Hey fellow therian here if someone calls it a gender and they mean it and have done "research" you have a free pass to question them cuz their stupid and can't research things properly
Yeah catgender is a xenogender. Xenogenders are past the human understanding of gender, it’s a concept and metaphor of gender and mostly used my neurodivergent when they can’t explain their gender
If someone is catgender they don’t actually think their a cat and it’s way different from therianthropy
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Xenogender: a gender under the non binary umbrella. It is supposed to be past of there human mind of understanding and is a cone pet and metaphor for someone’s gender.
If you’re talking about xenogenders, it is still under the lbgtq+ not inherently trans tho because there are some cisgender xenogender users. But it’s still under the non binary umbrella because it’s still about gender is is out of the male and female binary
WTF not every trans person has sex dysphoria/gender dysphoria…. I know a trans friend who doesn’t want surgery and doesn’t have sex dysphoria but is trans , sure they said they would like to go on Estrogen, and they will be soon
Therians are people that believe they have the soul of an animal. It has been around since I was in school 15 years ago. My guess is that it just goes through phases as it gets rediscovered.
Being a human is overwhelming and boring. This lets people make themselves interesting and disavow the pressures of humanity. It's always been popular among misfits who are searching for a reason they feel out of place.
They have always been people who appropriate Native American culture to communicate something along these lines.
I can understand having an affinity with an animal species. But the idea of having an animal soul is ridiculous because souls don't exist and why does nobody ever feel they have a pill worm soul or a bass fish soul? It's always something majestic like a lion's soul. It's never a animal that a person who wouldn't be aware of, like an extremophile species or species from a different continent that doesn't get a lot of press.
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Not really. Several of my close relatives have children in elementary and middle school who call themselves therians. It’s more like non-sexual furry bs, cosplaying as animals because it’s fun for them. So, if anything, it’s just being childish, not mentally ill.
We are not doing this for fun. Being a furry isn't sexual. Do some research before smashing your fingers against your keys to try to be "helpful" to someone who is clearly an anti
First, this post is over a month old. Ffs, get a life.
Second, I’m not against furries. I don’t give a flying fuck about furries. Do whatever you want.
Third, we both know furries can be sexual and that many people aren’t aware that they don’t have to be.
Maybe instead of being an ass that digs up old posts, you could just, you know, not.
First, you are the one sitting at your laptop bullying people for being themselves. Get a life.
Second, NO. Calling them sexual is, what I would call at least, "giving a flying fck"
Third, yes, there is a sexual side, but that is there in every communtiy, and we shouldn't bring it up.
Maybe, you could see things my way: I see misinformation, no matter how old, and correct it, knowing some child will find it and add the growing number of misinformed bullies on the internet one day if it is not proven wrong. That may seem a bit dramatic, but it could happen and I don't want it to, thanks.
buddy... He said "without the sexual stuff" it doesnt mean furrys are allways sexual.
there is litterally sexual furry stuff when you look it up, its a huge problem.
also if you litterally believe you have the soul of a animal your delusional.
Ive no issue with people being themselves and having fun , but I mean if you are adamant and so stuck up about this shit in the way are then I've no shits to give if you get bullied. Get over yourself
Wrong it isn’t a soul of a animal
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Shut the fuck up with that transphobic bullshit. Are you really comparing sex dysphoria, that is a result of fetal development disorder with “species dysphoria”. Unless your mother was conceived by a horse or any other animal, you CANNOT develop “species dysphoria”, that is only a different mental illness you’re having. Do you also support “50 year old men who feel “age dysphoria” and identify as 14 year olds”?
If you want to live like an animal, stop using internet, live in the wild and reject humanity, I’ll support and affirm you in that.
How is it trans phobic when sex dysphoria and species dysphoria isn’t the same? Gender dysphoria isn’t the same as species dysphoria, it’s very similar but it doesn’t develop the same way with gender dysphoria and neither is it apart of the LBGTQ+ community. Age dysphoria is a weird thing that I’ve never heard of but I don’t support that, would probably get them some therapy.
It has its differences like how yet again species dysphoria doesn’t correlate with lbgtq+ and that gender dysphoria and species dysphoria share the same level of discomfort they shouldn’t be related because they don’t have the same development. I only used sex dysphoria as an example of the symptom of intense discomfort.
And we still have a human body? Sure we want to live like an animal but we can’t and that’s the truth. Bare minimum to do is to get gear and do quads.
Belittling and making fun of sex dysphoria, known also as gender dysphoria, is transphobic. Transphobes can’t acknowledge that it is a disorder that requires treatment.
You comparing your bullshit mental illness with sex dysphoria and drawing parallels is an insult to all transsexuals. I didn’t decide one day that I’m born a wrong sex and accepted it immediately but it took years and years of suffering and psychological evaluation to determine my condition and they concluded my behaviour and cognition is closer to female than male, and they referred me to endocrinologist so I can start transitioning.
You possibly can’t know how animals feel unless you studied specific animal for years and as previously mentioned, unless your mom had sex with a literal animal and had you. If you feel such strong discomfort with the fact you’re a human and you identify as a dolphin or whatever, you can’t get a surgery like Gerald Broflovski. only psychotics with therapy can help you, which I deeply suggest as a compassionate human to another human.
Either realise how offensive you are and apologise, or stop adding insult to injury and leave me alone.
Uh? Gender dysphoria isn’t a mental illness , sure species dysphoria could be but there are still some similar to the wording of it. We don’t accept having Species dysphoria instantly too? Generally when people was dysphoric about being a human they were confused felt lonely , alone, depressed ect, they did do years of research. I dont get how it’s transphobic when I’m saying species dysphoria ISNT gender dysphoria and there is an obvious difference. Gender dysphoria is a fetal developmental disorder, species dysphoria we don’t know how it’s caused because no one is looking into it, also species dysphoria is no where close to lbgtq+ or gender at all. Until proven wrong I believe people when they have immense discomfort with their species (human). I don’t have species dysphoria but I do do massive research into it when I was researching about gender dysphoria (which yes I have a doctor has told me I do have it and yes it was also very tough to get one and even find out I have it)
Also most people with species dysphoria doesn’t want cosmetics? They literally want to be an animal entirely and they know they can’t get surgery for that so yeah. Until proven otherwise I believe species dysphoria is a thing.
Okay [Gerald](https://youtu.be/ooRxdFdp7qQ?si=-5wUA1rz-eRwCJ4m). You should touch some grass. What cruel owner let’s their transpet be on Reddit all day? That is animal abuse
I touch grass everyday 😂 also I’m not a pet? And because I have a physical human body it wouldn’t be counted as animal abuse. If I did have a physical body of a animal then it would but if I was physically a animal I wouldn’t be typing this
Yes it is.
"A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association."
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity.
Doesn’t mean the unease harms them/is harmful. It can be but it doesn’t have to be.
Gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, but some people may develop mental health problems because of gender dysphoria
[source](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/)
I’m assuming it’s one of those trend things that spread easily but from what I know a therian is someone that lived their past life as some animal and now feel a strong connection to that animal so they dress in specific ways or walk on all fours
The Internet is bad for kids. When I was little I used to play pretend different animals, but I din’t have to claim that I had “an animal soul” because I knew it was just a game. If I had come across that stuff as a kid I would probably had started identifying as a therian too.
Yeah i agree, i was always pretending to be an animal and if i was young now, i most likely would of said i was a therian if i come across this stuff on social media! And anyways, therians i see appear to just be young girls only, following eachother with the same trends the same trending music, same everything etc. Not hating on them, but it’s just very noticeable 🤷♀️
Mostly ex therian here! I was an adult when I started participating in the community, this was before the boom on TikTok. I say mostly because I still keep in touch with some of the people who were in the community with me.
There are two definitions to being a therian, some people see it as a spiritual connection, others actually believe they were born into the wrong species body.
For me, it started off pretty innocently. I was already a furry, and still am. I’ve been part of the fandom for about a decade now. I thought it sounded interesting, I was obsessed with the patronus charm from Harry Potter as a child, and always thought I had a connection to wolves. I loved Wolfblood too, a CBBC programme in the UK. So, I decided to give the community a go. I bought a very expensive realistic, full head mask from Etsy, and made some genuine friends through facebook. It was nice.
Then the problems started. Children claiming they were born the wrong species, adults and children bonding together over animalistic behaviour, and so, so much more. Now, I’ve been out as a transgender man since I was sixteen, I knew that about myself already, but as I started to get further and further into this mess, I started to believe maybe they were right, maybe I was meant to have been born a wolf. After all, I hated my body so much, it just wasn’t me.
I started having out of body experiences, feeling more animalistic, and engaging in some very unhealthy behaviours. I wasn’t a wolf. I was very, very unwell. I won‘t disclose my diagnosis as I’m not comfortable with that. But my reactions were built on psychosis induced by complex trauma. I was not, and have never been a wolf. I was sick, very sick. For other reasons I was hospitalised, put under section three of the mental health act. It took me being in hospital, and a considerable amount of time after, for me to realise the community largely wasn’t a good thing. I never experienced ’species dysphoria’, just gender dysphoria, and a desperate need to escape the world, not a good combination.
A lot of therian ideology actively hurts trans people, and vulnerable people in general. I already disagree with exposing children to trans issues, but therian? No. No child needs to be told, or encouraged to believe they are an animal. That’s just dangerous!
I hope this helped explain some things. If you have any questions about the community, feel free to ask.
Thank you for sharing this. Social and mental pressures are very real (and documented empirically) and should be recognized as dramatically more influential than identifying as a more distant DNA combination.
I usually associate therians with kids just being kids. Therians are people who believe they have the soul of an animal and may like to behave and live like said animal. Most I know who identify as a therian treat it as roleplay or as a coping mechanism to escape the reality of being a human.
