Mathias321
Puritan Board Freshman
This is a very weird question, but it has come to my mind and I do wonder what you guys think of this.
There is this mostly internet-powered fandom (kingdom of fans) called the furry fandom. The most basic definition of this group can be found in dictionary: "an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online." This is a definition that the fandom's own Wikipedia page wikifur.com has. However, I have actually (I don't know why) looked quite a bit into this group because I find it fascinating and quite strange at times. For example, this is from a study by the University of California, Davis Department of Psychology: "When compared to the general population, homosexuality and bisexuality are over-represented in the furry fandom by about a factor of 10. Of the US population, about 1.8% of persons self-identify as bisexual and 1.7% as homosexual according to a 2011 study from scholars at UCLA. In contrast, according to four different surveys 14–25% of the fandom members report homosexuality, 37–52% bisexuality, 28–51% heterosexuality, and 3–8% other forms of alternative sexual relationships. Approximately half of the respondents reported being in a relationship, of which 76% were in a relationship with another member of furry fandom."
Here are other very fascinating (by fascinating I mean quite unpleasant) studies done about this fandom:
"Sexual attraction to furry characters is a polarizing issue met with vehement opposition within the fandom; in one survey with 4300 furry respondents, 37% answered that sexual attraction is important in their furry activities, 38% were ambivalent, and 24% answered that it has little or nothing to do with their furry activities. In a different online survey, 33% of furry respondents answered that they have a "significant sexual interest in furry", another 46% stated they have a "minor sexual interest in furry", and the remaining 21% stated they have a "non-sexual interest in furry". The survey specifically avoided adult-oriented websites to prevent bias. Another survey found that 96.3% of male furry respondents reported viewing furry p0rnography, compared to 78.3% of female; males estimated 50.9% of all furry art they view is pornographic, compared to 30.7% female. Furries have a slight preference for pornographic furry artwork over non-pornographic artwork. 17.1% of males reported that when they viewed p0rnography it is exclusively or near-exclusively furry p0rnography, and only about 5% reported that p0rnography was the top factor which got them into the fandom.
A portion of the fandom is sexually interested in zoophilia (sex with animals), although a majority take a negative stance towards it. An anonymous survey in 2008 found 17% of respondents reported zoophilia. An earlier survey, conducted from 1997 to 1998, reported about 2% of furry respondents stating an interest in zoophilia, and less than 1% an interest in plushophilia (sexually aroused by stuffed animal toys). The older, lower results, which are even lower than estimated in the general population, were due to the methodology of questioning respondents face-to-face, which led to social desirability bias. In contrast, one study showed 7.5% of college students reporting zoophilia, while other studies find only 2.2% to 5.3% expressing fantasies of sex with animals."
I know not every single member of the fandom may like these facts about their group (I actually know a couple furries who are strong conservative born again Christians), but I consistently have heard these ones tell me they sometimes wish they weren't in the fandom to begin with because of all the immorality. They usually just like dressing up in animal costumes in public events or make non-pornographic furry art.
So here is my question, how should Christians interact with these type of fandoms? Are there any furries on the Puritanboard? I know I have only given a very short summary of what furries are, but I believe their influence is growing fast and will eventually need a response from us.
There is this mostly internet-powered fandom (kingdom of fans) called the furry fandom. The most basic definition of this group can be found in dictionary: "an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online." This is a definition that the fandom's own Wikipedia page wikifur.com has. However, I have actually (I don't know why) looked quite a bit into this group because I find it fascinating and quite strange at times. For example, this is from a study by the University of California, Davis Department of Psychology: "When compared to the general population, homosexuality and bisexuality are over-represented in the furry fandom by about a factor of 10. Of the US population, about 1.8% of persons self-identify as bisexual and 1.7% as homosexual according to a 2011 study from scholars at UCLA. In contrast, according to four different surveys 14–25% of the fandom members report homosexuality, 37–52% bisexuality, 28–51% heterosexuality, and 3–8% other forms of alternative sexual relationships. Approximately half of the respondents reported being in a relationship, of which 76% were in a relationship with another member of furry fandom."
Here are other very fascinating (by fascinating I mean quite unpleasant) studies done about this fandom:
"Sexual attraction to furry characters is a polarizing issue met with vehement opposition within the fandom; in one survey with 4300 furry respondents, 37% answered that sexual attraction is important in their furry activities, 38% were ambivalent, and 24% answered that it has little or nothing to do with their furry activities. In a different online survey, 33% of furry respondents answered that they have a "significant sexual interest in furry", another 46% stated they have a "minor sexual interest in furry", and the remaining 21% stated they have a "non-sexual interest in furry". The survey specifically avoided adult-oriented websites to prevent bias. Another survey found that 96.3% of male furry respondents reported viewing furry p0rnography, compared to 78.3% of female; males estimated 50.9% of all furry art they view is pornographic, compared to 30.7% female. Furries have a slight preference for pornographic furry artwork over non-pornographic artwork. 17.1% of males reported that when they viewed p0rnography it is exclusively or near-exclusively furry p0rnography, and only about 5% reported that p0rnography was the top factor which got them into the fandom.
A portion of the fandom is sexually interested in zoophilia (sex with animals), although a majority take a negative stance towards it. An anonymous survey in 2008 found 17% of respondents reported zoophilia. An earlier survey, conducted from 1997 to 1998, reported about 2% of furry respondents stating an interest in zoophilia, and less than 1% an interest in plushophilia (sexually aroused by stuffed animal toys). The older, lower results, which are even lower than estimated in the general population, were due to the methodology of questioning respondents face-to-face, which led to social desirability bias. In contrast, one study showed 7.5% of college students reporting zoophilia, while other studies find only 2.2% to 5.3% expressing fantasies of sex with animals."
I know not every single member of the fandom may like these facts about their group (I actually know a couple furries who are strong conservative born again Christians), but I consistently have heard these ones tell me they sometimes wish they weren't in the fandom to begin with because of all the immorality. They usually just like dressing up in animal costumes in public events or make non-pornographic furry art.
So here is my question, how should Christians interact with these type of fandoms? Are there any furries on the Puritanboard? I know I have only given a very short summary of what furries are, but I believe their influence is growing fast and will eventually need a response from us.
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