17 years of progress with the Norcal Furries at San Francisco Pride.
by Patch O'Furr
Followup to Get furry at San Francisco Pride 2019. See the Pride tag for much more.
Photo by Zenith
Photo by Wusky Husky
For the 2019 San Francisco Pride parade on June 30, the Norcal Furries had their biggest turnout yet. A hundred members made the street their stage with cheering audiences on both sides. They won the “Absolutely Outrageous” award out of more than 200 parade contingents, their second year to get an award.
“Once again we beat corporations who spend thousands on their floats with just a bunch of GoFundMe donations, and a couple of people looking very fuzzy!” (- Vance)
It’s rare to get a public spotlight like this anywhere outside of convention hotels. There was no cost for just showing up to join. It was the first Pride for many members, and it wasn’t just about queer visibility, but also engaging allies and freedom of self-expression for all. It looked like a party but the reason for it wasn’t forgotten. 50 years ago, Stonewall was a riot against hate, but fun without fighting is an answer to the question — what did they fight for?
It’s spreading. This weekend there will be a new furry float at San Diego Pride. The organizer told me about wanting to bring it to LA Pride and draw Norcal furries there too. (Look for a story about that soon.)
After the parade, the Norcal Furries regrouped at the back of a tapas restaurant that was reserved just for them. Paella sizzled and sangria splashed while core supporter Spottacus stood up to speak.
Spottacus said the float didn’t just exist to get on and ride it. It happened because every one of them made it go, almost like they pushed it with their own paws. They were pushing change over time too. The enthusiastic turnout was way different from the first time furries were in San Francisco Pride.
The Absolutely Outrageous award that the furry float/contingent won at the San Francisco Pride Parade today, thanks to Bay Area Furries, @Zoren, @RelayRaccoon,@Spottacus, @patch_packrat and others pictured at the after parade dinner celebration. pic.twitter.com/HSEUAKNLow
— Spottacus Chee (➡ CC, EF, Burn) (@Spottacus) July 1, 2019
https://t.co/oWpE2L29OT #FlashbackFriday #SFPride 2002 Pride Parade Furry Contingent pic.twitter.com/Y5AzMolpcF
— Brigus St. John (@brigusdawg) July 5, 2019
In 2002, the community was torn by infighting. Nobody was more against it than other furries. They didn’t even want the group name to be used with so-called “sexual” implications, as if that should be dictated by outsiders with no interest in what the group does. It was documented on the local mailing list. (Brigus, an original organizer, told me he wants to dig up key documents to show it.)
After 2005, furries stopped being in the parade due to low resources — every helping paw matters if the burden rests on a few. Then another original organizer, Bos’n Otter, helped my effort to bring back a float. He was proud to have others pick up where he left off. (I’ve been helping to organize Pride meets since 2012.)
If you ever hear complaints that Pride doesn’t matter any more, that’s the sound of dead weight holding you back. Some people would even stop you from openly using the name “furry”. If you can’t enjoy something as simple as your hobby, what more is on the chopping block?
Good crew today #SFPride pic.twitter.com/KT2llkANSR
— Ringtailed Pan of Bi-Shaped Fun (@RelaxingDragon1) June 30, 2019
Another good video from Tamara of #Norcalfurries at #sfpride2019 @sfpride pic.twitter.com/7BM89OUwGt
— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) July 12, 2019
Here’s how the 2019 parade looked for Candy, a first-time marcher with the furries:
“The streets of downtown San Francisco were lined with tens of thousands of people for the 50th annual Pride parade. The Norcal Furries contingent had over 100 members with around 35 riding the float.
My favorite thing at the parade was the fursuiters interacting with the crowd. A dragon/shark-esque creature was zooming around on his scooter, doing laps around the group. A purple bunny with a matching purple backpack was going around giving high fives and hugs. A pink bunny, a tiger, an alligator and many more creatures were bouncing on top of the 14 feet tall Bounce Car which was adorned with elephants holding disco balls on the sides and pumping party music.