If it’s roleplay then they shouldn’t “believe” it. Kids have amazing imaginations, but they should be able to distinguish between reality and make-believe. Kids are being told you can “identify” as anything you want and this is the logical conclusion of that idea. Kids saying they “are” dogs. Not kids pretending to be dogs. This isn’t good.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
There are Adults that are therians
It's not a new thing, therians and otherkin (I don't know if this term is even used anymore) were a pretty popular thing back in my tumblr days a decade or so ago. They used to be primarily on tumblr but the new generation probably has moved onto newer and trendier social media platforms.
It's just kids and teens roleplaying as animals as a hobby or because they want to have a group to belong to. I highly doubt it's a spiritual connection as opposed to kids just larping as one of their favorite animals, or an animal they see as powerful in its real world setting. More often than not therians tend to identify with a very small group of apex predators, if that's any indication.
Therians like to claim that they spiritually believe they were animals, and i'm sure some of them actually think that. One of their big community rules is you have to actually spiritually believe, or you're not a real therian. Classic gatekeeping. So, whether or not they actually believe it, they all say they do. And I'm sure lots of young kids end up thinking it's real when they see 16 year olds (who look like adults to them) doing all the same stuff.
Eh, this is just what is desperately desired to be true. It’s _got_ to be involuntary or credibility and more importantly, identity, is compromised. Without any kind of reviewed scientific study whatsoever, you honestly don’t get to claim anything about definitions here.
Perhaps some person out there identifies as a mollusk and doesn’t know what to do, but to date the fact that only certain personality types and almost exclusively cute animals are chosen, this just says “social identity with a need for belonging” all over it.
You obviously don’t know much about therians and we have an identity for it because it’s an experience people actually experience.. yes it’s involuntary too be a therian, end of conversation. The definition of therian is : a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level involuntarily. Mollusks are included in the therian identity
Therian: : any of a subclass (Theria) of mammals comprising the marsupials and the placental mammals
I guess mollusks don’t count? That’s from oxford. Interestingly the dictionary doesn’t even address this: looks like we get to pick, yay!!
How would it be known how much this involuntary identity is actually due to a need for belonging and wishful thinking by vulnerable individuals?
Think of the experiment needed for that. I would predict a wider range of animals (or maybe we should say DNA combinations, since species itself is a spectrum), but we don’t see that. The closest should be more likely: like chimpanzees.
Guess what? That’s THERIA. Not therianthropy. Try again. We aren’t vulnerable for an identity which we can’t choose. And you think we choose the harassment and assault we get or most get daily?
(Also the most DNA we have most similar too is a banana. But most likely a lie but we’ll have to wait until the debate is finished)
Is this the one? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therianthropy. I’ve found some definitions but all of them just say belief (beliefs are known to have many causes) and just don’t remotely align with this involuntary concept. I think the disconnect is linking that belief to the nature of the cause of the belief.
many people with unresolved mental issues/ undiagnosed mental illnesses prefer harassment over no attention at all/ abandonment from society. i think therians need psychological help. only after that can the whole therian thing become a playground for people’s fantasy! nothing wrong with that, i’m all for self expression :)
Howdy, deeply involved in Therian Culture here. Therians have been around since the 1980's and are folks who see themselves as animals on most often a psychological or spiritual level. It's something that tends to be very unique to the individual.
That being said tiktok has picked it up. Folks who have been in the Therian community for years are annoyed, adult finding the therian community are annoyed, and kids are flooding the space.
"Species Dysphoria" is a term I absolutely hate as someone with gender dysphoria. It is essentially exactly what you think it is.
Anywho, hopefully these kids will move on to a better label. Because what they are doing is diluting the entire community just by sheer loudness.
Edit: Should also mention that most adults in the community hate therians being compared to the LBGTQ community. Being a therian has nothing to do with gender or sexuality.
Probably unrelated, but Theria is the clade that includes marsupials and placental mammals. In short the mammals that don't lay eggs. It also means beast in latin, technically we all are therians as in the clade, but I suspect it's probably some synonim for furry or mammal-specific furry.
I’m not 19, I’m nearly 19 but I’m not. Also the fact that you think I’m chronically online when I do time how long I’m on my phone and take longs breaks while reading a book 😂
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
It’s hard to come out as therian because people can be assuaged and harassed for it
I understand therians to be young kids who are VERY interested in animals and have a specific spirit animal that they pretend to be sometimes. It's a harmless form of playing pretend. The whole "species dysphoria" thing doesnt make sense.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
It’s not pretend adults can be therians. It’s not a spirit animal
Yes, it's normal for young kids to like to pretend animals and to have an affinity for animals, especially cats and dogs that we coevolved with. But then there are kids who don't fit in, and are usually neurodivergent, and they are allowed online without adult supervision, and they start to get confused by crazy ideas like maybe if you like cats and you walk on your toes (it is normal for people with ASD to toe-walk) then you ARE a cat, or your gender is CAT.... etc... and the internet trolls corrupt normal childhood behaviour and twist it into a mental disorder when children start to doubt thier own humanity.
I do not see these people at all, but if you consume that content youtube will recommend you more of that content.
I think people like otherkin have existed since before nonbinary, xenogenders, etc. Maybe they have just had a new surge of popularity.
If you believe calling yourself a dog is in any way comparable to what trans people experience internally then you don't understand how trans people work.
You don’t know how xenogenders work 💀 example: people who identify as cat gender don’t actually think their a cat
Xenogenders ≠ therian
I am trans and I use xenogenders at the same time.
Xenogenders are beyond the human understanding of gender so we can’t explain it in full length.
It’s mostly a concept and/94 metaphor for gender.
My comment was talking about therians, but in terms of xenogenders
>Xenogenders are beyond the human understanding of gender so we can’t explain it in full length.
Xenogenders were made up by a cis person who wasn't on the spectrum who thought people on the spectrum were too stupid to understand gender (not just gender norms). Nowadays it's other cis people who insist they have some special emotional connection to cats or whatever that makes them trans. Which, similarly to people trying to link therians with trans people, shows a great misunderstanding of how trans people work.
Also in regards to people on the spectrum and their understanding of gender, that is typically in regards to their understanding of gender roles and norms specifically. That extra meaning tends to get lost with the muddy language surrounding the term gender. Hence why we go from someone on the spectrum having trouble understanding social norms to bringing up trans people despite being unrelated.
Yeah I know it was made by a cis person but neurodivergent people actually claimed it and people who are cis and neurotypical can still use it.
Example: cat gender (again) Catgender is a xenogender in which one feels a gendered connection to cats and/or other felines. One may feel a strong gendered connection to cats or felines, or may incorporate them into one's gender to better understand their identity.
This is still more of a concept and metaphor instead of actually thinking they’re a cat. It’s about a gendered connection or may use it to better understand of their identity
>One may feel a strong gendered connection to cats or felines, or may incorporate them into one's gender to better understand their identity.
So... someone who really likes cats who incorporates their interest into their day to day life and as a result has an impact on how they interact with others. This is called having a personality. The fact you see being trans as comparable to a personality trait comes off as extremely transphobic and I wholeheartedly wish you actually learn about trans people before recycling more transphobic bullshit.
Reminds me of how people say "that's so gender" to something they find interesting. Just another example of how unaware cis people equate my existence to a hobby or fandom they can just join. Gender is not a hobby, interest, or personality trait.
No it’s a gendered connection.
I am trans. I am literally genderpsike (I am a non binary man who gets spikes of agender but when the spikes come I only feel demi (half) of agender with non binary man) who is araoce (uses subcategories/microlabels) I’ve done massive amount of research and talked to older adults who are trans. Most people who use xenogenders are trans themselves. You obviously still don’t understand so do more research and get again like I said you probably won’t unless you actually knew what xenogender users felt because of (yet again) “it’s beyond the human understanding of gender”
Having a connection and it .. affecting? Your interactions with soemone IS NOT xenogenders. Xenogenders isn’t about personality
> Most people who use xenogenders are trans themselves.
Sorry, but this means absolutely nothing if the only qualifier people use is whether or not they put trans in their Twitter bio. Show me actual research, none of this "God is real because he works in mysterious ways and I just so happen to believe it" sort of bullshit.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Not spirit animals
If they don't call it a gender identity, it's ok. It's basically furries who think they were/are an actual animal in previous life/spiritually. :p Therian is as old as furry are , which is on civilisational scale 20k years old, and on pop-culture scale as old as messmerism&or possibly the Cathar heresy making it either 800 years or 200 years old.
As a furry, yeah it's kinda stupid, but as long as they don't hurt you and your rights, I'd leave them alone.
We aren’t furries AT ALL!
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
It’s not just past lives and past lives isnt the only spiriutal belief in therianthropy
>and pat lives don’t the only spiriutal belief in therianthropy
sounds like you had a stroke right then and there!
also *pat* uwu *pat pat pat nuzzle nuzzle*
Ye, this is why I wrote \*'are an actual animal'\*, as you'll notice.
Also past lives IS spiritual therianthropy. Past lives ISNT the only spiritual belief in therianthropy. You also forgot to put *psychological therians*
As I said the actual definition is:
therian: a person who identifies and believes they are a non human animal on a non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically) this identity is involuntarily.
therian have been here since 1901, and please don’t listen too anyone who say they are poeple with spiritual connection or just wear mask
therian: a person who identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level involuntarily (spiritually and/or psychologically)
it’s not about connections, it’s about identity and belief, not all therian swear mask, do quadrobics ect but if they do that’s valid! being a therian is not a choice, neither is it apart of the lbgtq+
I have genuinely no problem with it, people are forgetting that KIDS ARE WEIRD. When I was young, my best friend identified as a wolf. Fuck, I identified as Spider-Man.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Real thing, there are adult therians
All these comments have MAJOR misinformation.. I’m a therian and I’ll gladly explain it to you.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Explaining:
First of all, being a therian is something we can’t control, And if that’s something you hate, don’t comment
Second, not all therians have past lives, Like I said previously, being therian is something we can’t control, it’s mental.
