Dogpatch Press

Facebook closed my account. There’s a wave of furry victims of this ill-planned policy. Did it happen to you too?

Behind the fursona, there’s deeper issues, like the way internet trolls enjoy gay-bashing and compromising safety for participants of certain live club events. These names are positive statements. Forcing you not to use yours is a negative statement.

When I organized a “hug-in” coinciding with a protest threat from Westboro Baptist Church (of “God Hates Fags” infamy), it was meant to be a positive thing of it’s own… but also to answer them with positivity.  (They didn’t show- all we did was hug.)  Facebook’s policy jeopardizes people’s safety to speak that way.

Sure, you can just ditch the account any time – it’s not an entitlement – but I think many furry readers will agree this is still a problem in the realm of courtesies and tolerances, and companies being callous and shitty.

Facebook is a San Francisco Bay Area-based company. The story has local connections to this blog, beyond your internet use.

A friend of mine is closely affiliated with the Radical Faeries, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence – radical groups who do a lot of Drag. He was pissed about this issue – and told me that it’s going to get bigger because they pissed off his friend, Sister Roma. (Don’t mess with Sister Roma. I got your back, sister… bark bark!) She’s an activist leading something of a social call for respect under Twitter hashtag “#MyNameIs”.

Read more about the Sisters, Radical Faeries, and their connection to “The Furry scene” in my interview series with Neonbunny. You have to dig a bit, but it’s a real, specific connection.

Neon compares fursuiting and drag…

It was a good analogy- people understand drag. It’s transforming your self to be a different gender. Fursuiting is transforming to a different species.

Today, Sister Roma is leading a meeting at San Francisco City Hall about Facebook’s policy. Again, this isn’t just an internet thing – it’s about the meaning of names and why they are important to real life activism.

Furries, tell me… has this policy affected you? Has your hobby or life been compromised, from fear of being forced to come “out of the kennel?”