For me, joining the furry fandom has had a huge impact on my life in a good way. I learned that it’s okay if I’m different or “cringe” as long as what I’m doing is making me happy. I no longer need validation from others that what I’m doing is okay because I now realize that those types of people needlessly bully individuals who do stuff that doesn’t match their definition of “based”. I feel more confident in talking to other people which led me to becoming friends with the best person I’ve ever met who is now my partner.
I’m curious to know your story about joining the fandom and how it has impacted you so I can get to know this community better.
My upbringing was pretty conservative and sex negative. That resulted in me resenting and repressing my being queer. Undoing the damage from that has been a long process, but I’m getting there thanks to the friends I’ve made here who’ve helped me become more self-accepting.
Joining the furry fandom allowed me to get to know gay and trans people and it turns out they’re nothing like what my bigoted parents said they were! Lurking in a couple of furry communities and reading the stories posted by their LGBT members showed me that we’re all just regular people trying to live our lives and nobody deserves the kind of hate I had been trained to give. That realization ended up saving a couple of friendships later on, and eventually led to me discovering that I’m trans myself. I’ve also met some very good and supportive friends in the fandom, so I’d say it’s been a very positive force in my life.
I think positive overall. Yet I still do not yet feel fully comfortable presenting as my fursona on all services.
