When I was in grade school, I was teased mercilessly by other kids for meowing like a cat.
These days, my eight-year-old answers roll call at school by meowing like a cat, and it’s made them one of the most beloved kids in their class, including with their teacher.
To me, it represents real progress that a (probably autistic) kid who loves animals and has an easier time identifying with cats than other humans gets celebrated for being fun and different when they meow at school instead of being summarily ostracized for being weird.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that my kid’s school has been really accepting of their non-binary pronouns at the same time as being accepting of their predilection for meowing sometimes.
Furries are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to social acceptance.
Bullying furries is the wedge people use to figure out if they can get away with bullying other groups. ‘Cause furries seem like a joke.
But we’re not.
Furries are on the whole the most awesome, accepting, creative, wonderful, kind group of people I’ve ever encountered.