At one point we were worried that things like antler horns or big fluffy ears might hit the overhead cable car wires that San Francisco is known for. Can you imagine a cute bunny just going POOF! and turning into the Energizer Bunny?
There were tigers and lions and bears (oh my!) and dogs and wolfs and cats, and so much more! The fursuiters were well received by the spectators and many high fives and hugs were given out along the parade route. Much of the crowd was decked out in rainbow clothing, flags, beads, hats, makeup, bandanas and boas. The theme of this year’s parade was Generations of Resistance. And furries showed how to resist hate with the freedom of self expression. The contingent even won the Absolutely Outrageous award! (Last year they won the Absolutely Fabulous award.)”
– Candy
@GiaGunn from @RuPaulsDragRace and JT from #NorcalFurries at @sfpride. JT's not on Twitter so I'm passing on some fluffy hugs! Photo by Candy. #sfpride2019 pic.twitter.com/AApBV8ZwmU
— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) July 2, 2019
Spottacus was energized to spread the magic even better next time:
“Heya furry marchers: this was the 6th year of consecutive pride floats… And the best one yet. But instead of sitting still, let’s all think about how to up the game for next year. There are options for expanding, and if we have a compelling, exciting plan, we could be even more impactful. The crowd loved our exuberance, our variety (from dancing floatsters to paw-pressing street furs to scooter-riding sharks to charity-promoting suiters and friends, we were fun and interesting to watch). We’ve even been ribboned twice now.
So, we’re asking for ideas, and volunteers, to expand the art, the energy, the relevance. Let’s make next year even MORE fabulous and outrageous.”
– Spottacus
Want to get involved? Leave a comment here, or message @ZorenManray or @Spottacus on Telegram.
Here’s the full clip from yesterday!
🏳️🌈🦊📸#furrypride #FurryFandom #owo #fursuit #fursuiter pic.twitter.com/c7HwsAWVtG— Cody 🦊 Boopers 🔜 MEGAPLEX (@CodyBoopers) July 1, 2019
VarekWolf tells why his first time was so special:
“SF Pride 2019 wasn’t just my first Pride march, it was my first Pride event of any kind. I’d recently arrived at the realization I was Ace and probably bi-romantic as well, so Pride was naturally a way to celebrate my newfound confidence in myself. When our contingent turned the corner onto Market Street and we were surrounded by cheering spectators, masses of colorful flags, and exchanges of “Happy Pride!” I felt connected not just to other Aces but to a vast, supportive, and diverse community of individuals all across the LGBTIQA+ spectrum. Pride was one of the most personally meaningful things — as well as one of the most strenuous fursuit outings — I’ve ever done. I’m looking forward to SF Pride 2020.”
– Varek
Member photo galleries:
- Wusky Husky
- Trip E. Collie (“Enjoy and feel free to use but please credit”):
- Zoren
From the Telegram group for furries at Pride, I organized pics and vids into this channel (plus some interesting reactions): @sfpride2019. Here’s some selections.