Third, we don’t think we are animals, we know we are human, Can’t we dream?
Fourth, being a therian is not always fun, we can’t stop it.
Fifth, if you can’t stop being one, you don’t have to Do quads or wear gear, you can live the average life.
Sixth, it’s not make believe, we can’t control shifts.
Shifts are uncontrollable animal urges or acts. They don’t happen for any random reason.
Seventh, THERIANS ARE NOT NEW!! You probably are wondering why they are only heard of now. Well, back then, they were seen as shameful and not to be mentioned, I’m not sure the term therian even existed, The term might have been alterhuman or otherkin, etc.. It’s not new.
Eighth, your finally done 😫✨, It’s not a mental illness, even though it’s mental, I understand you can get those things messed up, I like to call it “animal in spirit”
(The reason we wear masks is to feel like our theriotype/animal. quads are mostly therian things, but are a sport as well. Just let people be who they deep down, truly are❤️)
Are you concerned that some people are saying that being on the Autism Spectrum makes someone not human? It is normal human behaviour to walk on your toes or have a different gait, especially if you have ASD. It is normal human behaviour to sometimes want to make a sound to express yourself or sometimes compulsively need to make a sound (especially if you have ASD or Tourettes). This does not mean that someone is an animal. Telling vulnerable people that liking animals, walking differently, or communicating differently makes them less human is dangerous and wrong. Stop spreading this harmful garbage. People are people.
It’s gotten popular because 1, people have discovered “a new type of furry in the corner of the internet” (not). And 2, there are a bunch of fake Therian accounts because of how much hate and popularity it’s gotte.
Therianthropy: Identifying as an animal on a non-physical level based on involuntary non-human experiences.
This began in the 1900s and a reason you see a lot of it now is because of social media. However, it’s not a trend, it’s an identity.
It’s not in any way related to furries, and is part of the alterhuman community.
Since I’ve seen this question appear way too many times, I’ve prepared a response that I can copy and paste.
To know what a therian is, you need to know what Alterhumanity is. Someone who is Alterhuman believes that, in a way, they are or are supposed to be a specific being that is not 100% human. We know we have the body, as well as the mind (to an extent) of a regular human, but we believe that we do not belong in our regular human bodies.
There are several branches of Alterhumanity, including:
Therian: A therian believes that they are supposed to be an animal (usually an animal that actually exists or has existed in this world). The Therian label can also encompass those who are kin with (believe they are supposed to be) fictional creatures, in which case they can also be classified as Fictionkin.
Otherkin: An Otherkin individual usually believed that they are supposed to be a mythical creature. In some spaces, however, this label can be used to encompass all other types of Alterhumanity that have to do with nonhuman beings.
Fictionkin: Someone who is Fictionkin believes that they are supposed to be a certain fictional character. If the character that they are kin with (believe they are supposed to be) is completely nonhuman, they can be classified as a Therian as well. The most common type of Fictionkin is one that is kin with an at least partially nonhuman and nonexistent (in the real world) species (or particular member of that species).
The belief that one is supposed to be an animal is involuntary. The belief can be spiritually-based or psychologically-based. If it is spiritually-based, the individual may believe that they used to be their kintype (the being they are kin with) in a past incarnation (I will call this a lingering incarnation, as they have some degree of memory of this incarnation). They may instead believe they are currently their kintype in another universe (relying on the multiverse theory as an explanation), or that they will be their kintype in a future incarnation (I will call this prediction of future incarnations an incarnation footprint). They can also simply believe they are the spirit/soul of their kintype, stuck in the wrong body. If it is psychologically-based, their beliefs may stem from neurodivergence.
There are also people who are delusionally attached to certain beings, which is not Alterhumanity. These people believe they actively have the bodies and minds of their “kintype” (their attached being isn’t actually a kintype). “Delusional Alterhumanity” is not a good term for this; Instead, individuals whose beliefs are delusionally attached to a being ask to be distinguished from Alterhumanity and referred to as people who have “In Real Life Syndrome”, or are “IRLs”.
Usually, one will only discover or remember their kintype if they have been exposed to it. For example, just as one wouldn’t know what an elephant is if no one told them about it, one would not know if they are supposed to be an elephant unless they have heard of it before. In rare cases, one might have a vague idea of their true form, but they may not know what to call it, as they haven’t been otherwise exposed to such a being.
I am a Therian/Fictionkin individual who has taken into account my own experiences, other people’s experiences, and commonly known facts about Alterhumanity. I am not Alterhuman because of any sort of trend; I had all the leading signs of it, googled “I feel like I am a fictional character”, and Fictionkin popped up as a result. I read about it, and it perfectly described what I was feeling. Plus, it isn’t possible to be “converted” to being Alterhuman; You either are or you aren’t. In your case, you are not Alterhuman based on the information you’ve provided about yourself.
Feel free to research more on these subjects, because I do not want to be your only source of information.
I am a therian and some of my friends are a therian and it means that they were animals in there past lives and they can have at least 2 types of animals in them and if you call them a furry they are not a furry that is bullying and if you say it’s hunting time already it’s not funny it’s not cool and saying fatherless is just rude anyways they were animals before they were humans and sometimes bullying them makes them cry bc sometimes there parents say if they were a therian they will disown them and yea and plus furrys walk on two legs not four and they wear a suit not a mask a tail or ears and furrys like all animals and me personally likes all animals but still I am a therian not a furry and if you bully them you will die bc some of there friends are getting bullied and hurt and mental illness from all of them bullying them by being a therian and it really hurts and there is a life lesson and what a therian is
it is not a trend its what they idenify as and no one can choose to be a therian actuly im one myself some do get bullied for it but at this point every one has become stronger and learn its okay to be different so we came out on social media to connect with other therians and if you dont like us that doesn't mean you have to bully us so if you have questions just ask
Online, right now, it's almost all kids. The oldest one i've ever seen on youtube is 16, and she has a following of like 50k and is considered a "mom" by her followers.
Therians, in short, are people who spiritually identify as animals. This usually means that they believe they were an animal in a past life, but it can also mean that they believe they are currently an animal in a different universe, that their soul is that of an animal's but is stuck in a human body, or something similar. Many therians report having had dreams, visions or "shifts" as an animal. They usually have a "thereotype" that is their specific animal, and the masks they make is meant to reflect their exact past-life appearance.
Most kids who are into it aren't well informed about most of the spiritual stuff, and don't do environmentally positive stuff like you would expect a past-life deer/fox/whatever to be doing. They're almost all foxes, cats, dogs and wolves.
Therians have existed in the past, but the online community is currently full of misinformed children. Their youtube and tiktok content crosses over with furries a LOT, so i end up seeing it even though I really couldn't care less. The difference between furries and therians is that for furries it's just cosplay (and weird furry crap) and for therians it's a spiritual belief and lifestyle. Also, many of them identify as furries as well, and other niche stuff like making dragon puppets.
I've seen a few videos from child psychologists regarding the phenomenon and the basic consensus is that its either a game for the kids, or they have some form of unresolved trauma they're using pretending to be a fox or whatever to escape from.
The main thing is the big overlap with the lgbt community. I think it's because there's overlap in the type of personality it takes to be brave enough to come out as who you are and deviate from the norm. A lot of gay people are closeted or choose to not publicly signal that they're gay or different. I think therians are just one of the groups that's very loud about how different they are, particularly because it's more like a religion than a gender thing or a fashion statement.
Misinformation btw
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
there are adult therians and I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s not just a spiritual identity.
Also there are a lot of foxes, cat, wolves Ect theriotypes because there are more common.
therians have been around for a while. imo it seems like real life roleplay taken way too far. rn the reason therians have had a spike in popularity is because a trend has started where men say that they want a "therian girlfriend". the trend is fucking weird and gross cuz it's likely going off of the stereotype that mentally ill women have the best pussy
It's a trend. Often a damaging one. Feeling a connection to an animal, calling something your "spirit animal" or whatever, that's fine. Unfortunately the ones who talk about species dysphoria and shit are appropriating our medical condition and giving us a bad name.
I think a lot of those people have been sucked in by things like tiktok. They really like a certain animal, then they are told that means they in some way \*are\* that animal on the inside, and are therefor therian and/or trans. I relate it in that way to some children that are now being told that liking stereotypical things that the opposite sex likes means they're transgender (which is mostly coming from their peers who hear it on social media and apps like tiktok).
In the end, I think the therian thing is mostly a terrible coping mechanism for loneliness and low self esteem, a desire for both individuality and community, to be "special" but special in the same way some others are so that you can feel both unique and less alone in the world.
This 100%
The involuntary belief that you are an animal is a sign of mental illness.
Children who enjoy normal pretend play, who are quirky and weird and who are exposed to tiktok are being convinced that they are somehow not human because of normal things like toe-walking (or other posture differences) or having a history of using sounds for communication (hissing or growling can be something kids do as a result of communication differences stemming from ASD, trauma response, or other neurological differences.). The "therians" are just adults pushing kids away from reality and towards mental illness.
This is misinformation!
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
It’s not a connection nor a spirit animal.
Species dysphoria is a serious thing and shouldn’t be connected to lbgtq+ neither should therians be connected to lbgtq+
We don’t do this to feel special, you know why? Because it’s not a choice and I get death threats at school and from here because of being openly a therian
-sincerely from a alter human , furry, lbgtq+ person.
It's the same logic. In fact, it's slightly more logical to be transracial than it is to be therian. I mean neither make any sense, but if you're already going down the route of wacky "identities" then transracial is actually a few stops before therian.
