast is a speeding cheetah?" (Answer: 65 miles/hour.)

Midwest FurFest released information about the convention theme and guests for honor today. The convention also announced its newly-revamped website at www.furfest.org.^[1]

The convention theme is to be "Critters on the High Seas", which could include pirates, sailing ships, and all things nautical.

The Guests of Honor include artists and illustrator Cara Mitten, artist, illustrator, and costumer Jill0r, and author Will Sanborn.

Midwest Furry Fandom board members voted yesterday to expand Midwest FurFest's hotel room block from 300 to 350 rooms on the convention's busiest nights, Friday and Saturday. All the new hotel rooms will be king-size, as the con had already booked out every double room in the building.^[1] These measures are likely a reaction to Midwest FurFest 2006, which experienced a 33% increase in attendance over the previous year.^[2]

BJ Buttons and Cobalt after the fursuit parade

Welcome to GreenReaper's con report for Midwest FurFest 2006! I was looking forward to this one. Midwest FurFest 2005 was my first furry convention - my first fan convention of any kind - and it had been exceedingly good. You can read more about it in my previous con report. Since then, though, I'd visited ConClave 31 and Anthrocon 2006, each with their own charms. Would I find MFF somewhat lacking now? Read on to find out . . .

Midwest FurFest
Hyatt Regency Woodfield
Schaumburg, Illinois
November 17 - 19, 2006

Midwest FurFest is happy to announce that the theme for MFF 2006 will be: Midwest FurFest County Fair!

We are also proud to announce our Guests of Honor for 2006:

We are pleased to welcome the talented artist Heather "Kyoht" Luterman. Kyoht's work has been featured by Australia's National Dinosaur Museum, and Scholastic, the world's largest publisher of children's books and media. You can see more of Kyoht's work at her website, http://www.kyoht.com

We also welcome Whitefox (aka Whitey Fawks), noted costumer and co-owner of Arend Studios (http://www.arendstudios.com). You can find examples of Whitefox's work at any furry convention, and he has created numerous retail, nonprofit, and sports mascots.

Finally, we are happy to be joined by Jen Seng (aka Spunky). Jen is a talented artist and cartoonist whose work has been featured by Sofa Wolf Press, among others. Her work can be found at http://www.toonapalooza.net
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Midwest FurFest is a production of Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc.
For more information go to http://www.furfest.org

As this was my first furry convention, I decided to write it up in a little more detail than I would do otherwise. Read on to see what a con virgin thought of Midwest FurFest 2005. You should also read KinkyTurtle's MFF 2005 con diary, which is far funnier than mine! :-)

Midwest FurFest Newsletter: November 2005

It's only three weeks until Midwest FurFest and everyone is working hard to make this our best convention yet!

In This Issue:
The Hotel Is Filling Up Fast
Last Chance To Mail In Your Registration
Programming: We've Got A Busy Weekend For You!
The Dealers Room Awaits Your Money
Artists Alley: Bigger and Better Than Ever!
Call For Puppeteers
Exciting Doings In The Video Room

The deadline for Midwest FurFest's inexpensive pre-registration rate of $30 is 11:59 PM, Friday, September 30! After that date, the pre-registration rate jumps to $40. If you want to save a little extra money, you need to pre-register online by then (at http://www.furfest.org) or be sure that you mail in your pre-registration postmarked by September 30.

Midwest FurFest Newsletter: September, 2005

In this issue:
The Pre-Registration Deadline Is Almost Here
The Hotel Is Filling Up Fast
We Have a New Charity
The Dealers Room Is Full
Art Show Space Is Available
There Are Changes In Artists Alley
Fursuit Badges Available
Programming Will Spark Your Interest
Furry Variety Show
Midwest FurFest Mailing Lists

Midwest FurFest is happy to announce that online registration is now open!

Memberships are $30 until September 30, 2005, and $40 thereafter and at the door.

Sponsorships are only $100. And what do you get with your sponsorship? You get a free T-shirt, a print from our Guests of Honor, a limited-edition commemorative pin, a delicious brunch with our Guests of Honor, and a special surprise gift!

To register, simply point your browser to http://www.furfest.org/regindex.html and follow the link.

For more information about Midwest FurFest, visit our website at http://www.furfest.org