Brigus and Soulfire Jackal – Photo by Super Jayhawk
Archai and Microdile supporting Dogbomb. Behind from the left: Natalie from the ALSA, Trip E. Collie, Soulfire Jackal, and Trip’s husband Direwolf in cowboy hat. — Photo by Walter Ringtail
“Just wanted to say, can’t thank all of you enough for the warm welcomes and hellos today meeting you! Really glad I was able to say hi to a few of you and meet ya (more glad our Disney float was right next to yours). Thanks again for being so sweet everyone. It was bittersweet for me leaving back to L.A. today. Made me miss living up in the Bay Area in general but more so because I got to meet some of you amazing, friendly and fun folks. You REALLY made my pride beyond memorable.” – Wusky Husky
“Thanks for the volunteers who put this event together! This my first time going to Pride and I totally loved it!” – Bill Trail Horse
“Thanks to everyone who put this together. This was my first time and I had an awesome time (though my ears are still ringing).” – Ryu Raccoon
“I had so much fun. Thank you everyone for organizing and setting all this up! All the contingent monitors deserve huge props as well, trying to organize us, and checking up on the suiters!” – Opda
“Thanks to the organizers and the volunteers running water around and cooling off suiters with leaf blowers. ” – Aidan Jackal
“It felt amazing to see a non corporation float. You all are life savers!! We need 5 more furry floats! Thank you for the fuzzy feelings.” – Jessica
“I like how our contingent looks so chaotic and diverse. Very non corporate and non regimented.” – Amenophis
“Isn’t it beautiful? I love the non corporateness and pure creativity.” – Joe G. Bear
“It was beautiful, and such a huge juxtaposition to the overly corporate floats with their big logos and color coordinated T-shirts.” – Tizzy
“Also thanks to all of you for being there. It is all of you who truly won the absolutely outrageous award. Combining it with the prior years award that means we’re Outrageously Fabulous.” – Zoren
“Thanks a bunch again, organizers and volunteers. I had a great first time at Pride, despite being a bay area native.” – Ray Ting
“I’d like to express my amazement, respect and heartfelt gratitude to everyone. To the organizers: it’s no small feat to coordinate all this, believe me I know. You did an extraordinary job. The float was awesome, the sound was badass, and the setup/teardown/operations crew obviously had their shit together. To the folks running around with water, straws, leaf blowers (best idea ever!), and just generally checking up on us: you were essential and AMAZING. To the folks guiding us crowd-focused, half-blind, mostly-exhausted furbags, your always-friendly-but-insistent direction/wrangling was extremely necessary and helpful. Thanks for the excellent work and PATIENCE! To the wheel monitors, you kept us from DYING! (OK, all the contingent monitors did that one way or another, tis true.) And to everyone who marched, you ALL did a bangin job of showing Furry’s best and most outrageous side to San Francisco, the LGBTQ+ community, Twitter, the Internet and the world (maybe?). Obviously the crowd and the parade itself loved us. This was my third time marching in the furry contingent in the pride parade, and the last time was 16 years ago. I gotta say, we’ve come a long way baby, and it was a joy to participate. So many good vibes and positive energy. Keep being who you are and be proud! I know I am.” – Brigus
Special thanks: to organizers Zoren, Clinton, Groggy, Trip, Roman, Mr. Disk0 and Buster for working with The Bounce Car and crew, Kado Husky for art, Spottacus and Relay for hosting and dinner, every Gofundme donor, and Natalie and Denise (ALSAOCC director and manager) for coming in honor of Dogbomb, and the supporters who made it possible (especially those who came from far away or aren’t furries but allies.)
Photo by Aidan
Photo by Takula
Photo by Soulfire Jackal
Photo by Christina. “Thank you everyone!! My daughter had a blast. We will never forget this day.”
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This is so awesome!!! ❤️ Thanks for this, Patch!
Thanks to you Whup for making meets happen yourself. See you at more of them soon I hope! Chat me if you are doing a few of the street fairs coming up.
I was in Washington for the DC Pride parade. It was a beautiful exhilarating experience, event without a furry float, just a couple of random ‘suiters. I hope I’ll be able to take part in next year’s NYC parade with a continent of other local furs
I rarely speak up but this is going to be long winded.
I’d like to point how relevant the furry fandom is regarding pride, and how much more it is.
Unlike other sub cultures, it is more than just the celebration of a niche interest. It is a nexus regrouping all the questioning people. Many find refuge in it from the oppression of the social norm, their small town, culture, family or religion and find in it the fabric to grow and escape their condition.
It is a saving grace for many, far beyond kink communities, lgbtq movements, rainbows.
It is about escaping the human condition and transcending our social and our physical limitations. Behind the costumes, the fur, the arts, the masks fall and we can share our true selves, express our true feelings, accept each other and therefore become more human. We become accepting and closer to each other.