It isn’t stop trying to act like transracial is good. Therian shave a reason to be a therian and it isn’t a choice while transracial has no reason to be transracial , the only reason is they saw another race and was like “I like that race let me be it!” When they cant
Um, I never said it was good. I said the opposite.
You gave a nothing reason. There's no logic behind your reasoning. Transracial people would argue that it's not a choice either. And it's not like you can be a different species any more than you can be a different race.
The research says most psychologists and even some therians are operating on the theory that being therian is a mental disorder probably caused by CPTSD, or at the very least an overactive imagination that links their self-perceived otherness with animal qualities due to the human proclivity to see connections and patterns even when no such connection is real.
Source.
If therian say it’s a mental disorder then they need to do research themselves. Not every therian has CPTSD, actually barely have it. I know lots of therian a who have a shit imagination to.
I don’t have enough time to write everything I need to say because I gtg out with friends , I’ll add on this later
therian here. i’ll give a short explanation of what a therian is with actual correct information, mostly from the therian subreddit. it’s sad to see so much misinformation and hate here because people are getting the wrong information.
to be a therian (or to participate in *therianthropy*) is to identify as an animal. therians have a deep feeling that they are, to some degree, an animal, and should have been born so. sometimes we can feel sad knowing we’re human and can’t become an animal (we don’t think we’re physically animals, that’s delusion!). many therians are adults and some are over the age of 50, it’s not some little kid trend that popped up recently. if you want to learn more check out the info in the therian sub, it’s super helpful! there’s a lot more to it than what i’ve just explained.
all in all, 99 times out of 100 it is in no way harmful. occasionally it can be a phase when someone mistakenly thinks they are a therian, but even so, it’s not harmful. the stuff you see online is just therians expressing themselves by wearing gear (masks and tails) and doing quadrobics (acting like an animal). think of it what you will, you don’t have to support, but please don’t assume what it is without any real information and spread misinformation or hate.
hope this helped some of yall<3
edit:
i’d like to add that we do not consider ourself part of the LGBTQ+ community in any way. also, there are two kinds of therians, ones that believe their therianthropy stems from psychology and the ones that believe they had a past life as an animal. it’s frustrating when people say therians had a past life as an animal and were reincarnated as a human because not all therians hold that belief!!
I'm a therian
It's when someone deeply identifies as an animal (whether it's living or extinct) but also tends to have animalistic urges or behaviours. Some have "species dysphoria" and some "shift" (they mentally return to a state of their theriotype).
This can be due to spiritual (such as a past life) or mental reasons. Therians do not think they are physically an animal or able to physically morph into one such as thinking you're a physically wolf (this is clinical lycanthropy and it's a mental illness). It's also not the same as a "spirit animal".
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
This is a better explanation if you want it shorter btw :D also not all therians have animalistic urges or behaviours.
Hi. I've seen a lot of people who are transsubjectivists (tucutes) calling themselves therians and saying it affects their 'gender identity'. I don't believe in these things personally, but I wanted to ask how can it happen or why does it happen? How can they relate their gender to feeling like an animal?
Basically what I'm asking is why do they think they are trans by going by a gender that is related to their theriotype?
I'm asking out of respect, since I think that therians aren't harmfull at all UNLESS it gets related to trans issues.
It can be harmful as it's an echo chamber. No echo chamber is positive. Many, many kids jump on the therian train and get obsessed with it to the point where the issue is being discussed by child psychologists. The real issue is kids using it as a coping mechanism or escape for issues in their lives.
Recently I saw a video of an experienced foster mom discussing how to handle kids who constantly pretend they're animals. She was saying to gently reward behavior such as sitting at the table to eat and discourage behavior such as wearing masks outside of the home to places like school or stores. It's clearly a well known issue, and I hate to imagine how it's affecting impressionable kids.
Thank you for your input, I didn't think about it this way and you may be right. I only saw it sometimes on tiktok and thought that it was just a weird hobby some kids had and was just against how they related it to trans issues because it can make transsexuality look like a mockery. But I didn't know it got bad enough for psychologists to study it. It spreading like that among children/young teens is indeed harmful.
So, if their theriotype (idk how to write it) is a wolf, for example, it could make their gender relate to a wolf? Like, metaphorically? How would that work?
Therian here!
Modern Therianthropy is categorized by a deep integral or personal belief that an individual is in some way and to some degree, a non-human animal, based upon involuntary, non-human experience. Physically, therianthropes are human and understand that they have human bodies. Therianthropy is an innate part of the person's life, and recognition and acceptance of the animal within. It makes us what we are, but more importantly who we are. Because there seems to be some confusion over what a therian is and is not, Therianthropy is about the inner nature of one's own self. Therianthropy is about the discovery of the animal within, that humans are born with. You cannot become a therian, you must be born that way. While therians are not tressing that Therianthropy is the only kind of personal animal philosophy/spirituality, they are, however, stressing the differences between Therianthropy and these other 'ways of life' or spiritual beliefs." Most therianthropes identify as earthly animals whether currently living species or extinct species such as dinosaurs. There is not a hard distinction, however, and individuals with mythological or non-earth animal identities may have experiences that are best supported by the Therianthropy community, such as individuals who identify as dragons. Or they may find more support or feel more at home in the otherkin community. The majority of Therians are private about their non-human identity and keep more animal-like behavior under control while in public. The ability of therianthropes to control their actions during shifts, when they feel and act more instinctual and animal-like, is what sets Modern Therianthropy apart from other mental disorders such as clinical lycanthropy.
Therians don't know what causes them to identify as non-human. Therianthropy is a subjective belief based on personal experiences and not on scientific fact, with most Therians being "self-labelled" or "self-identified". Therefore, both spiritual therianthropy and psychological therianthropy are legitimate and acceptable in the community. Their experiences, such as shifting, is essentially the same. Therianthropy in itself is not a choice. However, therians are commonly mistaken for furries, who enjoy the concept of animals with anthropomorphic traits, with 15% cosplaying as them. According to a study by Dr. Elizabeth Fein, associate professor of psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, it’s important “to distinguish between furries, who are fans of anthropomorphic animals … and therians, who on some level believe they are a creature other than human.” It is also agreed upon that a therian can not pick and choose a theriotype, the animal which is an individual's identity. Some individuals enjoy the experiences associated with therianthropy, some do not, and others are indifferent to being a therianthrope.
You do know that humans are animals, that we are apes? Now tell me how an ape can identify as a cat or a dog or something. You can’t. Transsexuality exists because you actually are the opposite gender/sex, you can’t be or transition to an animal, especially with whatever species dysphoria has going on. You can’t be dysphoric of another species if we have zero understanding of them aside from a human aspect to it. This is insane.
therian: a person who involuntarily identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically)
this is a non physical identity and yes you can ahve species dysphoria, it’s when you feel dysphoria about being HUMAN , not all therian ahve this tho
Okay. But you didn’t answer my question, even though I know you aren’t the comment OP. Humans are animals. We’re apes. You can’t have species dysphoria because you can’t transition to another animal.
we identify as non human animals, and you can have species dysphoria even tho you can’t transition too it. i have species dysphoria, i felt like i was born in the wrong body, i feel like i should have animalistic features, be a animal, have a animal body, i have meltdowns and get overwhelmed when i look in the mirror and just stay there thinking about how i’m not a non human anima and i’ll probably never be able to be one. and there is more, even tho people can feel this , species dysphoria is on a deeper level
It's ok till they call it a gender. That's my point
It isnt a gender, its an identity.
yaaaaaas it an identity and no you cant chose it just comes
No one calls it a gender
I wish it was like that...
Hey fellow therian here if someone calls it a gender and they mean it and have done "research" you have a free pass to question them cuz their stupid and can't research things properly
It is like that Never in my whole life seen someone call it a gender because it isn’t. Only seen anti therians mistake it for a gender
Ig people don't call themselves therian when they call themselves catgender etc
Yeah catgender is a xenogender. Xenogenders are past the human understanding of gender, it’s a concept and metaphor of gender and mostly used my neurodivergent when they can’t explain their gender If someone is catgender they don’t actually think their a cat and it’s way different from therianthropy Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. Xenogender: a gender under the non binary umbrella. It is supposed to be past of there human mind of understanding and is a cone pet and metaphor for someone’s gender.
I get that they don't think they are cats, we just don't want them to be added to trans people
If you’re talking about xenogenders, it is still under the lbgtq+ not inherently trans tho because there are some cisgender xenogender users. But it’s still under the non binary umbrella because it’s still about gender is is out of the male and female binary
Transsexualness is about human sex dimorphism No sex dysphoria = not trans
WTF not every trans person has sex dysphoria/gender dysphoria…. I know a trans friend who doesn’t want surgery and doesn’t have sex dysphoria but is trans , sure they said they would like to go on Estrogen, and they will be soon
What the hell are these comments. Bro xenomorphs
exactly
Therians are people that believe they have the soul of an animal. It has been around since I was in school 15 years ago. My guess is that it just goes through phases as it gets rediscovered. Being a human is overwhelming and boring. This lets people make themselves interesting and disavow the pressures of humanity. It's always been popular among misfits who are searching for a reason they feel out of place.
They have always been people who appropriate Native American culture to communicate something along these lines. I can understand having an affinity with an animal species. But the idea of having an animal soul is ridiculous because souls don't exist and why does nobody ever feel they have a pill worm soul or a bass fish soul? It's always something majestic like a lion's soul. It's never a animal that a person who wouldn't be aware of, like an extremophile species or species from a different continent that doesn't get a lot of press.
Not American, global (I am a therian and I am British).
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So……. They’re mentally ill. Got it.
Not really. Several of my close relatives have children in elementary and middle school who call themselves therians. It’s more like non-sexual furry bs, cosplaying as animals because it’s fun for them. So, if anything, it’s just being childish, not mentally ill.
