According to some sources, a ‘therian’ is someone who identifies as a non-human being – whether that is a fox, pig, cat, or earthworm. It differs from being a ‘furry’ as this is a fandom and not a ‘spiritual belief’
A mum has taken to a parenting platform to ask for advice after her nine-year-old daughter told her she identified as a ‘therian’ and wanted to be treated as such. Unsure of what to do, she shared the situation with others hoping they might be able to help.
According to IntraSpectrum Counseling, a ‘therian’ is short for ‘therianthrope’. It states on its website: “It means a person who identifies integrally as a nonhuman being, such as a wolf, polar bear, or even earthworm. While the two communities historically emerged separately, it has a lot of overlap with the ‘otherkin’ community, which includes any individual that identifies as nonhuman (e.g. as an elf, dragon, or even fictional character).
“Nonhuman identity, like other facets of identity, tends to go through a developmental period (usually in adolescence) and stay stable throughout the lifespan. Some research suggests a possible overlap with other forms of neurodiversity, but the identity itself is not inherently pathological. Most clinical and sociological research on therian and otherkin communities agrees: this is best approached as diversity, not deficit. Someone can have a rich, well-adjusted life while still identifying as a bear or kobold.”
It also states that while ‘furries’ is similar to being a ‘therian’, furry is a fandom, just like any other. It adds: “Of course, there is overlap- a community where self-expression as an animal is welcomed will attract people who identify as nonhuman, but most furries identify as fully human.”
Posting to Reddit, the mum wrote: “My now nine-year-old daughter says she identifies as a Therian. Now I’m in my twenties (I had her young) so of course I searched through the internet and I’m very uncomfortable with this and I don’t know how to talk to her. Originally I kept telling her she’s a smart beautiful girl, and not an animal.
“I said that she can like animals and sometimes want to dress up as her favorite but she isn’t one. She was very upset/sad as she was getting called ‘weird’ and ‘a furry’ at school so I’m sure I made her feel worse. I eventually apologized for hurting her feelings and said she can be whatever she wants as long as she’s happy, and I was a huge Hello Kitty girl when I was young so I understand.
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“In reality, I don’t because I’m scared for her. I was unfortunately exposed to inappropriate sexual things when I was about her age, and I know the stigma against furries/therians on sexual relations or predators, so I was really worried and freaked out, because it reminded me of my childhood. All of this to say, is this a phase? Do I just let this go? Do I keep reminding her she’s a beautiful smart young girl? A human?? Any advice is useful.”
Many people reading the Reddit post were able to offer their own experiences. One person replied: “Yeah my 15year-old fell into this trend. It’s been going on for a few years. It was ‘furries’, but I guess TikTok rebranded it as ‘therian’.Your level of comfort depends on how her interest is vested into it. At first, when it was ‘furries,’ I found the online art to be sexual, as women’s breasts and rears were exaggerated, so I did not support that at all, so I told her there’s no more ‘furry’ in the house. After we moved and she learned about “therian”, she began getting interested in making masks & parts. In fact, she just made a fox tail & mask from crafting supplies- I support that creativity. I’m not sure if there’s a difference or what, but I go with the flow and use your best judgement.”
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