Are My Lefty Friends Ready to Learn About Furries?

Tyler Robinson lived with a man who called himself "trans" and a "furry"

September 17, 2025

This should probably be labeled NSFW, though all the information is in the public domain.

First, if you’re interested in some great commentary about the state of things today, check out “What Ammunition Do the Gender Wars Need?” by Lisa Selin Davis and “The Kirk Assassination and the Death of Debate” by Kristin Zebrowski. Some of the best writers today are here on Substack.

Next, watch Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) state on the record that some women cannot do a certain form of pull-up because of “physiological differences” between the sexes. Senator Hirono could not, however, bring herself to vote yes on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (which acknowledged such differences) when it was before the Senate in February, because she thinks that men and boys should be permitted to compete in sports intended for women and girls if they call themselves “trans.”

As regular readers know, I am on the political left. I consider myself to be ideologically left of the Democratic Party, but I have always been a registered Democrat (except for a few years when I was registered Green). I’m a TERF (hence, “The TERF Report”). Most of my friends are more mainstream lefties (though that has changed over the past ten or so years). So, when I refer to “my lefty friends,” I am doing so with affection. There are some things we on the left need to talk about.

Typically, when I put a lot of work into a post, I put part of it behind a paywall because Substack is essentially my sole source of income. Today I am making an exception because I think it’s time for the mainstream left to know about “furries.”

So, this post about furries is being sent to all subscribers of this Substack. It is free and shareable. A paid subscription gets you regular access to much more content and the ability to comment and engage in conversation with other thoughtful people.

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Charlie Kirk has been murdered and it is being reported that the suspect was in a relationship with a man who identifies as “trans” and a “furry.” TERFs have known about “furries” for a long time, but it has been very hard to talk with our lefty friends and family members about the topic because we are aware that when we do so, we sound crazy. But we are not the crazy ones here. “Furry” is a thing and it’s time for the mainstream left to talk about it.

People tend to form opinions based on what they hear in the media. Most people on the political left probably consume a lot of New York Times, Washington Post, and MSNBC. Those people will likely not have heard of furries and violence (or furries generally) and probably have no idea that the man who allegedly killed Charlie Kirk was in a relationship with a man who calls himself “trans” and a “furry.”

And so, I spent a fair amount of time chatting with friends (conservative and liberal) this week about how if I were to start explaining the phenomenon of “furries” to my lefty friends, they would all think I’m nuts. But we have to be able to talk about this stuff. Not because it’s particularly fun to do so, but because it’s real and it needs to be dealt with.

And before we delve into the topic, I understand the tendency of people on the political left to dismiss this stuff as a fringe right-wing conspiracy theory. I promise it’s not. All you have to do is Google it. So, with that in mind …

According to one source:

Furry culture has grown from an obscure subculture into a recognizable global phenomenon. Whether misunderstood or celebrated, the world of “furries” is rich in creativity, connection, and self-expression. But what exactly does it mean to be a furry? And how does this relate to fetishism or kink? In this article, we’ll dive deep into the furry community, unpacking its origins, its appeal, and how those involved find identity and excitement in this fascinating world.

…

While many people engage in furry culture as a creative hobby or lifestyle, there’s also a kink side to it, often referred to as furry fetishism. This involves sexual arousal connected to fursuits, anthropomorphic fantasies, or roleplay with partners who share the interest.

There’s much more information on that site, if you’re curious. It offers some “tips to get started”:

If you’re curious about furry fetishism, here are a few steps to get started:

1. Develop Your Fursona: A fursona is your alter ego within the furry world. Consider what animal best represents you or excites you. Are you playful like a fox, loyal like a dog, or mysterious like a panther?

2. Find Your Community: Furry communities are welcoming spaces where people share tips, costumes, and experiences. Websites like FurAffinity or conventions like Eurofurence in Berlin offer opportunities to meet like-minded individuals.

3. Explore Fursuits (Optional): While fursuits can be a big investment, they can enhance the experience for both creative play and kink exploration. Start small with accessories like ears, tails, or paws.

4. Incorporate Roleplay: Whether it’s through pet play, dressing up, or adopting playful dynamics, furry kink can bring fresh energy into sexual encounters.

The gist is that it’s a fetish involving being sexually aroused at the idea of being an animal.

It’s not all that dissimilar from a condition called autogynephilia (AGP), which is a fetish in which a man is sexually aroused at the thought of himself as a woman. This is not particularly being hidden either. The feminist publication Reduxx has published story after story about men with this fetish being allowed to participate in women’s sports and be held in women’s prisons with vulnerable women.

In both instances, it’s the state of being sexually aroused by pretending to be something you’re not. “AGP” = man is sexually aroused at the thought of himself as a woman. “Furry” = someone being sexually aroused at the thought of himself or herself as an animal (in the case of AGP, it’s always men (by definition); I have no idea how many women call themselves furry, but I would imagine the proportion is vanishingly small).

Believe me, I don't particularly want to know about any of this stuff either, but here we are.

This stuff isn’t even new. In 2014, Vox magazine ran an article titled, “9 questions about furries you were too embarrassed to ask.” It’s been out there, the whole time, for the past decade or so, hiding in plain sight.

There is an 11-minute video from 2019 by a guy called Shadow Racoon talking about “going to Pride as a furry.” This is why many lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people have had it with Pride and with the “TQIA+” part of the acronym; they want nothing to do with this stuff.

But even if most of us think that this might be a bit weird, is it dangerous?

In 2022, Andy Ngo reported that an antifa member who ran the X account of the group Colorado Springs Antifa is a “trans/furry activist reporter” and a man called Heidi, whose birth name was Sean. For anyone who doesn’t know, “antifa” originally meant “anti-fascist,” and it still sort-of means that, except that members of antifa are themselves fascist, authoritarian, violent thugs. I have been on the receiving end of their viciousness numerous times.

