Furry representation in pride parade

[master coal]

 I am posting this, not for this year (to late), but just to get an overall idea of general opinion.

  There has been talk about furries and representation in Vancouver pride. Although there has never been a full poll done on this site as far as I know, about local representation at pride. I do know that the furry community has been represented in other pride parades in places around the world, with a fairly good review and media coverage. What I would ask is that you take a look at what was said about furry representation in pride other places in the world and vote what you think personally without pressure of others in this community.

[RappyRaptor]

My suggestion is to represent it by sayings 'furry supports gay pride' rather than making it look like the furries are gay if you get what I mean.

[master coal]

  That was the idea rappy

[RappyRaptor]

Well good!

[Lady Serpent]

*Laughs*

On that note, I'm surprised there isn't already at least some kind of furry representation at Pride.  You'd think people would freely wear ears, tails and suits, especially in the parade.

I'd love to drive down with a furry float; we'll see what happens for next year.  It's probably fairly easy to do; just contact the organisers of Pride and register to be part of the parade.

That's a funny way of putting it, actually.  Do you think people would vote based on pressure from other furs in the community?  I think we're all generally pretty self-opinionated around here. 

There's no big reason that there *shouldn't* be furry representation for any specific reason, just as there could easily be biker, goth, senior, and computer programmer pride representation, for example.  Gay Grannies, anyone?

Cheers;
-LS

[Wotan]

The problem Pride organisations have had in the past is the old "umbrella" problem, as I've always called it.
 The idea is that if you manage to get an umbrella of tolerance spread over yourself and your group, the larger that umbrella is, the less control you have over who and what will crawl underneath that umbrella to be with you.
 The gay community found that out in the late eighties/early nineties when NAMBLA and other boy-love groups tried to join the pride parades saying: "We're part of the gay community too!" Needless to say, many pride organisations became rather more leery about what groups they wanted to be associated with. For example, this year, Toronto Pride almost lost its city funding because an anti-Israel group was going to use the parade to demonstrate, and Pride (at first) refused to disassociate themselves with that particular group.
 I also know quite a few gay men who absolutely *DO NOT* want to be associated with furry.

  So, like I said, it's a touchy subject.

[RappyRaptor]

Right!  I feel it delivers a false message to the public too, depending how a float or whatever it maybe is done up in a parade, it can give the general public a "Oh, I guess that furry fandom I only hear about is gay too"  Meanwhile the furs who are not are kind of crossing their arms baring a frown.