About furries
Global Furry Television’s content offerings and community initiatives are aimed mainly for the furry community. The general public however can also enjoy and participate in our programs and learn about the furry community at the same time.
Key information
The furry community? What’s that?
The furry community, or furries, is a group of people who like animal characters that have human traits (anthropomorphic animals), such as walking, talking and wearing clothes.
Since starting in the 1980s in the United States as an art movement, it has now spread all over the world.
What do furries mainly do?
Furries make and enjoy art, music and media featuring anthropomorphic animals, and often socialize with other furries online and offline – sometimes notably in custom-made costumes (fursuits) of their self-made characters (fursonas).
Furries come from various walks of life, but they share an interest in anthropomorphic animals.
The community’s environment
The furry community is a welcoming and non-judgmental space for people of different backgrounds, especially for LGBTQIA+ people.
This attracts many young people who want a safe and supportive place to explore their personal identity and interests.
I’ve heard otherwise about the community.
The furry community’s niche interests and activities do draw curiosity as they sometimes do not align with prevailing social, cultural or religious norms. But above all, it is not mainly about sexual activity or kinks.
Just as in other fandoms and in society today, there are furries interested in adult content. Such is only one out of the furry community’s broad diversity of interests.
Facts and Figures
Some 80% of furries are LGBTQIA+
According to furry research body FurScience, their study in the year 2020 found a broad majority of furries are in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community.
But to note, Furscience studies has a dominantly American and European sample size. There exists no large enough census that adequately represent furries and LGBTQIA+ aspects globally.
~40 countries have furry conventions.
According to GFTV’s Furry Convention Status Tracker (FURST), there are furry conventions, or furcons, in nearly 40 countries as of 2023.
The US has the most amount of furcons in the world. China follows second. Only South Africa has a furcon in the African continent.
Fursonas are used as a self-help tool.
Clinical research has shown the original characters furries make for themselves, or fursonas (furry persona), brings positive mental health benefits for its owner.
Fursonas can carry superior or identical social or physical traits to its owner. Said owner may aspire to such traits by imitation, for example. These powers up one’s self-image and self-esteem.
Neurodiversity is very welcome.
The furry community’s socially supportive and accepting space attracts many neurodivergent people – who strongly value social support, acceptance and integration of people like themselves.
Compared to the general population, neurodivergence is prevalent in the furry community by a large margin.
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