Coming Out: Gay Or Furry
Sep. 8th, 2009 11:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeBecause I came out as gay and furry at the same time, I don't know which one caused a greater problem with my parents. My Dad didn't care but my Mum had an issue with something. To be honest, I think it is more with furry than with me being gay (as she had gay friends at college and was perplexed by the furry thing) but it's difficult to be 100% sure.
I have heard from a few friends that they would find it far more difficult to come out as a furry than to come out as gay. Why this is, I am not too sure. It may be because homosexuality is becoming increasingly accepted in the Western World and it is now something that most people don't fear. In fact, many accept it as being "normal". Meanwhile, furry is far more niche.
But then to some, furry is merely an interest or hobby rather than a lifestyle. In some ways, it is no different to being into heavy metal or football or whatever. So why does it cause so many problems regarding coming out as a fur? I accept the media has portrayed a scewed image of furry but then, the same could be said for things like heavy metal or football. All heavy metal fans are Satanists, right? And football fans are all hooligans. Exactly. Yet coming out as a football fan or a heavy metal is going to be greeted by most parents with indifference.
It's an interesting dichotomy. Does anyone have any views or has anyone had any experiences with this?
I have heard from a few friends that they would find it far more difficult to come out as a furry than to come out as gay. Why this is, I am not too sure. It may be because homosexuality is becoming increasingly accepted in the Western World and it is now something that most people don't fear. In fact, many accept it as being "normal". Meanwhile, furry is far more niche.
But then to some, furry is merely an interest or hobby rather than a lifestyle. In some ways, it is no different to being into heavy metal or football or whatever. So why does it cause so many problems regarding coming out as a fur? I accept the media has portrayed a scewed image of furry but then, the same could be said for things like heavy metal or football. All heavy metal fans are Satanists, right? And football fans are all hooligans. Exactly. Yet coming out as a football fan or a heavy metal is going to be greeted by most parents with indifference.
It's an interesting dichotomy. Does anyone have any views or has anyone had any experiences with this?
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Date: 2009-09-08 11:55 am (UTC)Put another way, there may be some clichés and stereotypes, but there's not going to be any wild and absurd fantasies.
Heavy metal or football show how this works, too: media portrayals and bias nonwithstanding, the average, reasonably open-minded person will know that not all heavy metal fans are satanists (although I doubt most would know what satanism actually is, and what it is not), that not all soccer fans are hooligans, and so on.
Contrast this with BDSM, too: coming out as being into that (as a lifestyle, not just as in "I like it when my partner handcuffs me while we have sex") is much more difficult (IMO) than coming out as gay, simply because people will have so many misconceptions and stupid ideas about it.
1. As opposed to non-ignorant rednecks from Bumfuck, Alabama, so to any redneck from Bumfuck, Alabama reading this, please don't feel offended or as if this applies to you unless you are ignorant, too. :)