The fandom provides a safe haven to find acceptance that goes beyond sexual orientation or kinks. I see many with disabilities, autistic, aspberger, ADHD or even depressions find support, express themselves, grow and heal among us.
Social statuses are shattered. The illiterates mingle with the best writers and artists, the low income and struggling rub elbows with doctors and CEOs, and even third world citizens can reach out and connect to first world furs across frontiers.
We are all handicapped, in our own way, and our furry carnival allows us to transcend, better and accept ourselves and each other. We become free, we become creative, we become whole.
The fandom often heals better than therapy, than AA, survivor group or other organisation, because it is a family.
A word of caution. I believe we have our own fight to carry to keep it that way:
A furry is self defined, not chosen or appointed. There is nothing like a rule or standard. However I think acceptance of the other has been a key principle we should enforce. We are shattering social norms and redefining rules and morals, just like the hippies did in the 60s. Those things are not cast in stone and pushed by greater powers often not for the benefit of the individual but often to alienate them for outdated or nefarious reasons like fear, greed, control or power.
We don’t have to be militant like the dogpatch press is, but being supportive and carrying the right moral compass will go a long way to prevent the collapse of what this frontier fandom offers. That compass is yours to define and enforce.
My strong opinion is that the compass should enforce acceptance, and the rule that your rights and freedoms end when they hurt someone else:
If you want to be accepted as you are, you must accept the other even if you don’t like them…
You should be allowed to express yourself, be weird, and not be condemned for it. You should also never condemn the others. Others will be weird, you may not understand nor even accept what they stand for. You may even have strong opinions and judgements about that, but you should never condemn them nor throw them under the bus. In fact you should support their right to be unapologetic about something you don’t care for. You keep your rights to not participate nor be forced to be exposed to what you don’t approve. Live and let live.
This leads to a call for action, fight the bigoted!
This goes beyond alt right, race and religion fights. It’s about stopping bullying in general.
If you manage a group or a meet, ban those that cause witch hunts, those that thrive on hurting others, do it systematically. However be prompt to take them back if they repent and fix their ways, that’s because we must be better than society when it comes to acceptance and forgiveness.
Understand that often bullies are righteous and often deeply believe they are entitled to act to take down a perceived evil. You will not change their moral compass. However we can educate them on acceptance and change how they act. Convert them from oppressors to allies.
Let’s be the Messiah and the apostles, not the priests and dogmatic religions.
Very good words. I love freaks and loveable wierdness! It’s so great to have a haven for it. Supporting people is a great way to break boundaries and that’s all I’d want to focus on for this great event.
There can be a caveat about “transgressive” action if it gets welded to harmful things. That can be accidental or naive, but since the alt-right came up… there are some groups who intentionally weld a bad agenda to things people want, and hide behind false, two faced denial. That’s exactly what a nazi is — not like the movies where they march openly. In reality they have always been two-faced chameleons who try to worm in under cover and by others’ complicity before taking that power. There are some undeniable, unambiguous ones trying to use this fandom like any subculture that has prey to recruit. (Proof: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAFE8QMWVSl979tGr0w ) Same goes for sex predators, they’re in any group from subcultures to priesthood.
The “witch hunt” concept is just as easily used as a cover to deflect criticism and excuse bad faith, but it does happen. It helps to remember that when one chooses complicity with a hate group, they can’t be bullies and victims at the same time. They can’t say “I’m human too” while dehumanizing entire classes. They can’t deflect about “guilt by association” with groups they choose. They can’t benefit from false equivalence by provoking reaction, and lying that it’s a loop caused by others for not legitimizing their illegitimate existence.
When it’s time to draw the line of no tolerance for intolerance, I agree it shouldn’t just target individual people, it should focus on a higher goal for change. Break up hate groups by canceling complicity and ignorance before people.
As far as being militant, I just have words to write about things, or I can help bring good events together to make a good example. Some people forget the second part when being overzealous about problems and seeking clout that way. I’m glad this event showed how many people really care.
Thanks for helping make it more awesome. 🙂
How would u join the group though?