I think you’ve got a point there, yee! As somebody who was once a furry but swapped over to identifying as otherkin, I have noticed how the furry fandom is mainly male dominated. So male dominated that I’ve never met a female furry before, but I’ve heard that the female furries that do exist and go to conventions are sometimes straight up harassed...that made me realize that the fandom probably isn’t for me. I just felt out of place and unsafe.

But, in the therian/otherkin community, it’s much much more inclusive! I actually feel at home here and haven’t felt like my gender is a burden to myself and others. It’s much easier to be a female here, I’ve realized. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think you could be onto something! I’d be interested in seeing why, I’m just here to share my experiences

Based on both anecdotal experience and multiple polls and surveys it's quite well established that the furry fandom is very male dominated. Everyone knows this and remarks on it. Conversely, the therian and alterhuman communities are female dominated.

When I say male or female dominated I am talking about sex at birth. Not gender identity, for the record. Identities are pretty varied within both communities especially ours, that's not the specific pattern I'm noticing. If you're bothered by my language that's too bad because it's the only way I can effectively articulate my point. Internalise it how you want, or don't, it's not up to me. But I am talking about sex here.

The vast majority of "alterhumans" I have met are female/afab, the vast majority of furries I've met are male/amab. I have a little theory as to why. There's an old adage that men are interested in things and women are interested in people. Furry and otherkin are analogous to the things vs people dichotomy, two sides of the same coin.
Stereotypical male bonding is done over a shared activity, eg a game or a sport or train spotting. Furry is an activity, fursuits are things. It is no wonder then that the fandom is so male dominated because they can all meet up and do an activity together. In quite big groups.

Stereotypical female bonding is more talky and involves smaller, close knit groups. Therianthropy and its related concepts are less about doing and more about being. People sit together (usually in virtual space but still) and discuss themselves, eachother, interpersonal relationships, the community matters of the day etc. It's people focused and inward facing. Thus kinda "female coded". And the demographics reflect this.
I'm not saying that there aren't overlaps and exceptions and that the subcultures are entirely homogeneous. Of course not. There are female furries and male alterhumans and the female furries still do the thing. They make up most artists too! I don't think identifying as nonhuman is a female trait on its own, either. But how it's expressed socially can be, as evidenced by every recent poll. Individuals vary in personality but there are of course general trends when you zoom out far enough. And this is one of those trends, from where I'm looking.

(2025-02-19 1:02)UniqueUsernameTADA Wrote:  Interesting. I don't know anything about your life, but it is more normal for children to have animalistic behaviours that they grow out of, so perhaps your trauma could have influenced this to continue later in life instead of going away. I'm just speculating, do you have any theory for why you're a therian?

I don't believe my trauma had a lot to do with continuing these behaviors, but I'm no expert. I was definitely a lot more 'pup-like' in terms of my animalistic nature compared to how I am now. As I see it, I've always been part animal, and I think it will always continue to be that way.

As far as a theory goes, I've had some in the past, each time my beliefs changed or understandings grew, my view of therianthropy changed. I don't believe in souls as most typically do (and I will not elaborate on that, I'm still figuring out what I believe in that area) and I don't believe therianthropy is directly tied to neurodivergence either. There was a point when I was getting to be an older teen that I decided to reject therianthropy entirely and focus on being a "normal person", because I didn't know why or how I was a therian anymore. This happened a few times throughout my journey. After a few months I understood I can reject whatever I want but it will never change fact no matter what I feel or think.

In short, no I do not have a full theory on how somebody is a therian, as you can see it's not a one size fits all type thing. Therianthropy shows itself in many ways and can be experienced many ways and I don't think there exactly is a formula, I think we all want to speculate and find answers because it's a sort of elusive topic, but I don't think any amount of theories will crack the code.

My personal understanding is that therianthropy is one of these three things: For some it's a past life experience, others it could be a neurodivergent experience as this thread says, and for others that don't fit either of these, a gift from mother nature. that's all it is. You identify as an animal as well as a human, and you get to experience the intense connection to nature and the wild far better than any human could. I may not know why I am a therian, but it's obvious to me that won't change the fact I am now.

If you were given the opportunity to transition into your theriotype, would you without second thought and would that idea release you of your dysphoria, whilst looking forward to it? Regardless, we don't have any coping method that works permanently for species dysphoria right now, other than gear (which doesn't work either for me, but that's a personal matter). The thing is that science doesn't provide in that area. Species dysphoria is very real, unfortunately we don't have anything within medical science that resolves it. It hits home hard, even more so because of what I said regarding the non-existing solution.

