Fans of Florida ‘furry’ festivals say DeSantis has ‘sucked the fun out of life’s little pleasures’

Supporters of Florida’s longtime “furry” festival have criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis after the annual event was forced to ban children under 18.

A writer for Rolling Stone magazine went so far as to say that the Republican presidential nominee “sucked the fun out of many of life’s little pleasures” after Megaplex, an Orlando-based convention, announced that minors would be attending this year’s event in in accordance with Florida law.

“Many have expressed concern about recent changes in Florida law,” the group said in a statement Wednesday. “After reviewing Florida SB 1438, it has been determined for legal reasons and for the protection of our visitors, our venue and the overall convention, Megaplex 2023 attendees must be 18 years of age at the time of registration.”

Florida SB 1438, or the Protection of Children Act, prohibits a person from “knowingly admitting a child to an adult live performance,” defined as “any show, exhibition, or other presentation before a live audience that, in whole or in part, shows or simulates nudity, sexual behavior, sexual arousal or specific sexual activities.”

It was signed by DeSantis earlier this year.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured May 5) signed into law prohibiting a person from “knowingly admitting a child to an adult live performance”

Megaplex said in a statement Wednesday that organizers have decided “for legal reasons and for the protection of our attendees” that convention attendees must be over the age of 18

While the decision was made by the organizers of the annual event, which is dedicated to “people who enjoy dressing up as or making art out of anthropomorphic creatures,” Rolling Stone senior writer EJ Dickson berated DeSantis for apparently ruining the event.

“Florida Governor and GOP presidential nominee Ron DeSantis has successfully sucked the fun out of many of life’s little pleasures, from drag brunches to adult Disney TikTok,” she began. her essay.

“And thanks to the passage of SB 1438, or the Protection of Children Act, DeSantis can now take the ax down on furries.”

She dismissed the connection between furries and “adult entertainment” as part of “pervasive misconceptions” that furries are “inherently sexual.”

Rolling Stone senior writer EJ Dickson (pictured) berated DeSantis for apparently ruining the event

“While it’s true that there’s a segment of furrydom that sees it as a kink, it’s not representative of the wider community, and many furries don’t consider their interest in anthropomorphic creatures to be sexual at all,” argued Dickson.

While many conventions focus on the NSFW aspects of the furry fandom, they usually save such shows for later in the evening to make sure the rest of the scam is family-friendly, or shut down adult vendors so they don’t get completely caught up in it. be in sight of other attendees,” she claimed.

The fact that furry organizers felt pressured to ban children from the convention is yet another example of how [the law’s] seen as an attack on LGBTQ rights,” Dickson continued.

“The furry fandom is overwhelmingly LGBTQ biased, with nearly 80 percent of furries identifying themselves as such,” she explained.

In addition, many furries identify as transgender and “wouldn’t feel safe at a convention in Florida” because of laws restricting bathroom use to that of one’s assigned gender.

She quoted a “transgender furry and the owner of furry toy company Lycantasy” who said they agree with Megaplex’s decision, but said they don’t want to go to the convention this year because “I don’t want to get into a confrontation.” or worse, jail or death just because you went to the bathroom in Florida.”

She wrote in a piece for Rolling Stone that the law is an attack on LGBTQ rights, as many furries identify as part of the community

Dickson continued to defend the “furry fandom” as a safe haven for children, arguing that the community attracts people who are “marginalized.”

“Many furries are marginalized in some way: In addition to many who identify as LGBTQ, a significant percentage of furries are also neurodivergent,” she wrote. ‘As a result, they tend to see the community as a sort of safe haven.

“For this reason, children have become increasingly drawn to the fandom in recent years, as Rolling Stone has previously reported,” she said.

“The emergence of furry influencers on platforms like TikTok has led to fandom becoming increasingly popular among young people, with Pittsburgh-based conference Anthrocon reporting that 16 percent of attendees in 2019 were under the age of 19.”

To wrap up her essay, Dickson interviewed the founders of Moms of Furries, one of whom said it was “heartbreaking” to “think of young furries who have no room to connect.”

Dickson argued that in recent years more and more children have found a community with the “furry fandom”

Megaplex remains optimistic about having minors at its convention going forward, saying in its statement, “We hope this change is temporary and we can welcome members of all ages again next year.”

“This decision was difficult, but Megaplex has not forgotten or abandoned our younger fandom members and is exploring options for events and activities for all age groups and their families.”

Last year’s event included many events held overnight for people 18 and older.

But others held during the afternoon, some of which were advertised to a general audience, were ‘How to Be Queer’, ‘Babyfur/Kidfur Meet Up’ and ‘Transgender Furs Meet and Greet’.

This year’s Megaplex convention is scheduled for September 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando.