Theme: “Furry in the World; The World in Furry“
Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA / Online) on October 31, 2025
Registration | Keynote | Attending | Partners | News
Furry Studies conference aims to promote global and cross-field collaboration among furry scholars and those invested in this fascinating and diverse community. Following the inaugural 2024 conference, we encourage both academic researchers and the wider furry community to take part in this conference.
Furry Studies 2025 is open for registration!
Pacific Lutheran University
Furry Studies 2025 is proud to be hosted by Pacific Lutheran University at Tacoma, Washington, USA (and online via Zoom).
Keynote: Rod O’Riley
Rod O’Riley is the writing and performing name chosen by a humble and ordinary human being. That human is a hazardous materials consultant by day, songwriter by night, and many other things in the hours in between. A native of Los Angeles, raised in his parents’ native Vancouver (BC), and schooled all over the West Coast. Currently he’s been learning the fine art of bass playing, music production, and letting the computer take care of the hard parts. Active as an organizer of science fiction fandom, he finds time (somehow) to be an activist for animal rights, queer rights, and anarchism. Much of his notoriety stems from the fact that he and his late husband, Mark Merlino, were among the first folks to ever organize meetups for what would come to be known as Furry Fandom – and later, they would launch the first ever furry-themed fandom convention, ConFurence, in 1989.
Attending Furry Studies
Attending the conference requires a valid conference registration. We have an information page for venue, transport, and code of conduct. See the full conference schedule. If you’re coming in person, tickets include coffee, tea, and lunch.
Pre-conference Workshop
Supporting Furry Clients: Affirming practice within queer and trans communities
Hazel Ali Zaman, PhD
Jacob A Sandoval, PhD, LMFT
October 30, 2025
3-5pm, Xavier 201, Pacific Lutheran University
This workshop is for students and practitioners in social work. It introduces the intersections of queer and trans identity and furry participation. Participants will gain foundational knowledge of the furry community, examine how stigma and misrepresentation impact practice, and learn affirming strategies to better support clients. Fill out this form for a free ticket.
Conference Schedule
You can find the schedule and all presentation abstracts here: full conference schedule.
Supporting Partners
Furry Studies 2025 is made possible thanks to presenting authors, artists, organisers, attendees, as well as the furry community. It is supported by:
- Department of Social Work, Pacific Lutheran University
- Monash Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University
- Anthropomorphic Animal Appreciation Association