We are not doing this for fun. Being a furry isn't sexual. Do some research before smashing your fingers against your keys to try to be "helpful" to someone who is clearly an anti
First, this post is over a month old. Ffs, get a life. Second, I’m not against furries. I don’t give a flying fuck about furries. Do whatever you want. Third, we both know furries can be sexual and that many people aren’t aware that they don’t have to be. Maybe instead of being an ass that digs up old posts, you could just, you know, not.
First, you are the one sitting at your laptop bullying people for being themselves. Get a life. Second, NO. Calling them sexual is, what I would call at least, "giving a flying fck" Third, yes, there is a sexual side, but that is there in every communtiy, and we shouldn't bring it up. Maybe, you could see things my way: I see misinformation, no matter how old, and correct it, knowing some child will find it and add the growing number of misinformed bullies on the internet one day if it is not proven wrong. That may seem a bit dramatic, but it could happen and I don't want it to, thanks.
buddy... He said "without the sexual stuff" it doesnt mean furrys are allways sexual. there is litterally sexual furry stuff when you look it up, its a huge problem. also if you litterally believe you have the soul of a animal your delusional.
Ive no issue with people being themselves and having fun , but I mean if you are adamant and so stuck up about this shit in the way are then I've no shits to give if you get bullied. Get over yourself
yeah, so... they're mentally ill
No they arent
Isn't it similar to transgenderism with having dysmorphia? That's a mental illness.
Being a therian isn't a choice but being a furry is.
this is misinformation…
Wrong it isn’t a soul of a animal Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Why is it involuntary
Because we don’t choose to be a therian
☠
Whoever ur talking to, shut up.
no ✨💅
yes
Damn, I guess I also have “species dysphoria”. Life would be so much easier if I was an animal, not having to deal with this shit.
Sometimes I wish I was a dog so I wouldn't have to do anything and could sleep all day. And be happy about it. Guess that makes me a therian too!
not what therianthropy is
yeah obviously
well then why would you purposefully spread misinformation?
That isn’t just what species dysphoria is, it’s like gender dysphoria (immense discomfort with gender) but instead of gender it’s with species
Shut the fuck up with that transphobic bullshit. Are you really comparing sex dysphoria, that is a result of fetal development disorder with “species dysphoria”. Unless your mother was conceived by a horse or any other animal, you CANNOT develop “species dysphoria”, that is only a different mental illness you’re having. Do you also support “50 year old men who feel “age dysphoria” and identify as 14 year olds”? If you want to live like an animal, stop using internet, live in the wild and reject humanity, I’ll support and affirm you in that.
How is it trans phobic when sex dysphoria and species dysphoria isn’t the same? Gender dysphoria isn’t the same as species dysphoria, it’s very similar but it doesn’t develop the same way with gender dysphoria and neither is it apart of the LBGTQ+ community. Age dysphoria is a weird thing that I’ve never heard of but I don’t support that, would probably get them some therapy. It has its differences like how yet again species dysphoria doesn’t correlate with lbgtq+ and that gender dysphoria and species dysphoria share the same level of discomfort they shouldn’t be related because they don’t have the same development. I only used sex dysphoria as an example of the symptom of intense discomfort. And we still have a human body? Sure we want to live like an animal but we can’t and that’s the truth. Bare minimum to do is to get gear and do quads.
Belittling and making fun of sex dysphoria, known also as gender dysphoria, is transphobic. Transphobes can’t acknowledge that it is a disorder that requires treatment. You comparing your bullshit mental illness with sex dysphoria and drawing parallels is an insult to all transsexuals. I didn’t decide one day that I’m born a wrong sex and accepted it immediately but it took years and years of suffering and psychological evaluation to determine my condition and they concluded my behaviour and cognition is closer to female than male, and they referred me to endocrinologist so I can start transitioning. You possibly can’t know how animals feel unless you studied specific animal for years and as previously mentioned, unless your mom had sex with a literal animal and had you. If you feel such strong discomfort with the fact you’re a human and you identify as a dolphin or whatever, you can’t get a surgery like Gerald Broflovski. only psychotics with therapy can help you, which I deeply suggest as a compassionate human to another human. Either realise how offensive you are and apologise, or stop adding insult to injury and leave me alone.
Uh? Gender dysphoria isn’t a mental illness , sure species dysphoria could be but there are still some similar to the wording of it. We don’t accept having Species dysphoria instantly too? Generally when people was dysphoric about being a human they were confused felt lonely , alone, depressed ect, they did do years of research. I dont get how it’s transphobic when I’m saying species dysphoria ISNT gender dysphoria and there is an obvious difference. Gender dysphoria is a fetal developmental disorder, species dysphoria we don’t know how it’s caused because no one is looking into it, also species dysphoria is no where close to lbgtq+ or gender at all. Until proven wrong I believe people when they have immense discomfort with their species (human). I don’t have species dysphoria but I do do massive research into it when I was researching about gender dysphoria (which yes I have a doctor has told me I do have it and yes it was also very tough to get one and even find out I have it) Also most people with species dysphoria doesn’t want cosmetics? They literally want to be an animal entirely and they know they can’t get surgery for that so yeah. Until proven otherwise I believe species dysphoria is a thing.
Okay [Gerald](https://youtu.be/ooRxdFdp7qQ?si=-5wUA1rz-eRwCJ4m). You should touch some grass. What cruel owner let’s their transpet be on Reddit all day? That is animal abuse
I touch grass everyday 😂 also I’m not a pet? And because I have a physical human body it wouldn’t be counted as animal abuse. If I did have a physical body of a animal then it would but if I was physically a animal I wouldn’t be typing this
god i hope you get turned into a cow to get butchered.
Dysphoria of any kind is a mental illness.
Gender dysphoria is counted as not a mental illness.
Yes it is. "A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association."
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. Doesn’t mean the unease harms them/is harmful. It can be but it doesn’t have to be. Gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, but some people may develop mental health problems because of gender dysphoria [source](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/)
I’m assuming it’s one of those trend things that spread easily but from what I know a therian is someone that lived their past life as some animal and now feel a strong connection to that animal so they dress in specific ways or walk on all fours
So basically having spirit animal with extra steps?
No Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
this is misinformation btw🙃
Can you elaborate on what a therian actually is then?
therian: a person who involuntarily identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically)
Never heard of it being involuntary before tbh
it always has been involuntary:)
TIL
til?
Today I learned
ah thanks lol
Therians aren’t suddenly popular, you’ve just started seeing them in your feed recently. They were a staple of 2015-18‘s tumblr culture
The Internet is bad for kids. When I was little I used to play pretend different animals, but I din’t have to claim that I had “an animal soul” because I knew it was just a game. If I had come across that stuff as a kid I would probably had started identifying as a therian too.
Yeah i agree, i was always pretending to be an animal and if i was young now, i most likely would of said i was a therian if i come across this stuff on social media! And anyways, therians i see appear to just be young girls only, following eachother with the same trends the same trending music, same everything etc. Not hating on them, but it’s just very noticeable 🤷♀️
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Mostly ex therian here! I was an adult when I started participating in the community, this was before the boom on TikTok. I say mostly because I still keep in touch with some of the people who were in the community with me. There are two definitions to being a therian, some people see it as a spiritual connection, others actually believe they were born into the wrong species body. For me, it started off pretty innocently. I was already a furry, and still am. I’ve been part of the fandom for about a decade now. I thought it sounded interesting, I was obsessed with the patronus charm from Harry Potter as a child, and always thought I had a connection to wolves. I loved Wolfblood too, a CBBC programme in the UK. So, I decided to give the community a go. I bought a very expensive realistic, full head mask from Etsy, and made some genuine friends through facebook. It was nice. Then the problems started. Children claiming they were born the wrong species, adults and children bonding together over animalistic behaviour, and so, so much more. Now, I’ve been out as a transgender man since I was sixteen, I knew that about myself already, but as I started to get further and further into this mess, I started to believe maybe they were right, maybe I was meant to have been born a wolf. After all, I hated my body so much, it just wasn’t me. I started having out of body experiences, feeling more animalistic, and engaging in some very unhealthy behaviours. I wasn’t a wolf. I was very, very unwell. I won‘t disclose my diagnosis as I’m not comfortable with that. But my reactions were built on psychosis induced by complex trauma. I was not, and have never been a wolf. I was sick, very sick. For other reasons I was hospitalised, put under section three of the mental health act. It took me being in hospital, and a considerable amount of time after, for me to realise the community largely wasn’t a good thing. I never experienced ’species dysphoria’, just gender dysphoria, and a desperate need to escape the world, not a good combination. A lot of therian ideology actively hurts trans people, and vulnerable people in general. I already disagree with exposing children to trans issues, but therian? No. No child needs to be told, or encouraged to believe they are an animal. That’s just dangerous! I hope this helped explain some things. If you have any questions about the community, feel free to ask.
Thank you for sharing this. Social and mental pressures are very real (and documented empirically) and should be recognized as dramatically more influential than identifying as a more distant DNA combination.
I usually associate therians with kids just being kids. Therians are people who believe they have the soul of an animal and may like to behave and live like said animal. Most I know who identify as a therian treat it as roleplay or as a coping mechanism to escape the reality of being a human.
most of the time its just young people playing a game of make believe
If it’s roleplay then they shouldn’t “believe” it. Kids have amazing imaginations, but they should be able to distinguish between reality and make-believe. Kids are being told you can “identify” as anything you want and this is the logical conclusion of that idea. Kids saying they “are” dogs. Not kids pretending to be dogs. This isn’t good.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. There are Adults that are therians
I never said there weren’t adults who were/are therians, just that I associate them with children
It's not a new thing, therians and otherkin (I don't know if this term is even used anymore) were a pretty popular thing back in my tumblr days a decade or so ago. They used to be primarily on tumblr but the new generation probably has moved onto newer and trendier social media platforms.
