I myself am a furry, and online I have a few friends who are as well, we constantly get harassed on VrChat just for existing. We get told to go die, to kill ourselves, called harmful names. It’s the same thing in real life at school I get barked at, called a f*g and other names, laughed at. But people can express their pride in the school or sports and clubs and communities they are in outside of school. So why is it an issue when I do?  It took me so long to accept that I was a furry to be exact, It took four and a half years. All because my parents and friends made it seem like furries are all bad and that it's a sexual thing and are overall disgusting, and none of it was true they were just assuming things based on the bad things others have told them or the stereotypical furry.

Everyone has opinions, and not everyone has to agree. But why is our society struggling with drawing the line between not liking something and shaming something? Furries shouldn't be put down and targeted for expressing themselves. People don't get harassed for expressing that they are in sports or that they like video games or tv shows. So why should other groups? For example, people are constantly viewing furries as a sexual thing, People assume we actually think we are animals, assume we want to do ‘it’ with animals, and assume we all are part of the LGBTQ or gay when none of these are 100% true; for example, most furries are not sexual (attracted to furries in a sexual way) most of us do it for fun and to dress up. Of course, there are those who do it in that way but it's not the majority so we shouldn't be labeled like that. 

Being a furry is more so a way to express yourself almost like being a drag queen. You essentially have this alter person that's also you. (Just as drag queens dress up furries do almost the same thing.) but for us it's called a fursona, seeing as not all of us can't afford or don't want to have a fur suite we can create our own fursona (character).  Which is just a drawing (or model depending on how you make yours) that shows what kind of animal you are (mythical or not real ones included).

As stated in Furscience. Lead author: Dr. Stephen Reysen. As a matter of fact most furries don't even own fursuits. “The results indicate that only about 10-15% of furries actually own a fursuit (though the results also indicate that far more—nearly 50%—are interested in acquiring one). Additionally, only about 25% of furries owns a partial fursuit (with many more interested in owning a partial fursuit in the future). The data therefore dispel the common misconception that furries are all fursuiters.” by Admin, Jun 8, 2016. 

People are affected differently by all of these stereotypes, For example Fur fest 2014 as stated in Justice for furries on February 14th 2018 by an anonymous, “Sadly, hate crimes against our furry friends are very real and very relevant. On December 7, 2014, the fifteenth-annual Midwest FurFest (which is the second most popular furry-based convention in the country) was subject to an attack where someone leaked chlorine gas on the ninth floor stairwell. Chlorine gas is a toxin that can affect the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and in higher concentrations and long enough exposure, it can even cause asphyxiation and death. 19 people were hospitalized and the entire hotel (which has over a thousand rooms) had to be evacuated.” 

When it comes down to it, things like this shouldn't be happening in the first place, we shouldn't live in a world where people think it’s ok to shame someone for liking something that isn't doing any harm to anyone, Specifically in this case furries shouldn't be shamed for simply being who they are. I and my friends shouldn't be getting shamed and threatened just because we are furries. In real life or VrChat especially when people go into worlds that are specifically a safe place for the furry community and bash us just for having a fur-skin. In the end, there will always be stereotypes of furries and other bad stigmas, but because of that we should prove them wrong and express who we are anyways.