furry festival (Pittsburgh, Indiana: for sale, coupon, restaurants)

[Hopes]

I heard the hotel allows the furries to have adult sized 'litter boxes' in the rooms. YIKES!

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

[lifepgh2op]

LMP, your pictures ALWAYS crack me up

[hempfield mania]

fleetiebelle,
A few furry callers to the X morning show said otherwise. Again, whatever they want to do is fine, as long as it is not within eyesight of me!

[BrianTH]

From what I have read the sexual fetish story has been WAY overhyped in popular media and popular imagination. To summarize, it appears furries are not notably more sexual with each other than any other group of like-minded people, although some of them do like some kinky art--which is actually also not much of a distinction from other people. Incidentally, it seems to me that the common overhyping of the sexual lives of furries says more about people in general than about furries in particular.

Anyway, here is an article from the City Paper specifically addressing this issue:

Animal Passions - The furries come to town ... and our correspondent tails along - Main Feature - Main Feature - Pittsburgh City Paper

[Indypendent_Anonymous]

We are working hard to get the same sort of con banned here in Indianapolis. We don't want these people in our community and around our children- have you seen some of their websites depicting underaged characters engaging in sex acts? Just do a search on 'furry' in google and you find all kinds of disgusting and frightening things. We don't want these people here, and I can see why Philly kicked them out.

If Pittsburg were smart, they'd do the same.

[Hopes]

Pittsburghers are smart! Pittsburghers don't oppress the rights of others!

Enjoy your furry free city while we reap the financial benefits.

Our children aren't attending furry festivals. Our children aren't looking them up on the internet.

As a matter of fact, I'm a little concerned that you're looking up their furry sex acts on the internet.

Are you sure you don't have some freaky suppressed voyeurism issues?

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by Indypendent_Anonymous

We are working hard to get the same sort of con banned here in Indianapolis. We don't want these people in our community and around our children- have you seen some of their websites depicting underaged characters engaging in sex acts? Just do a search on 'furry' in google and you find all kinds of disgusting and frightening things. We don't want these people here, and I can see why Philly kicked them out.

If Pittsburg were smart, they'd do the same.

No, I haven't. Can you send me a link to your furry porn file server?

So did you just kind of bulldoze over the fact that the sexual aspect of furries is a minority portion that's been sensationalized because it makes good press? Or the fact that the convention wasn't actually kicked out of Philly since hopefully no city is actually that misinformed and purityrannical?

[Impala26]

Oy vey. I'm gonna do my best to reiterate what BrianTH has been saying throughout this thread: the "sexual-deviant" nature of furries is vastly overhyped and overblown, and the people at these conventions are as harmless as Trekkies and anime-crazies.

I actually attended AC 2009! *GASP* I went with a friend and it was my first time at any such "furry gathering". I'm no fanatic by any stretch of the imagination, frankly, it's an simply a curiosity of mine, a hobby. A hobby that's no different than video games, bike-riding, studying architecture or history, etc. I went to AC in the most simple casual attire possible (a T-shirt and jeans) as did a surprising majority of people there. It turns out the furries there were far more geeky and dorky than anything close to a "deviant". I actually found myself amongst a friendly like-minded group of people and enjoyed myself. It turns out I'm a bit of a dork myself, and this doesn't bother me.

I've come to grips with the fact that simply saying I've associated myself with furries is near social-suicide. You know what? I don't really care. I only hope my short time here has earned me a reasonable reputation. So after experiencing all the supposed mayhem caused by the furries at AC 2009, I would be more than happy to answer any and all questions that people are willing to throw.

[Tiger Beer]

Okay, never heard of the event.

So, I looked it up line...what is ANTROCON:

"Our programming includes workshops and seminars in acting, costume-building, animation, writing, art and design, and more. "

I don't see anything in there about sexual deviation and lewd sex acts to minors. Actually it says anyone under the age of 18 can't even attend without written parental permission.

I also just read the 'rules of conduct' page: Anthrocon Standards of Conduct (v.3.0) | Anthrocon 2010: Modern Stone-Age Furries, June 24-27 2010. It sounds VERY 'RATED PG'. I mean, they have a ton of rules that pretty much NOTHING suggestive whatsoever be allowed.

In other words, your 'Halloween parties' across Oakland or you 'Greek Toga' parties at the frat houses are probably going to be much more 'interesting', if people are that afraid of something 'interesting' occuring.

To me, this looks like adults who seem to want to dress up like Walt Disney characters. To me, it does seem a bit odd, and not something I'd be interested in, but I certainly wouldn't ban it.

I do think there is an artistic element predisposed to those who like art, creating, design, acting, halloween, having fun, etc....and that's about the extent of it.

It's funny, because something like this appears to be something most people gear towards children to do...for Halloween...but they have no direction in costume design unless they have a parent predisposed to it somehow. Here is something where adults CAN learn something, etc. Plus, why are kids only allowed to create costums and design things, and then when they pass the age of 18, never be allowed again to ever do anything like that, as post 18, it is suddenly considered deviant and sexual? What kind of message is that to kids?

Some of these posters sound like the christian versian of the Taliban. What? Women might walk the streets without being accompanied by their husbands? Single men will rape them! Oh my god, we gotta ban women from walking!! No shoes sold to women from here on out, let's nip this problem in the bud!