Dogpatch Press

Furries return to San Francisco Pride – June 28, 2020 

Back in 2012, the weekend celebration of SF Pride didn’t have any activities with anthropomorphic animals. Maybe they would just stay in their dog houses, or sit on eggs and wait for their terns, or whatever they do alone. That seemed like a loss when the SF Bay Area had the worlds most dense population of furries.

Why shouldn’t they go to Pride? Companies, schools, and all kinds of interest groups do. Pride is a statement about love that any group can support. But they didn’t seem to have any activity since a parade contingent around 2002-2005. (It’s not well documented, but the original organizers told me about overcoming some of the most friction for it from other fans, in fear of fear itself.)

Whose job is it to make it happen? Everyone’s. That’s why in 2020, I can report 8 years of starting and helping to organize award-winning floats in the parade, with partners like @Zoren, @StevenTigeron and hundreds of supporters and members. They’re coming back with a newly purchased trailer to have for the future. Generous donations last year covered it, but now they need to build a float on it and give everyone an experience to remember.

You can help on GoFundMe. Donations are matched by Spottacus.

A new event for the SoCalPrideFurs 

Pride is everywhere, and a great place to see furries bring their magic is at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. That’s where they devote months of preparation and talent to build professional floats to blow your mind. I keep meaning to interview them, (including ones who did costume building for The Masked Singer, Australian edition). But that’s way farther south than I’ve had time for!

Back in California, a few hundred miles from the SF Bay, furries in San Diego are coming back for a second year at their Pride event. One of the biggest reasons is organizer Dave Hester, who engaged me about it last year and says more below.

Help the SoCalPrideFurs fundraiser here.

Dave Hester overcame a difficult background to bring Pride for furries in SoCal and help show them support:

Last year, the reason I wanted to run it had to do with the environment I lived in for a few years. But once I started planning everything and getting others involved, I started to realize how many people told me that they wished they could go with everyone. Telling me the reasons why they couldn’t. Their families aren’t supportive, they haven’t come out yet. Not just for being in the LGBTQ+ community, but also being furries.

We are mixed between two wonderful and supportive communities. Every year I want nothing more than to give something to the communities I hold dear to me. I want the furries to be in as many Pride parades as possible, we are a large community that is mostly LGBTQ+ and supporters. I want the kids of this generation to see us up there and know that they aren’t alone, we have gone through the same thing. We know their pain and suffering of having to hide something that’s a part of them. I want them to know that one day, when I’m a graymuzzle, I’ll still be running this event and those kids will be a part of it with their friends and their furry family.

On top of what I want to do and my purpose for doing this. I’ve had a few people new to California and the Pride parade was their first fur meet. They met a lot of amazing people that day, they enjoyed themselves. Hearing how everyone had so much fun and loved walking in the parade, it makes me really happy to know that I gave my friends a hell of a Pride month and that they can look forward to it again and again.

What will the plans be for L.A. Pride? Let’s catch up about it closer to the time, but it’s part of the reason for the fundraiser. It can benefit many furs who have far trips to reach these events, while their own city has a big one ready to join. 

More: 17 years of progress with the Norcal Furries at San Francisco Pride.

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