Guest post by Mark, organizer of Wild Things.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

SF Citadel, 181 Eddy St., San Francisco

(Mark:) WILD THINGS is a quarterly party for furries, petplayers, pups, primals, littles, and everyone who accepts them… but the furry community is the heart of it. Our first event was in 2014, but despite very positive reviews and a good crowd, it went on pause. It was the furry community that brought Wild Things back, and fortunately the SF Citadel was very supportive of the idea.

Our return event was in late November 2016. Exactly three months later, now we’re doing the weekend before Fat Tuesday. I love the Mardi Gras / Carnival atmosphere, so the theme is a no-brainer. It won’t have a zydeco playlist, but will have the decor, feel, and playfulness of Mardi Gras.

It’s open to everyone, but a majority fall somewhere in the whole LGBTQA spectrum. And it should be remembered that Carnival and Mardi Gras are major LGBT celebrations. Sydney’s draws hundreds of thousands of people. Why Mardi Gras in Australia, of all places? Because around the world, one thing that unites us is that we *LOVE* a great party, where people boldly express their inner selves. A mask, a fursuit, beads, a kigurumi, or body glitter shows it off.

Be a volunteer to get free entry… nobody misses out! Our last event drew nearly 160 attendees, making it one of the largest at the Citadel that month, beating our prior events by 50% and it’s sure to grow more. Nearly 25% assisted as volunteers: from DJing to promotions, setup to cleanup. Anyone who wants to volunteer instead of paying admission is encouraged to contact me. (I am on Telegram and Fetlife: @sleeplesseye.)

Here’s the Citadel’s event page, and our Fetlife community. Follow on Twitter. There’s also a very active Telegram group with about 130 members, who are finding new friends and play partners, organizing private gatherings, and being a community. (Message @sleeplesseye for an invite.)

Our email list is here, with a $5 discount for new members. Please sign up now, and tell your friends!

As an SF Citadel event, we have a small, fixed budget and most of the profit goes to keep the Citadel afloat. They have a nightclub-sized rent in one of the world’s most expensive cities. But we do a LOT on a small budget, because it’s volunteer-led. We keep reaching new people (including at Further Confusion recently) and I can’t tell you how much we value your volunteering!

Wild Things is 18-and-up. There are parties at other venues that draw under-21’s to hang out in front, risking trouble. Our event can serve some of that crowd, and make sex and sexuality more safe and positive, not intimidating or deserving of unfair mistreatment.

Wild Things is for friends, socializing and playfulness… and don’t forget the kinky, sexy part. Our attendees are mature enough to deal with it. You can be your adult selves without judgement. And lots of people in the furry community are surprised at how well people behave at Wild Things. It might have to do with being alcohol and drug free.

Personally, I sense a conflict of ideas in the community. Some lecture others about reputation and morals, but ironically getting drunk is acceptable enough to them. Some have a problem with LGBT people and sexuality. They expect censoring and shaming to improve things. But I’d say the great majority of furries don’t really gain from that oversensitivity. They just lose options. Excessive policing is a waste of time that offends more people than it protects. People are smarter about this than society often gives credit for.

I think it’s not just me who believes this… it’s the majority of the furry community and even a majority of Americans. It does make sense to use private, safe, consensual spaces. With those spaces, *everyone* wins, including the moralistic.

It actually does work like that in the San Francisco Bay Area. Openly adult LGBT activity and events are absolutely not incompatible with others. Go to Pride or to Folsom Street Fair, and you will see straight people by the tens and hundreds of thousands, who are very supportive of the gay community. You can know that people are getting their freak on, and NOT BE OFFENDED, while doing what’s comfortable to you. An open society like that is the most empowering.

Wild Things wants to be inclusive to anyone who is new, making them feel welcome, unpressured, and free to learn and explore at their own pace, if they wish. We advocate tolerance and respect for others, so people can live and let live, and let adults be adults however they choose to do so. It’s a new thing for some, but all I can say is to come without judgements and see for yourselves.

– Mark