The description of Jayde Rice's presentation, from the program:
“Strategic Exclusion: The Furry Community as an Example of Identity Maintenance in Digital Spaces.”
In this presentation, I discuss my ongoing research into what I've named "Strategic Exclusion" (SE): the practice through which queer communities - defined as any marginalized, stigmatized, or non-normative groups - rhetorically downplay or exclude their least normative members in order to mitigate stigma and pursue acceptance in heteronormative society. Informed by scholars in queer theory and stigma, I examine SE in relation to the digital furry community. I acknowledge that practices like SE are often deemed necessary due to pervasive anti-furry hostility online, but argue that, in the long-term, such practices promote the erasure and further stigmatization of already stigmatized individuals. CW: Some included visuals may include language or viewpoints that will be offensive to some audience members. These visuals are included NOT to endorse the views expressed but to provide examples of stigmatization and anti-furry hate. There may also be frank (but not detailed) discussions of sex and sexuality.

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