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A historic U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage created intense emotions and record crowds at San Francisco's 2013 Pride celebration. I was informally told the parade drew 1.5 million. Imagine pushing through them in the hot sun with inch thick fur on!



Video by Mallius

For dozens of local furs, the great fun and positive vibes of Pride 2012 were small compared to this year's enthusiastic turnout. If it grows as much in 2014, it'll be awesome to see.

Our meetups gathered at the chosen spot, in equal walking distances between the Castro and the Civic Center districts. On June 29, Castro Street was blocked off for Pink Saturday, where we experienced the city's largest nighttime street festival. The next morning, we reassembled at the Pride Parade. Here's a few recollections from our Pride weekend photos and the furry family in them.

The common street fursuiting experience is like being hounded by paparazzi who all want posing and hugs. One guy cajoled us into posing while he set up his promotional dog food display for a photo op.

We couldn't go five feet without being grabbed on all sides, as willing victims for photos. At one point, six of us were chased like escaped enemies of the king, into the church-like refuge of a street booth selling leather corsets. Its friendly proprietor made seats for us on her storage bins, while she fended off drunk stumblers who shook the tent poles.

The intensity of the experience was not for the faint of heart. A big group and spotters helped deal with risks like rowdy drunks. Samoy Wolf posted afterward:

I have a feeling that I will have a lot of um interesting photos of me on the Internet after pride lol. So many people loved my suit! And it got violated in so many ways along with me body "eh no not my boobs, those are real! Hey that's my ass! Don't pull on my tail! Do Not Open My Mouth To Make Out With Me!" A guy went to rub my crotch and said oh wait it's a girl! Ya I kept getting that. Yes those boobs are real! And oh ya I got a $5 tip for my suit lol. Oh the stories I have.

It was a bit disappointing that we didn't organize a parade float, as I hoped when I wrote about Furries at Pride 2012. That article was answered by historical Furry pride float videos:

The great turnout calls for someone to step up to organize a float next year. There's also been interest in a fursuiter booth instead. Whatever happens, we'll be there on the street, drawing smiles, photos and the kind of amazement that furries shed wherever they go.

San Francisco furries who attended included (sorry, there were too many to remember): Mallius, Amenophis, Vert, Chrisdafur, Shale Ari, Raxeraki, Kilo Coyote, Charm Husky, Silver Wolf, and Joe 'Fluffycloud'.