Līga Aija Lagzdiņa/Latvijas Avīze
Both globally and in Latvia, there is a trend that children are increasingly choosing to identify as animals.
These children and young people, known as furries, make fursuits based on stylised animals such as wolves, dragons or foxes.In Latvia, members of this community meet at privately organised events or at the annual UniCon festival at the Ķīpsala Exhibition Centre.
Teenage psychotherapist Nils Sakss Konstantinovs sparked a heated debate on his X account, calling it a social bonding theory.
“This is a good example of the social bonding theory. This identification of children as animals started about three years ago in the US, became a thing in Europe a year ago and has now reached us.”
In another comment, he mentions that he is currently working with a young person who probably got the idea to identify as an animal after watching a video on Tiktok.
The comments on the post are both ironic and intolerant. For example, furries are called schizophrenics or jokers. Should this culture really be considered a mental illness that can be spread through social networks?
The Guardian also writes that furry culture has a bad reputation as it is most often perceived as a perverted fetish. However, American researcher Samuel Conway reveals that for most furies, the attraction is not sexual. It is just a playful escape from the everyday and a creative fascination with anthropomorphic characters, or animals with human characteristics, through costumes and role-playing.
Psychologist Kristiāna Kalniņa believes that society does not try to understand this subculture, but denies it and is prejudiced against it. She notes that belonging to this community cannot immediately be called a pathology or a mental health disorder, as more research is needed to confirm this.
“Social influences play a huge role in adolescence, and this is perfectly normal – they imitate and are impressed by each other, whereas children are interested in animals – for them it is an act.
It is also positioned as fitness, and in theory it could be – it is physically challenging to run on all fours, but you cannot ignore that it is also closely linked to the subculture.
It is very appealing to children with its colourful and endearing characters, and to young people with the sense of belonging and support provided by the community,” Nils Sakss Konstantinovs tells Latvijas Avīze.
A cat litter box for a pupil?
This autumn in Scotland, a schoolboy is officially allowed to identify as a wolf, reports the Telegraph. There are also children who have asked to be identified as dinosaurs, horses, cats and even the moon. In Wales, a school has officially announced that cat litter boxes are not being provided on school premises for pupils, as previously requested.
Although Nils Sakss Konstantinovs has been observing furries in Latvia for years and his patients include children and young people who belong to this community, when contacting several schools in Latvia, there were none where this phenomenon had been observed. Rūdolfs Kalvāns, the chairman of the board of the Latvian Educational Leaders Association and the principal of Sigulda State Gymnasium, says that he is aware of this phenomenon.
Referring to the Scottish case, Rūdolfs Kalvāns doubts that something similar could happen in Latvia:
“I doubt that any head teacher would allow a pupil to identify as an animal. A school is an educational institution and such things are incompatible, and I do not think that a school should tolerate such behaviour.
The gender identity search is another matter and these situations are not comparable.”
Asked whether a pupil could come to school with an animal’s tail or ears pinned on, Rūdolfs Kalvāns says no: “The school has a certain dress code and such accessories are not part of it. It could be considered a violation of the school’s internal rules. You can do it at home, but not in an educational institution.”
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) points out that furries are a recent phenomenon, so the Ministry has not yet decided what to do if someone wants to behave like an animal at school. The MES emphasises that a pupil must respect both the Education Law, which sets out the pupil’s obligations, and the school’s internal rules – being polite and respectful to oneself and others.
Around 100 members in Latvia
Ferime (name changed) has been involved in the Latvian furry community for several years. The image he has created is a spirit embodied in the body of a skeletal fox. Ferime’s character Vārpa is inspired by Latvian folklore. Latvian symbols, such as the sign of Laima, are carved into the fox’s skull. He was introduced to the furry subculture at the age of 12 by watching YouTube videos of furry animations.
“Now the community has grown to more than 100 members, and it breaks down into smaller groups, such as Russian-speaking or minors and adults,” shares Ferime.
He is no longer actively involved, as he says he has grown up. “I plan to stay in the community and I want to associate myself with it because it has had a big impact on my life,” says Ferime.
In Ferime’s case, his family and friends have always been supportive: “My family is happy for me because I have turned this hobby into a business – I make fursuits.” There is no lack of customers. It takes Ferime about half a year to make a set – head, paws and tail – and it costs about 700 euros to create the character, because it is a delicate handwork and time-consuming process.
