@jerry
So the con chair reached out to local fandom, and the only people to respond in a timely manner were a group of furries. She had no idea what furries were, and didn't care. They assisted her with the hotel, loaned the Oz group equipment for programming, and generally were awesome support.
When I heard who was helping us, I told the chair what furries were. So she was disappointed when the first day of the con arrived and her new friends showed up in regular clothing - no fursuits. 2/?
@jerry
When she asked why, they explained that they didn't want to freak out the Wizard of Oz fans - a mostly older demographic. But she pointed out that the Oz books are full of talking animals, magic, and gender switching. The furries... well, they weren't convinced, but one of them came the next day in a fursuit.
The Oz fans were thrilled. They took photos, they discussed the practicalities of fursuits, they had discussions with the furries about stereotypes... 3/?
@jerry
When she asked why, they explained that they didn't want to freak out the Wizard of Oz fans - a mostly older demographic. But she pointed out that the Oz books are full of talking animals, magic, and gender switching. The furries... well, they weren't convinced, but one of them came the next day in a fursuit.