The Maryland Renaissance Festival, one of the largest events of its kind in the country, has banned furries and non-period animal headwear after attendees complained about their presence.Members of the furry subculture are now treating a private faire’s costume rule like a civil-rights case.Organizers added “fursuits” to the prohibited-headwear list last spring.The new rule says headwear must be removable, thematic to the event, and appropriate for a family-friendly venue.Festival President Jules Smith Jr. and General Manager Julius Smith have said the change followed years of mascot-style suits preening for photos, unauthorized performances, guests who would not listen to staff, security, or first aid, and paying customers who said the costumes made them uncomfortable.A festival statement cited “repeated incidents” and “behaviors that have made other patrons uncomfortable.”The season opened August 29 and runs weekends through late October at Revel Grove.Furries United, a Facebook group of nearly 10,000, was filled with posts calling the ban discriminatory and urging members to flood the festival with complaints so it would look bad to turn away “cosplay.”Some talked about a protest of “pups” with “let us in” signs.Hawthorne, a longtime furry who spoke to The Banner, said he went through “all the stages of grief” and that losing a place he had treated as home was “really, really heartbreaking.”“I kind of went through all the stages of grief. I think the biggest impact is losing this lovely place that I had kind of considered home,” Hawthorne, who has been dressing as a furry for 15 years, said. “It was really, really heartbreaking.”The furry admitted that the perception of furries as being sexually charged is not entirely wrong, as it is a queer-oriented adult subculture, and “within that radical self-expression, sexual themes can make an appearance.”“The media does love to portray the furry community as very sexually enthusiastic, if you will, and it’s a group of adults being together. It’s also a very queer-oriented community, and a lot of that community involves very radical self-expression, and within that radical self-expression, sexual themes can make an appearance,” Hawthorne said. “I haven’t seen [those] themes in most of the outfits that I’ve seen at the renaissance fair.”Hawthorne said that was not how he experienced the faire and that he is not going this year.Shawna Passalaqua told The Banner she showed up in period clothes plus a coyote mask, tail, and fur sleeves and was turned away.“I’m really angry,” Passalaqua. “This isn’t how renn fairs used to be. This safe inclusive space for 50 years has completely switched overnight.”The Post Millennial noted in their report, “Furries have also become ubiquitous at Pride parades and events where primarily men in bondage gear wear ‘pup’ headgear as well and are walked around on leashes. There’s even a furry Pride flag with purple, black, white, and a red bone in the center. Furry conventions have been held as well, and those who are into the furry thing and wear costumes say they take on a “fursona” when they’re in their suits.”The post Maryland Renaissance Festival Bans Furries, the Creepy Community Responds by Calling Dress Code ‘Discrimination’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.