These are all great points. Thanks for addressing these “blind spots.”(People also should mind their drinks around fursuiters, too, for the same reason they shouldn’t smoke around them.)

At the end of the day, furries are people—so, that means that some are exceptionally good, some are exceptionally bad, and most are “regular folks” like everyone else.

So, you’ve always got to exercise common sense as a parent, whether your child is interacting with a fursuiter, a clergyman, a Disney character…

A person’s knowledge of the DSM, the mental health system, and all that jazz is all for naught if they haven’t even bothered to research and understand a person or group of people on their own terms.

You’d think all of this was common sense, but I’ve seen people treat furries in some pretty rowdy, randy, and rude ways, so this stuff unfortunately needs to be said. In particular, I’ve seen people grab or glomp furries so badly that their costumes were damaged or the people themselves were injured, and for some…

Nicely unpacked, you two!

Well said.