I still agree with the fact that there's a recipe of some kind, as people are layers and layers of programming, genetics, nurture and nature anyway, so why not for us therians. Whatever the relationship between neurodivergency and therianthropy may be, it baffles me that most of us do have some condition underlying. But as I came to read just now, this doesn't have to be the case necessarily.

(2025-02-19 0:56)CatBark Wrote:  I am not LGBT and i would consider being animalistic has always been a trait of mine. It didn't start as a hyperfixation at all, I've just been always drawn to nature and viewed myself as a dog. As for mental health problems I'm not autistic but do show signs of adhd, but I've never gone to a psychiatrist or gotten diagnosed for anything.

I do have childhood trauma, but my animalistic instincts and connections started before all of that. I also was not raised around pets, so I didn't have that influence growing up. Maybe this is a common theme for therians, but it's not the case for all of them. pretty interesting analysis though.

Interesting. I don't know anything about your life, but it is more normal for children to have animalistic behaviours that they grow out of, so perhaps your trauma could have influenced this to continue later in life instead of going away. I'm just speculating, do you have any theory for why you're a therian?

I am not LGBT and i would consider being animalistic has always been a trait of mine. It didn't start as a hyperfixation at all, I've just been always drawn to nature and viewed myself as a dog. As for mental health problems I'm not autistic but do show signs of adhd, but I've never gone to a psychiatrist or gotten diagnosed for anything.

I do have childhood trauma, but my animalistic instincts and connections started before all of that. I also was not raised around pets, so I didn't have that influence growing up. Maybe this is a common theme for therians, but it's not the case for all of them. pretty interesting analysis though.

(2025-02-18 20:18)Lupus Ferox Wrote:  Do you believe you can be born trans?

If therianthropy was to make its appearance in the DSM-V, multiple ingredients would have to be present in order to call oneself that and for an extended amount of time (say six months in a row f.ex.) even. Neurodivergency, as you put it, is definitely a contender to be part of the recipe. Yes, I believe in the theory you proposed. I also believe that dysphoria sees many similarities no matter it's based on species or gender. If you can be born with one, then in analogue you can be born with the other (or both) as well. I see no difference as dysphoria is a worldwide, widespread, well-known and much talked about phenomenon. Of course, what dysphoria is exactly, will differ from one individual to the next, depending on the stamina, perseverance, of the individual. But... in general, I would say that what it means to be dysphoric is most likely a universal concept. The way we cope, can differ of course.

I do believe that you are born trans, but I am not an expert so I can't say for sure. I guess I see species dysphoria and gender dysphoria as different concepts in more ways than just the cause. The presentation of both of these things is similar, but one can be treated in ways other than transitioning. The only treatment for gender dysphoria is to transition. You can manage species dysphoria through things like gear, yes, but you can also use a variety of other methods. I generally see species dysphoria as something that only appears in conjunction with other mental health issues, so not therianthropy wouldn't be the root cause. Ultimately I don't know for sure if you are born as a therian, but I don't believe that these two types of dysphoria should be treated in the same way.

Do you believe you can be born trans?

If therianthropy was to make its appearance in the DSM-V, multiple ingredients would have to be present in order to call oneself that and for an extended amount of time (say six months in a row f.ex.) even. Neurodivergency, as you put it, is definitely a contender to be part of the recipe. Yes, I believe in the theory you proposed. I also believe that dysphoria sees many similarities no matter it's based on species or gender. If you can be born with one, then in analogue you can be born with the other (or both) as well. I see no difference as dysphoria is a worldwide, widespread, well-known and much talked about phenomenon. Of course, what dysphoria is exactly, will differ from one individual to the next, depending on the stamina, perseverance, of the individual. But... in general, I would say that what it means to be dysphoric is most likely a universal concept. The way we cope, can differ of course.

What about unbiased confirmation by other people, say people you've just met or hung out with for a short while?
I find that their insights may help, too, in that regard, even if it's just saying you're acting off or not as a human being should. It could be the trigger for you to do the research. Some of you mention deep thinking. But some of those feelings don't need to be thought about all the time, in my opinion. They have to be experienced first before you can narrow down their origins. Of course a bit obvious, but I thought why not mention.

I didn't need to do a lot of research. I felt like a cat for years and years, and I always acted like one (I was "the furry" in school since I was like 7 lol, since most people don't know the difference ?) so I knew I was a feline and I knew I was small.