How the world of furries gives people the confidence to become their true selves

Ella Collins was 16 when she first encountered the world of furries after a friend invited her to a BBQ.

“I got there and I was like, ‘What is this?’,” she said.

Furries are people who create anthropomorphic identities, often called fursonas, and it is estimated there are several thousand in Australia.

As a subculture, however, the world of furries is something of a mystery to many, as it’s rarely encountered in everyday life.

But, as hundreds of furries prepare for the 2021 national furry convention on the Gold Coast in just over six weeks’ time, devotees explain…