November 14, 2025
Con vs. conf: choose your fighter
Furry Studies conference gathers worldwide wisdom at second annual event
Con or conf? Furry scholars face the snark while fans cheer
TLDR: Furry Studies held its second annual conference on Halloween with academic talks and artist Q&As, planning more for 2026. Comments split: one skeptic called it “a convention,” while an attendee praised the diverse panels—fueling a debate over whether it’s cosplay vibes or legit scholarship worth watching.
The second annual Furry Studies conference howled into Halloween in Tacoma (and online), and the comments section immediately split into two packs. One side snarked “looks more like a convention,” rolling their eyes at what they see as cosplay energy masquerading as academia. The other side? Actual attendees, who swear it was brainy, varied, and surprisingly moving, with talks ranging from university anthropology to cozy Q&A’s with local artists. That whiplash is the vibe: is this scholarship, or just another fur meet?
Organizers say it’s the real deal: Furry Studies is a conference and publishing hub, not a lab. Yes, the scientists at FurScience presented—this year and last—digging into how people use furry identity to cope in a hostile world. But Furry Studies also opens doors for creative research, art, and language about what “being furry” even means. They’ve got a special journal issue in the works, a six-hour video from 2024, and are already teasing 2026—follow along at furrystudies.org.
The community drama boils down to credibility vs. vibes: skeptics see con-floor energy, attendees insist it’s a legit cross‑discipline mashup. The funniest punchline came baked into the debate itself—“con-ference” versus “con-vention”—with attendees flexing receipts: diverse panels, serious scholarship, and plenty of room for fursonas and footnotes. Academic tails, wagging loudly.
Key Points
- •The second Furry Studies conference took place on October 31, 2025, in Tacoma, WA, with virtual attendance options.
- •Furry Studies began in October 2024 in the Netherlands and functions as both a conference organization and publication venue.
- •FurScience presented at both 2024 and 2025 events, including a talk titled “Furry and Anthropomorphizing Animals as a Response to a Hostile World.”
- •A special issue of the Journal of Popular Communication is being developed from the 2024 conference.
- •The 2024 event had 15 in-person and 31 online attendees, with talks, abstracts, a six-hour video, and photo gallery available online.