In 2023, Ngo reported that “A 26-year-old man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Utah boy and taking him across the country [was] revealed to be a dog fetishist and furry who allegedly groomed the child in disturbing online interactions.” There is more:

Zeman, who has accounts on Twitter dedicated to his furry and "puppy play" fetish, used the alias "Hunter Fox," among others.

His Twitter posts in December leading up to the abduction showed him interacting with the currently restricted account belonging to the child, who he referred to as his “lamb.”

On Dec. 11, Zeman tweeted a photograph of his erect penis on his "@HunterHornyFox" account along with graphic text about having his "lamb" perform oral sex on him.

You can dismiss Andy Ngo as “right wing” if you want to, and plenty of readers will. But I have never known him to report anything inaccurately, and the receipts are all there, in his articles.

And you don’t even have to rely on Ngo to get this information. In 2024, a somewhat obscure outlet called The Mirror reported that “an obsessive ‘furry’ who was involved in plotting the murder of three people, including the mother and stepfather of a teenage girl he was infatuated with” had been convicted of participating in a 2016 scheme that resulted in the deaths of three adults in Los Angeles.

The same story was reported by People in an article titled, “Obsession, Roleplay — and Murder: How a Furry Fixation Led to a Triple Slaying and a Child's Horrifying Discovery.”

What does any of this have to do with the killing of Charlie Kirk? The suspect in the case is a man named Tyler Robinson, who lived with a man, Lance Twiggs, who calls himself both a “furry” and “trans.”

The phrase “Notices bulge OwO what’s this?” was etched into the spent casing from the fatal shot. “OwO” is an emoji of a face with the Os as the eyes and the w as a mouth or nose. It’s associated with “furry” culture. Another casing was etched with “Hey Facist! Catch!”

I’m getting most of this information from a September 14 article in the New York Post. One can argue that the Post is a conservative-leaning publication, and it is, but that doesn’t mean any of this is untrue or inaccurate. The Post also reported that “The percentage of self-described furries who identify as trans is 25 times higher than in the general US adult population” and that “A further 22% of furries identify as either non-binary, genderqueer or genderfluid.” It got that data from a survey that had been conducted by the outlet Furscience, which calls itself “the public face of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP), studying furries and their fandom and disseminating our evidence-based research to furries, the general public, scholars, and the media to increase understanding and decrease stigma.”

This is a furry group itself saying that there is a high correlation between “trans” and “furry.” And the group is overtly saying it wants to “decrease stigma” regarding a fetish for becoming sexually aroused by the thought of oneself as an animal. When you read that, keep in mind that I have provided three examples of cases in which men who call themselves “trans” and “furry” have been convicted of engaging in violence and/or child sexual abuse.

I’m also getting some of my information from the charging documents in the case. According to the prosecution:

Robinson’s mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented. She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a “stupid venue” for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.

In a section regarding Twiggs:

Police interviewed Robinson’s roommate, a biological male who was involved in a romantic relationship with Robinson. The roommate told police that the roommate received messages from Robinson about the shooting and provided those messages to police.

On September 10, 2025, the roommate received a text message from Robinson which said, “drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.” The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Police found a photograph of this note.

The following text exchange then took place.

After reading the note, the roommate responded, “What?????????????? You’re joking, right????”

Robinson: I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.

Roommate: you weren’t the one who did it right????

Robinson: I am, I’m sorry

Roommate: I thought they caught the person?

Robinson: no, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.

Roommate: Why?

Robinson: Why did I do it?

Roommate: Yeah

Robinson: I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it. …

Roommate: How long have you been planning this?

Robinson: a bit over a week I believe. I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it

There is much, much more in the charging documents.

What I am saying here is also encapsulated in another article in the New York Post titled, “Charlie Kirk assassination suspect had ‘furry’ fixation, and his trans boyfriend proclaimed support for Biden on social media”:

Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson appeared to have a fixation on furries — while his live-in transgender boyfriend espoused support for President Joe Biden and joked about being mentally ill, according to social media posts linked to the pair.

Lance Twiggs, 22, an aspiring pro gamer and Robinson’s roommate, appears to have made a comment in a 2022 Reddit post stating, “We are riding with Biden on this glorious subreddit.”

Twiggs, whose family appears to be conservative Christians based in Utah, is transitioning from male to female and was in a relationship with the 22-year-old Robinson, Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed Sunday.

People who consume exclusively left-leaning legacy media outlets will likely not be exposed to any of this. They will not understand that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with a man who calls himself “trans” and “furry,” and if they do, they are unlikely to know what “furry” means (no one really knows what “trans” means either, but that’s a different story).

According to the outlet Not the Bee:

• ABC News reported that the text messages between the two were “very touching.”

• MSNBC referred to Charlie Kirk as an agitator and a provocateur and claimed that no one on the internet was cheering about the assassination. Meanwhile, there is a group that collects publicly-available data to analyze the prominence of support for political violence. I don’t know what it was called originally, but it renamed itself to the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation after the assassination. As of September 14, it had collected over 63 thousand examples of public expressions of support for the killing.

• CNN claimed on the very same day that the charging documents were made public that the motive for the killing is unclear.

Again, readers are free to dismiss Not the Bee as a conservative-leaning news source, which it is. But that doesn’t make its reporting inaccurate.

The sad truth, which many of my lefty friends will not want to confront, is that this killing is alleged to have been carried out by a man who is either gay or bisexual and in a relationship with another man who calls himself “trans” and “furry,” and that the motive for this alleged assassination came from what passes for “the left” these days.

Now my lefty readers know about “furries” and their relation to “trans.”

Don’t even get me started on animé.