001416892 001__ 1416892
001416892 005__ 20240729093647.0
001416892 02470 $$2Handle$$ahttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12419/609
001416892 037__ $$aIR
001416892 245__ $$aA Furry Friend: An Autoethnography on the Relationship Between Gender Identity and Fursonas
001416892 336__ $$aAbstract
001416892 520__ $$aTransgender people identify as a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth, whether this is male, female, or something else entirely. Furries are people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animals, and many have a “fursona”, or an animal representation of the self. Furries often use fursonas to reflect a sexual or gender identity.  LGBT+ people are a majority in the furry fandom, and there are more transgender people than in the general population. Given that transgender people are more common in the furry community, research looking into the relationship between gender development and furry identity could yield interesting insights.

The following project is an autoethnography done by a trans man who is a furry.  His previous and current fursonas were dated and redrawn. Then, these fursonas were analyzed based on appearance and the author’s life events at the time, with a focus on his relationship to his gender. The analysis indicates that, not only did his fursonas change with his gender, but that the fursonas themselves were used as a tool for gender exploration. The use of a fursona to explore gender was useful in many ways, including it being risk-free in terms of internal discomfort as well as externally. These findings may be significant for people who are looking for a safe way to explore their relationship with their gender.
001416892 7001_ $$aPfingston, Ben$$uUniversity of Southern Indiana
001416892 711__ $$aHonors Student Symposium Fall 2020
001416892 789__ $$whttps://youtu.be/Bk3smeGu3tA$$2URL$$eIsPartOf
001416892 904__ $$a2020-12-08T16:26:22Z$$baccessioned
001416892 904__ $$a2020-12-08T16:26:22Z$$bavailable
001416892 905__ $$a/collection_44/7/dublin_core.xml
001416892 907__ $$aTransgender people identify as a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth, whether this is male, female, or something else entirely. Furries are people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animals, and many have a “fursona”, or an animal representation of the self. Furries often use fursonas to reflect a sexual or gender identity. LGBT+ people are a majority in the furry fandom, and there are more transgender people than in the general population. Given that transgender people are more common in the furry community, research looking into the relationship between gender development and furry identity could yield interesting insights. The following project is an autoethnography done by a trans man who is a furry. His previous and current fursonas were dated and redrawn. Then, these fursonas were analyzed based on appearance and the author’s life events at the time, with a focus on his relationship to his gender. The analysis indicates that, not only did his fursonas change with his gender, but that the fursonas themselves were used as a tool for gender exploration. The use of a fursona to explore gender was useful in many ways, including it being risk-free in terms of internal discomfort as well as externally. These findings may be significant for people who are looking for a safe way to explore their relationship with their gender.
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001416892 980__ $$aHONORS STU SYMPO