The scandal around Denver’s furry community is absolutely wild.
Rocky Mountain Fur Con, the annual convention of furries in Colorado, was abruptly canceled. The official reason: Too many fascists.
For the unfamiliar, “furries” are generally defined as enthusiasts of anthropomorphized animals, or animals given human traits, especially in the context of cosplaying as animals. That’s a very simplified explanation of this varied, complex community.
The organizers sent out a statement dated April 10 explaining why there would be no furry convention in Denver this year. He wrote that because of “external influences of hate, intolerance, and stubborn refusal to compromise,” the 10th year of the convention was called off.
Last month, we were faced with a sudden and drastic increase in security costs amounting to more than a third of our entire existing operating budget. This cost increase stemmed directly from the very public threats of violence against one another by members of this community, as well as the negative backlash from misinformation spread about the convention, its staff and attendees. Therefore, Rocky Mountain Fur Con 2017 is officially canceled. I will no longer continue to subject my staff and our community to the lies, hate, violence and slander that was disseminated by a small, vocal minority.
According to a local Denver news station, the real story is even more complicated. Journalist JJ MacNab drew attention to the investigative reporting done by furry-focused news blog Flayrah.
https://twitter.com/jjmacnab/status/851666150991708160
Yep, that’s a thing. From the Flayrah report:
While their official statement cites rising security costs, the closure follows the controversial issues surrounding CEO Kendal Emery (Kahuki Liaru), and the “Furry Raiders” group. It has also been discovered by Flayrah that the convention’s parent company’s Federal tax-exempt status, obtained in 2009, had lapsed, and it had not filed taxes for a period of seven years, while still claiming to be a registered 501(c) non-profit.
Fans of the convention were upset by the decision to cancel. Read the full breakdown of the dramatic and scandalous end of Fur Con, here.
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