Furries and the limits of species identity disorder: a response to Gerbasi et al

Authors

Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, University of Sydney (USYD)

RIS ID

109347

Publication Details

Probyn-Rapsey, F. (2011). Furries and the limits of species identity disorder: a response to Gerbasi et al. Society and Animals, 294-301.

Abstract

This is a response to an article published in Society & Animals in 2008 that argued for the existence of a “species identity disorder” in some furries. Species identity disorder is modeled on gender identity disorder, itself a highly controversial diagnosis that has been criticized for pathologizing homosexuality and transgendered people. This response examines the claims of the article (and the design of the study itself ) and suggests that the typology it constructs is based on unexamined assumptions about what constitutes “human” identity and regulatory fictions of gender identity.