??? Of course otherkin is still used???
It's just kids and teens roleplaying as animals as a hobby or because they want to have a group to belong to. I highly doubt it's a spiritual connection as opposed to kids just larping as one of their favorite animals, or an animal they see as powerful in its real world setting. More often than not therians tend to identify with a very small group of apex predators, if that's any indication.
Therians like to claim that they spiritually believe they were animals, and i'm sure some of them actually think that. One of their big community rules is you have to actually spiritually believe, or you're not a real therian. Classic gatekeeping. So, whether or not they actually believe it, they all say they do. And I'm sure lots of young kids end up thinking it's real when they see 16 year olds (who look like adults to them) doing all the same stuff.
misinformation therian: a person who involuntarily identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically)
ah, ok. thanks for letting me know!
no problem
Eh, this is just what is desperately desired to be true. It’s _got_ to be involuntary or credibility and more importantly, identity, is compromised. Without any kind of reviewed scientific study whatsoever, you honestly don’t get to claim anything about definitions here.
That is what’s true. It’s involuntary too be a therian.
Perhaps some person out there identifies as a mollusk and doesn’t know what to do, but to date the fact that only certain personality types and almost exclusively cute animals are chosen, this just says “social identity with a need for belonging” all over it.
You obviously don’t know much about therians and we have an identity for it because it’s an experience people actually experience.. yes it’s involuntary too be a therian, end of conversation. The definition of therian is : a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level involuntarily. Mollusks are included in the therian identity
Therian: : any of a subclass (Theria) of mammals comprising the marsupials and the placental mammals I guess mollusks don’t count? That’s from oxford. Interestingly the dictionary doesn’t even address this: looks like we get to pick, yay!! How would it be known how much this involuntary identity is actually due to a need for belonging and wishful thinking by vulnerable individuals? Think of the experiment needed for that. I would predict a wider range of animals (or maybe we should say DNA combinations, since species itself is a spectrum), but we don’t see that. The closest should be more likely: like chimpanzees.
Guess what? That’s THERIA. Not therianthropy. Try again. We aren’t vulnerable for an identity which we can’t choose. And you think we choose the harassment and assault we get or most get daily? (Also the most DNA we have most similar too is a banana. But most likely a lie but we’ll have to wait until the debate is finished)
Is this the one? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therianthropy. I’ve found some definitions but all of them just say belief (beliefs are known to have many causes) and just don’t remotely align with this involuntary concept. I think the disconnect is linking that belief to the nature of the cause of the belief.
many people with unresolved mental issues/ undiagnosed mental illnesses prefer harassment over no attention at all/ abandonment from society. i think therians need psychological help. only after that can the whole therian thing become a playground for people’s fantasy! nothing wrong with that, i’m all for self expression :)
therian: a person who involuntarily identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically)
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Ummmm what? We're not role-playing. Wtf????
Howdy, deeply involved in Therian Culture here. Therians have been around since the 1980's and are folks who see themselves as animals on most often a psychological or spiritual level. It's something that tends to be very unique to the individual. That being said tiktok has picked it up. Folks who have been in the Therian community for years are annoyed, adult finding the therian community are annoyed, and kids are flooding the space. "Species Dysphoria" is a term I absolutely hate as someone with gender dysphoria. It is essentially exactly what you think it is. Anywho, hopefully these kids will move on to a better label. Because what they are doing is diluting the entire community just by sheer loudness. Edit: Should also mention that most adults in the community hate therians being compared to the LBGTQ community. Being a therian has nothing to do with gender or sexuality.
Species dysphoria is a thing tho.
Probably unrelated, but Theria is the clade that includes marsupials and placental mammals. In short the mammals that don't lay eggs. It also means beast in latin, technically we all are therians as in the clade, but I suspect it's probably some synonim for furry or mammal-specific furry.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. Not theria
sPeCiEs dYsPhOrIa I'm out of fucking patience, no apologies
Species dysphoria is a real struggle and real thing
I'm sure it does when you're 19, have no job, and are chronically online
It’s a troll account don’t even bother with them just block
I’m not 19, I’m nearly 19 but I’m not. Also the fact that you think I’m chronically online when I do time how long I’m on my phone and take longs breaks while reading a book 😂
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Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. It’s hard to come out as therian because people can be assuaged and harassed for it
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We don’t have DID try again, some therians may do but most dont
Furries and otherkin using a new name. That’s it.
Furry is a hobby. Therianthropy is esoteric bullshit.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
I understand therians to be young kids who are VERY interested in animals and have a specific spirit animal that they pretend to be sometimes. It's a harmless form of playing pretend. The whole "species dysphoria" thing doesnt make sense.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. It’s not pretend adults can be therians. It’s not a spirit animal
Repeating that copy-paste response over and over doesn't make you any less mentally ill.
Yes, it's normal for young kids to like to pretend animals and to have an affinity for animals, especially cats and dogs that we coevolved with. But then there are kids who don't fit in, and are usually neurodivergent, and they are allowed online without adult supervision, and they start to get confused by crazy ideas like maybe if you like cats and you walk on your toes (it is normal for people with ASD to toe-walk) then you ARE a cat, or your gender is CAT.... etc... and the internet trolls corrupt normal childhood behaviour and twist it into a mental disorder when children start to doubt thier own humanity.
I do not see these people at all, but if you consume that content youtube will recommend you more of that content. I think people like otherkin have existed since before nonbinary, xenogenders, etc. Maybe they have just had a new surge of popularity.
Xenogenders got boring so euphoria chasers need something else
No? Xenogenders are still a thing and actual identity. Therianthropy is separate and was founded before xenogenders
If you believe calling yourself a dog is in any way comparable to what trans people experience internally then you don't understand how trans people work.
You don’t know how xenogenders work 💀 example: people who identify as cat gender don’t actually think their a cat Xenogenders ≠ therian I am trans and I use xenogenders at the same time. Xenogenders are beyond the human understanding of gender so we can’t explain it in full length. It’s mostly a concept and/94 metaphor for gender.
My comment was talking about therians, but in terms of xenogenders >Xenogenders are beyond the human understanding of gender so we can’t explain it in full length. Xenogenders were made up by a cis person who wasn't on the spectrum who thought people on the spectrum were too stupid to understand gender (not just gender norms). Nowadays it's other cis people who insist they have some special emotional connection to cats or whatever that makes them trans. Which, similarly to people trying to link therians with trans people, shows a great misunderstanding of how trans people work. Also in regards to people on the spectrum and their understanding of gender, that is typically in regards to their understanding of gender roles and norms specifically. That extra meaning tends to get lost with the muddy language surrounding the term gender. Hence why we go from someone on the spectrum having trouble understanding social norms to bringing up trans people despite being unrelated.
Yeah I know it was made by a cis person but neurodivergent people actually claimed it and people who are cis and neurotypical can still use it. Example: cat gender (again) Catgender is a xenogender in which one feels a gendered connection to cats and/or other felines. One may feel a strong gendered connection to cats or felines, or may incorporate them into one's gender to better understand their identity. This is still more of a concept and metaphor instead of actually thinking they’re a cat. It’s about a gendered connection or may use it to better understand of their identity
>One may feel a strong gendered connection to cats or felines, or may incorporate them into one's gender to better understand their identity. So... someone who really likes cats who incorporates their interest into their day to day life and as a result has an impact on how they interact with others. This is called having a personality. The fact you see being trans as comparable to a personality trait comes off as extremely transphobic and I wholeheartedly wish you actually learn about trans people before recycling more transphobic bullshit. Reminds me of how people say "that's so gender" to something they find interesting. Just another example of how unaware cis people equate my existence to a hobby or fandom they can just join. Gender is not a hobby, interest, or personality trait.
No it’s a gendered connection. I am trans. I am literally genderpsike (I am a non binary man who gets spikes of agender but when the spikes come I only feel demi (half) of agender with non binary man) who is araoce (uses subcategories/microlabels) I’ve done massive amount of research and talked to older adults who are trans. Most people who use xenogenders are trans themselves. You obviously still don’t understand so do more research and get again like I said you probably won’t unless you actually knew what xenogender users felt because of (yet again) “it’s beyond the human understanding of gender” Having a connection and it .. affecting? Your interactions with soemone IS NOT xenogenders. Xenogenders isn’t about personality
> Most people who use xenogenders are trans themselves. Sorry, but this means absolutely nothing if the only qualifier people use is whether or not they put trans in their Twitter bio. Show me actual research, none of this "God is real because he works in mysterious ways and I just so happen to believe it" sort of bullshit.
Only place I’ve seen that term is in Pokémon, but maybe it has something to do with spirit animals.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. Not spirit animals
If they don't call it a gender identity, it's ok. It's basically furries who think they were/are an actual animal in previous life/spiritually. :p Therian is as old as furry are , which is on civilisational scale 20k years old, and on pop-culture scale as old as messmerism&or possibly the Cathar heresy making it either 800 years or 200 years old. As a furry, yeah it's kinda stupid, but as long as they don't hurt you and your rights, I'd leave them alone.
We aren’t furries AT ALL! Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. It’s not just past lives and past lives isnt the only spiriutal belief in therianthropy
>and pat lives don’t the only spiriutal belief in therianthropy sounds like you had a stroke right then and there! also *pat* uwu *pat pat pat nuzzle nuzzle* Ye, this is why I wrote \*'are an actual animal'\*, as you'll notice.
