cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2733818

I know that therians are not furries but I’m looking for any input I can get.

I’ve read through some of the top posts for r/therian. I have a vague understanding of otherkin in general but hadn’t heard of therians in particular. If my kid said they were a furry, I’d be well within my comfort zone. I fuck with furries. But this seems like people who feel they are trans-species and talk about having species dysphoria. I just don’t know what to make of it but I’m also trying to not overreact or let my snap judgements alienate my kid. I assume they feel like they’ve just had to come out to me, which is something I’ve gone out of my way to not make necessary in terms of gender and sexuality stuff. Just didn’t see this coming.

If the worst thing that happens is they enjoy making animal noises and spend more time out in nature, I’m super down. If they start experiencing alienation from their own identity because of this, I’m not sure what I’ll do.

  • Babs [she/her]
    ·
    5 months ago

    Kids believe all sorts of shit. If it's not causing dysfunction in their life, there's probably no harm in letting them be a weirdo until they either grow out of it or become a based weirdo adult.

    I've known teenagers calling themselves otherkin. I've never known a grown adult to. It doesn't seem like sexuality or gender where it's here for the long haul - just keep being a cool parent and let kids be kids and let them be little a cringe sometimes, as a treat. You can all laugh about it when you're old.

    • iridaniotter [she/her]
      ·
      5 months ago

      I follow a 37 year old therian (I think?) on Mastodon. It's an interesting concept. I've warmed up to the idea after reading about homuncular flexibility and sex abolition. We're not hunter-gatherers anymore, so I can't be too surprised that people feel estranged from their homo sapiens body. Just another example of modes of production making previous ways of being increasingly irrelevant. Kind of a shame that we're at the level of technological development that we are. I do think eventually "humans" will encompass many "nonhuman" forms. Not a personal interest of mine, though.

    • TheDoctor [they/them]
      ·
      5 months ago

      Yeah, this is the vibe I’m trying to lead with. Lighthearted curiosity until I have a reason to believe otherwise, I guess.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]M
      ·
      5 months ago

      I've known teenagers calling themselves otherkin. I've never known a grown adult to.

      I've known a handful. They're usually alright people.

      • PaX [comrade/them, they/them]M
        ·
        5 months ago

        Same here

        People won't often talk about it outside furry/therian/otherkin spaces just because it's so incomprehensible to normals and at best no one will understand or take you seriously

        Even online I often see therians who don't identify themselves explicitly except through language and symbols only those in the community/adjacent communities will understand

        Thankfully I think the therian-hating/otherkin-hating/"cringe compilation" era has mostly died with Gamergate.... but these days I wouldn't be surprised if it came back agony-deep