I'm a furry

I’ve been involved in the furry fandom for over half of my life.

During that time I’ve had the privilege to be involved with several community projects, many of which gave me invaluable experience in programming, community management, event management, and more. It was these projects that padded my CV when first looking for work and, I believe, were instrumental in getting me to where I am today.

Many members of the community hide their involvement for fear of discrimination. The fandom has been the subject of many exploitative and unflattering depictions in the media, which they feel has coloured public perceptions of what the fandom is about.

Change is on the horizon, however. More furries than ever are being public about their identities and their roles in professional life. Just in the last few years we’ve had Coronavirus vaccine researchers, the guy who invented the heartbeat sensor in your smartwatch, literal astronauts, trending entertainers, popular musicians, professional esports players and, of course, tech workers all be open about their furry proclivities. That is a list I am honoured to be associated with, not ashamed!

My fursona

My fursona is a Honduran white bat named Emy who, appropriately enough, is a robot. I’ve written about my fursona before and why it’s my face on the internet.

Art by Integration.

I am not my fursona

Some people assume that because I identify as a robot, and my fursona is a robot, that I identify as my fursona specifically.

This is not the case. I have a different perception of myself as a robot that is separate from and unrelated to my fursona, barring some shared aesthetics (because, unsurprisingly, those are aesthetics that I like). My fursona is a representation of me as an individual, but it is not specifically me.