You are weird. You might not think it, but there’s something about you that someone else will hate, find unusual, or just plain ignore. For three years now in my journalistic endeavors, I’ve wondered what one of the most misunderstood subcultures in our society is. My first venture was furries.

So I went to a furry convention.

The furry fandom, from an outside perspective, can be comparable to a drug empire: strangely connected to sex, hidden from the world, and filled to the brim with money. The average fursuit costs anywhere from $2,000 upwards of $20,000.

There’s even more money to be made in art. One of the first things you can see heading into a furry convention is the plethora of little shops. None of them are selling the same thing. People packed up their stuff and had come from thousands of miles away. An estimated 115 “dealers” were speaking with customers, and the room was alive with transactions and conversation.

The Grand Sierra Resort was fully rented out. Hundreds of rooms were occupied, and for the four days the convention was active, there wasn’t a single second on the schedule that wasn’t populated with an activity, forum, performance, or place to go.

I spoke to an artist, Jonathan Vair Duncan who grew up in Ohio, where expression was repressed and he didn’t necessarily have a means to communicate openly about important topics, like religion or sexuality. People like Duncan treat the convention as a means to express themselves, as their interest in the simplicity of anthropomorphic creation is not something they can convey elsewhere. In other words, everyone is flying by the seat of their pants once they make it to the convention. For many, being part of the furry fandom means they have a way of creating their own inner self, a creature that can only be manifested as a part of the furry context. In the same way a musician plays their music after hours of practice or an athlete fights their way to victory, a furry pours their heart into a character or fursona.

I know that last sentence can prove unlikely to some, but even in the minutes me and my colleague spent at the convention, we could see everyone’s stories. Little robot cars sporting mini dogs whizzed by our feet, live music spun through the hallways, and it seemed like with every turn, we could see what the people were like behind the costumes. The longer we stayed, we realized that for a lot of these people, their normal lives are where they put on their masks.

And the conventions, ironically, is where they let go of their masks.


It’s surprising to see how the fandom has grown over the years. It began in the mid-80s and has surged over the years: once in 2008, as the recession pushed people online and into forums, and once with the release of Zootopia, in 2016. Over the history of the fandom, there have been incidents that have tainted the social image of furries. ConFurence 8, a popular con, quickly became a point of controversy within the community due to a series of incidents. Over the years, complaints about bad public behavior and sexualization were brought to the board. These complaints would be ignored and resulted in opposing parties sprouting.

This sexualization, unfortunately, was still visibly a thing that persisted, even through my visit. A person we spoke to cited pornography as a motivator for people to be introduced to the fandom, which is made easier online. Even cars in the parking lot had vulgar stickers. I would like to exemplify the fact that this is a rarity. 

The fandom wants people to be able to tap into the art, creation, and spirit of it all at any point in life, and be able to have an experience that welcomes and supports any newcomers. It’s sad to see such a positive community still experiencing aftershocks from controversy that should have been put to bed years ago. While we were walking through the main area of the hotel, a man intentionally knocked over a convention sign. It’s clear most people still have a certain perspective.

As I spoke with our media relations man Bliz, I noticed something. A furry and another person suddenly locked eyes and turned towards each other. They bent their knees slightly, moving towards each other, step by step, and it seemed as if a fight would break out. In an instant, they were almost eye to eye. The two then broke into a big, long, hug; the kind many would use after a long time apart. This was an interesting moment to witness, as it demonstrated my expectation. A moment that I thought to be negative, quickly turned positive.

Despite not connecting with the fandom personally it’s still interesting to see what others do to express themselves. Furries, to me, serve as a reason and living, breathing proof that you should do what makes you happy, that you can do things that people might shun you for, and still find joy in it. So you should too. Do it.

Unmask.