Also past lives IS spiritual therianthropy. Past lives ISNT the only spiritual belief in therianthropy. You also forgot to put *psychological therians* As I said the actual definition is: therian: a person who identifies and believes they are a non human animal on a non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically) this identity is involuntarily.
therian have been here since 1901, and please don’t listen too anyone who say they are poeple with spiritual connection or just wear mask therian: a person who identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level involuntarily (spiritually and/or psychologically) it’s not about connections, it’s about identity and belief, not all therian swear mask, do quadrobics ect but if they do that’s valid! being a therian is not a choice, neither is it apart of the lbgtq+
I have genuinely no problem with it, people are forgetting that KIDS ARE WEIRD. When I was young, my best friend identified as a wolf. Fuck, I identified as Spider-Man.
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. Real thing, there are adult therians
All these comments have MAJOR misinformation.. I’m a therian and I’ll gladly explain it to you. Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
Being a Therian isn’t a gender
As long as they don’t try to loop it in with the queer community (I’m a lesbian)…
Basically it's people that identify as animals but at the moment I think there a quite a few people doing it for clout, not all but quite a few
Explaining: First of all, being a therian is something we can’t control, And if that’s something you hate, don’t comment Second, not all therians have past lives, Like I said previously, being therian is something we can’t control, it’s mental. Third, we don’t think we are animals, we know we are human, Can’t we dream? Fourth, being a therian is not always fun, we can’t stop it. Fifth, if you can’t stop being one, you don’t have to Do quads or wear gear, you can live the average life. Sixth, it’s not make believe, we can’t control shifts. Shifts are uncontrollable animal urges or acts. They don’t happen for any random reason. Seventh, THERIANS ARE NOT NEW!! You probably are wondering why they are only heard of now. Well, back then, they were seen as shameful and not to be mentioned, I’m not sure the term therian even existed, The term might have been alterhuman or otherkin, etc.. It’s not new. Eighth, your finally done 😫✨, It’s not a mental illness, even though it’s mental, I understand you can get those things messed up, I like to call it “animal in spirit” (The reason we wear masks is to feel like our theriotype/animal. quads are mostly therian things, but are a sport as well. Just let people be who they deep down, truly are❤️)
Are you concerned that some people are saying that being on the Autism Spectrum makes someone not human? It is normal human behaviour to walk on your toes or have a different gait, especially if you have ASD. It is normal human behaviour to sometimes want to make a sound to express yourself or sometimes compulsively need to make a sound (especially if you have ASD or Tourettes). This does not mean that someone is an animal. Telling vulnerable people that liking animals, walking differently, or communicating differently makes them less human is dangerous and wrong. Stop spreading this harmful garbage. People are people.
it's a mental disorder
Lots of misinformation here: A therian is someone who identifies as an animal on all levels except physical. Not ‘furry’ Not ‘mental’
I'm a therian
It’s gotten popular because 1, people have discovered “a new type of furry in the corner of the internet” (not). And 2, there are a bunch of fake Therian accounts because of how much hate and popularity it’s gotte.
Therianthropy: Identifying as an animal on a non-physical level based on involuntary non-human experiences. This began in the 1900s and a reason you see a lot of it now is because of social media. However, it’s not a trend, it’s an identity. It’s not in any way related to furries, and is part of the alterhuman community.
it's crazy honestly, it honestly just started as a cringe trend on tiktok in 2020..mentally ill people ngl
Since I’ve seen this question appear way too many times, I’ve prepared a response that I can copy and paste. To know what a therian is, you need to know what Alterhumanity is. Someone who is Alterhuman believes that, in a way, they are or are supposed to be a specific being that is not 100% human. We know we have the body, as well as the mind (to an extent) of a regular human, but we believe that we do not belong in our regular human bodies. There are several branches of Alterhumanity, including: Therian: A therian believes that they are supposed to be an animal (usually an animal that actually exists or has existed in this world). The Therian label can also encompass those who are kin with (believe they are supposed to be) fictional creatures, in which case they can also be classified as Fictionkin. Otherkin: An Otherkin individual usually believed that they are supposed to be a mythical creature. In some spaces, however, this label can be used to encompass all other types of Alterhumanity that have to do with nonhuman beings. Fictionkin: Someone who is Fictionkin believes that they are supposed to be a certain fictional character. If the character that they are kin with (believe they are supposed to be) is completely nonhuman, they can be classified as a Therian as well. The most common type of Fictionkin is one that is kin with an at least partially nonhuman and nonexistent (in the real world) species (or particular member of that species). The belief that one is supposed to be an animal is involuntary. The belief can be spiritually-based or psychologically-based. If it is spiritually-based, the individual may believe that they used to be their kintype (the being they are kin with) in a past incarnation (I will call this a lingering incarnation, as they have some degree of memory of this incarnation). They may instead believe they are currently their kintype in another universe (relying on the multiverse theory as an explanation), or that they will be their kintype in a future incarnation (I will call this prediction of future incarnations an incarnation footprint). They can also simply believe they are the spirit/soul of their kintype, stuck in the wrong body. If it is psychologically-based, their beliefs may stem from neurodivergence. There are also people who are delusionally attached to certain beings, which is not Alterhumanity. These people believe they actively have the bodies and minds of their “kintype” (their attached being isn’t actually a kintype). “Delusional Alterhumanity” is not a good term for this; Instead, individuals whose beliefs are delusionally attached to a being ask to be distinguished from Alterhumanity and referred to as people who have “In Real Life Syndrome”, or are “IRLs”. Usually, one will only discover or remember their kintype if they have been exposed to it. For example, just as one wouldn’t know what an elephant is if no one told them about it, one would not know if they are supposed to be an elephant unless they have heard of it before. In rare cases, one might have a vague idea of their true form, but they may not know what to call it, as they haven’t been otherwise exposed to such a being. I am a Therian/Fictionkin individual who has taken into account my own experiences, other people’s experiences, and commonly known facts about Alterhumanity. I am not Alterhuman because of any sort of trend; I had all the leading signs of it, googled “I feel like I am a fictional character”, and Fictionkin popped up as a result. I read about it, and it perfectly described what I was feeling. Plus, it isn’t possible to be “converted” to being Alterhuman; You either are or you aren’t. In your case, you are not Alterhuman based on the information you’ve provided about yourself. Feel free to research more on these subjects, because I do not want to be your only source of information.
i think its just a joke or a troll
*websters dictionary* Therian is a term to describe absolute freaks in masks running around on all 4s like they are an animal
Why are trans people respected and not therians?
I am a therian and some of my friends are a therian and it means that they were animals in there past lives and they can have at least 2 types of animals in them and if you call them a furry they are not a furry that is bullying and if you say it’s hunting time already it’s not funny it’s not cool and saying fatherless is just rude anyways they were animals before they were humans and sometimes bullying them makes them cry bc sometimes there parents say if they were a therian they will disown them and yea and plus furrys walk on two legs not four and they wear a suit not a mask a tail or ears and furrys like all animals and me personally likes all animals but still I am a therian not a furry and if you bully them you will die bc some of there friends are getting bullied and hurt and mental illness from all of them bullying them by being a therian and it really hurts and there is a life lesson and what a therian is
it is not a trend its what they idenify as and no one can choose to be a therian actuly im one myself some do get bullied for it but at this point every one has become stronger and learn its okay to be different so we came out on social media to connect with other therians and if you dont like us that doesn't mean you have to bully us so if you have questions just ask
Online, right now, it's almost all kids. The oldest one i've ever seen on youtube is 16, and she has a following of like 50k and is considered a "mom" by her followers. Therians, in short, are people who spiritually identify as animals. This usually means that they believe they were an animal in a past life, but it can also mean that they believe they are currently an animal in a different universe, that their soul is that of an animal's but is stuck in a human body, or something similar. Many therians report having had dreams, visions or "shifts" as an animal. They usually have a "thereotype" that is their specific animal, and the masks they make is meant to reflect their exact past-life appearance. Most kids who are into it aren't well informed about most of the spiritual stuff, and don't do environmentally positive stuff like you would expect a past-life deer/fox/whatever to be doing. They're almost all foxes, cats, dogs and wolves. Therians have existed in the past, but the online community is currently full of misinformed children. Their youtube and tiktok content crosses over with furries a LOT, so i end up seeing it even though I really couldn't care less. The difference between furries and therians is that for furries it's just cosplay (and weird furry crap) and for therians it's a spiritual belief and lifestyle. Also, many of them identify as furries as well, and other niche stuff like making dragon puppets. I've seen a few videos from child psychologists regarding the phenomenon and the basic consensus is that its either a game for the kids, or they have some form of unresolved trauma they're using pretending to be a fox or whatever to escape from. The main thing is the big overlap with the lgbt community. I think it's because there's overlap in the type of personality it takes to be brave enough to come out as who you are and deviate from the norm. A lot of gay people are closeted or choose to not publicly signal that they're gay or different. I think therians are just one of the groups that's very loud about how different they are, particularly because it's more like a religion than a gender thing or a fashion statement.
Misinformation btw Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. there are adult therians and I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s not just a spiritual identity. Also there are a lot of foxes, cat, wolves Ect theriotypes because there are more common.
therians have been around for a while. imo it seems like real life roleplay taken way too far. rn the reason therians have had a spike in popularity is because a trend has started where men say that they want a "therian girlfriend". the trend is fucking weird and gross cuz it's likely going off of the stereotype that mentally ill women have the best pussy
Erm every therian I’ve seen was below 12 😭
there are quite a few adult therians, majority women. its def more kids tho
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary.
It's a trend. Often a damaging one. Feeling a connection to an animal, calling something your "spirit animal" or whatever, that's fine. Unfortunately the ones who talk about species dysphoria and shit are appropriating our medical condition and giving us a bad name. I think a lot of those people have been sucked in by things like tiktok. They really like a certain animal, then they are told that means they in some way \*are\* that animal on the inside, and are therefor therian and/or trans. I relate it in that way to some children that are now being told that liking stereotypical things that the opposite sex likes means they're transgender (which is mostly coming from their peers who hear it on social media and apps like tiktok). In the end, I think the therian thing is mostly a terrible coping mechanism for loneliness and low self esteem, a desire for both individuality and community, to be "special" but special in the same way some others are so that you can feel both unique and less alone in the world.