Letting your daughter crawl around the shop
The daughter of Laima (name changed) used to identify herself as a cat: “About three years ago, my daughter asked if she could play with the furs of the hood of my wind-jacket, but later she tied it to her trousers. Then we had to order a cat mask for her. At first she walked around the house like this and sometimes went out into the yard, but when the neighbouring children noticed, she was shy to go out.
I do not find it outrageous, because I also used to play different animals in my childhood – it is a normal, childish interest and play. I never reprimanded her or forbade her to do it.
It is important not to prohibit the child, but to understand her and talk about it. If she said she wanted to walk around the shop on all fours, I would talk about that too. If that is what she wants to do, I think I would allow it.
The more we forbid and deny, the more excluded and unaccepted the child will feel. It can lead to them only interacting with the community, and neither I would know what they are saying there, nor would I be able to control anything anymore,” says Laima.
Young people are searching for themselves
“It is important to explain that imagination is an acceptable activity, but the most fundamental thing is to make the child understand that they are a human being, not an animal. However, if it is a teenager, the issue needs to be taken more seriously – we need to talk about identity and boundaries. Young people are searching for themselves at a transitional age, and this change, as well as the desire to belong, is part of the normal developmental process that occurs at puberty but passes with the maturation of the body and life experiences. It is important to discuss boundaries so that the teenager does not get into risky situations, such as attending adult events that might be inappropriate for them. It should be indicated where it is acceptable to behave in this way, and where it is not,” advises Nils Sakss Konstantinovs.
In the case of Laima’s daughter, this stage has been overcome; her daughter has developed other interests: “I saw this phase as a normal stage of development that I did not even have any objections to – the physical exercises a child does, jumping over obstacles or running around on all fours, help physical development, while making masks and drawing are creative work.”
Kristiāna Kalniņa also suggests that the furry subculture can often be a creative form of self-expression or a therapeutic defence mechanism – to identify with someone else, such as an animal, for a while.
What would Laima do if identifying as a cat continued into teenage years? “It is hard to say. Maybe I would not be so liberal, but in any case I would try to understand why the child tries to express itself in this way,” says the mother, who believes that in adulthood the furrism continues if the parent is not sufficiently supportive, and is no longer the child’s confidant.
Nils Sakss Konstantinovs speaks about identification with furries as a phase from which the child grows up as follows: “This interest usually passes, like any other search for identity. This happens mainly in two cases: if the parents do not intervene and cling to this identity, or if violence and denial are not used to combat and stop it. However, it is important to avoid actions that fully affirm this identity, as this can have lasting consequences.”
The dark side of the community
However, if a child becomes involved in the furry community, it is important to be cautious, as there are also people with bad intentions. Foreign experts warn that the strong age differences and the closed nature of the community can make younger members vulnerable to harassment or abuse.
A young person looking for belonging and validation in a furry community may find an older confidant with whom they develop an emotional bond. This trust can be used to manipulate and exploit the young person.
“On a Reddit forum, a headline reads “I have been really traumatised by the furry community”. The author of the article talks about a former relationship with a well-known furry artist in the US, who harassed and tried to sexually abuse him countless times. Another user reveals that the community often tries to justify or ignore such behaviour, for example a furry who had been accused of paedophilia and molesting minors was allowed to attend Comic Con.
The above experiences come from the USA, but harassment and sexual violence also occur in Latvia. Ferime says: “One person repeatedly harassed younger girls. He was expelled from the community, but continued to attend meetings and harass participants. He has not been seen again. It is important that adults separate from minors to reduce the risks.”
Lāsma Lagzdiņa, Head of the Child Protection Centre Helpline, points out that parents should look out for a number of signs that a child is being harassed or abused: “If your child has become more secretive, loses interest in hobbies, spends more time on the internet, or has mood swings like depression, irritability or anxiety. Other signs could be the appearance of new friends they do not want to talk about, or expensive gifts or money that the parents have not provided.”
If a child refuses to talk about the subject, Lāsma Lagzdiņa recommends calling the Child and Adolescent Helpline to get a professional opinion on what to do next.