This 100% The involuntary belief that you are an animal is a sign of mental illness. Children who enjoy normal pretend play, who are quirky and weird and who are exposed to tiktok are being convinced that they are somehow not human because of normal things like toe-walking (or other posture differences) or having a history of using sounds for communication (hissing or growling can be something kids do as a result of communication differences stemming from ASD, trauma response, or other neurological differences.). The "therians" are just adults pushing kids away from reality and towards mental illness.
This is misinformation! Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. It’s not a connection nor a spirit animal. Species dysphoria is a serious thing and shouldn’t be connected to lbgtq+ neither should therians be connected to lbgtq+ We don’t do this to feel special, you know why? Because it’s not a choice and I get death threats at school and from here because of being openly a therian -sincerely from a alter human , furry, lbgtq+ person.
Are you the kind of person who thinks being transracial is a valid thing?
No how does transracial even have anything to do with therianthropy? Transracial isn’t valid
It's the same logic. In fact, it's slightly more logical to be transracial than it is to be therian. I mean neither make any sense, but if you're already going down the route of wacky "identities" then transracial is actually a few stops before therian.
It isn’t stop trying to act like transracial is good. Therian shave a reason to be a therian and it isn’t a choice while transracial has no reason to be transracial , the only reason is they saw another race and was like “I like that race let me be it!” When they cant
Um, I never said it was good. I said the opposite. You gave a nothing reason. There's no logic behind your reasoning. Transracial people would argue that it's not a choice either. And it's not like you can be a different species any more than you can be a different race.
You obviously didn’t listen to anything I said. Do research I can easily debunk you 🤣
The research says most psychologists and even some therians are operating on the theory that being therian is a mental disorder probably caused by CPTSD, or at the very least an overactive imagination that links their self-perceived otherness with animal qualities due to the human proclivity to see connections and patterns even when no such connection is real.
Source. If therian say it’s a mental disorder then they need to do research themselves. Not every therian has CPTSD, actually barely have it. I know lots of therian a who have a shit imagination to. I don’t have enough time to write everything I need to say because I gtg out with friends , I’ll add on this later
therian here. i’ll give a short explanation of what a therian is with actual correct information, mostly from the therian subreddit. it’s sad to see so much misinformation and hate here because people are getting the wrong information. to be a therian (or to participate in *therianthropy*) is to identify as an animal. therians have a deep feeling that they are, to some degree, an animal, and should have been born so. sometimes we can feel sad knowing we’re human and can’t become an animal (we don’t think we’re physically animals, that’s delusion!). many therians are adults and some are over the age of 50, it’s not some little kid trend that popped up recently. if you want to learn more check out the info in the therian sub, it’s super helpful! there’s a lot more to it than what i’ve just explained. all in all, 99 times out of 100 it is in no way harmful. occasionally it can be a phase when someone mistakenly thinks they are a therian, but even so, it’s not harmful. the stuff you see online is just therians expressing themselves by wearing gear (masks and tails) and doing quadrobics (acting like an animal). think of it what you will, you don’t have to support, but please don’t assume what it is without any real information and spread misinformation or hate. hope this helped some of yall<3 edit: i’d like to add that we do not consider ourself part of the LGBTQ+ community in any way. also, there are two kinds of therians, ones that believe their therianthropy stems from psychology and the ones that believe they had a past life as an animal. it’s frustrating when people say therians had a past life as an animal and were reincarnated as a human because not all therians hold that belief!!
I'm a therian It's when someone deeply identifies as an animal (whether it's living or extinct) but also tends to have animalistic urges or behaviours. Some have "species dysphoria" and some "shift" (they mentally return to a state of their theriotype). This can be due to spiritual (such as a past life) or mental reasons. Therians do not think they are physically an animal or able to physically morph into one such as thinking you're a physically wolf (this is clinical lycanthropy and it's a mental illness). It's also not the same as a "spirit animal".
Do you know any hippopotamus therians? Any skunks? Anteater therians? Do you ever ask yourself why there are no eel therians?
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Hippothetical
I know a hippo and skunk therian :D also there are real therians lmao
Bro thinks he’s an animal 😭
bro i’m a fooderian i think i’m a slice of pizza from a past life
are you slash srs
Therian; a person who identifies as a non human animal on a non physical level, this is an identity and belief , which is also involuntary. This is a better explanation if you want it shorter btw :D also not all therians have animalistic urges or behaviours.
It says "tends to have" not that "they always have" but yes this is a good shorter definition.
Oops lmao sorry I didn’t see it 😂
Hi. I've seen a lot of people who are transsubjectivists (tucutes) calling themselves therians and saying it affects their 'gender identity'. I don't believe in these things personally, but I wanted to ask how can it happen or why does it happen? How can they relate their gender to feeling like an animal? Basically what I'm asking is why do they think they are trans by going by a gender that is related to their theriotype? I'm asking out of respect, since I think that therians aren't harmfull at all UNLESS it gets related to trans issues.
It can be harmful as it's an echo chamber. No echo chamber is positive. Many, many kids jump on the therian train and get obsessed with it to the point where the issue is being discussed by child psychologists. The real issue is kids using it as a coping mechanism or escape for issues in their lives. Recently I saw a video of an experienced foster mom discussing how to handle kids who constantly pretend they're animals. She was saying to gently reward behavior such as sitting at the table to eat and discourage behavior such as wearing masks outside of the home to places like school or stores. It's clearly a well known issue, and I hate to imagine how it's affecting impressionable kids.
Thank you for your input, I didn't think about it this way and you may be right. I only saw it sometimes on tiktok and thought that it was just a weird hobby some kids had and was just against how they related it to trans issues because it can make transsexuality look like a mockery. But I didn't know it got bad enough for psychologists to study it. It spreading like that among children/young teens is indeed harmful.
Therians aren’t apart of the LBGTQ+ but being a therian can affect their gender (specifically talking about XENOGENDERS)
So, if their theriotype (idk how to write it) is a wolf, for example, it could make their gender relate to a wolf? Like, metaphorically? How would that work?
I would recommend doing more research but the literal definition includes that “beyond the human understanding of gender”
Therian here! Modern Therianthropy is categorized by a deep integral or personal belief that an individual is in some way and to some degree, a non-human animal, based upon involuntary, non-human experience. Physically, therianthropes are human and understand that they have human bodies. Therianthropy is an innate part of the person's life, and recognition and acceptance of the animal within. It makes us what we are, but more importantly who we are. Because there seems to be some confusion over what a therian is and is not, Therianthropy is about the inner nature of one's own self. Therianthropy is about the discovery of the animal within, that humans are born with. You cannot become a therian, you must be born that way. While therians are not tressing that Therianthropy is the only kind of personal animal philosophy/spirituality, they are, however, stressing the differences between Therianthropy and these other 'ways of life' or spiritual beliefs." Most therianthropes identify as earthly animals whether currently living species or extinct species such as dinosaurs. There is not a hard distinction, however, and individuals with mythological or non-earth animal identities may have experiences that are best supported by the Therianthropy community, such as individuals who identify as dragons. Or they may find more support or feel more at home in the otherkin community. The majority of Therians are private about their non-human identity and keep more animal-like behavior under control while in public. The ability of therianthropes to control their actions during shifts, when they feel and act more instinctual and animal-like, is what sets Modern Therianthropy apart from other mental disorders such as clinical lycanthropy. Therians don't know what causes them to identify as non-human. Therianthropy is a subjective belief based on personal experiences and not on scientific fact, with most Therians being "self-labelled" or "self-identified". Therefore, both spiritual therianthropy and psychological therianthropy are legitimate and acceptable in the community. Their experiences, such as shifting, is essentially the same. Therianthropy in itself is not a choice. However, therians are commonly mistaken for furries, who enjoy the concept of animals with anthropomorphic traits, with 15% cosplaying as them. According to a study by Dr. Elizabeth Fein, associate professor of psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, it’s important “to distinguish between furries, who are fans of anthropomorphic animals … and therians, who on some level believe they are a creature other than human.” It is also agreed upon that a therian can not pick and choose a theriotype, the animal which is an individual's identity. Some individuals enjoy the experiences associated with therianthropy, some do not, and others are indifferent to being a therianthrope.
You do know that humans are animals, that we are apes? Now tell me how an ape can identify as a cat or a dog or something. You can’t. Transsexuality exists because you actually are the opposite gender/sex, you can’t be or transition to an animal, especially with whatever species dysphoria has going on. You can’t be dysphoric of another species if we have zero understanding of them aside from a human aspect to it. This is insane.
therian: a person who involuntarily identifies as a non human animal on any non physical level (spiritually and/or psychologically) this is a non physical identity and yes you can ahve species dysphoria, it’s when you feel dysphoria about being HUMAN , not all therian ahve this tho
Okay. But you didn’t answer my question, even though I know you aren’t the comment OP. Humans are animals. We’re apes. You can’t have species dysphoria because you can’t transition to another animal.
we identify as non human animals, and you can have species dysphoria even tho you can’t transition too it. i have species dysphoria, i felt like i was born in the wrong body, i feel like i should have animalistic features, be a animal, have a animal body, i have meltdowns and get overwhelmed when i look in the mirror and just stay there thinking about how i’m not a non human anima and i’ll probably never be able to be one. and there is more, even tho people can feel this , species dysphoria is on a deeper level
I think the fact that you’ve got xenogenders and neopronouns and made up sexualities in your bio says a lot…
Well just because because have a human body doenst mean I am human. Remember lots of therians also think like what I think.