Zoophilia

2024-11-26T12:37:45Z

BlushADHD: There was a typo

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[[File:ZETA.svg|thumbnail|200px|Zoophilia logo]]
'''Zoophilia''' is a [[paraphilia]] term for denote the [[sexual]] attraction of [[humans]] towards non-human [[animal|real animals]],<ref>[https://dictionary.apa.org/zoophilia Zoophilia] definition on the [[W:American Psychological Association|American Psychological Association]]'s [https://dictionary.apa.org/ Dictionary of Psychology]. Retrieved January 20, 2021.</ref> the desire to engage in such, or to the specific paraphilia (i.e., the atypical arousal). '''Zoophile''' indicates the person engaging in it.

== Etymology and symbols ==
[[File:Zoophile-zoopride_flag.svg|thumbnail|200px|Zoophilia flag]]
The term '''''zoophilia''''' was introduced into the field of [[sex]]uality research in the German [[W:psychiatrist|psychiatrist]] and [[author]] [[W:Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing|Krafft-Ebing]]'s book, ''[[W:Psychopathia Sexualis (Richard von Krafft-Ebing book)|Psychopathia Sexualis]]'' (1886), who described several cases of "violation of animals (bestiality)", as well as "zoophilia erotica", which he defined as a sexual attraction to [[animal skin]] or [[fur]]. The term is derived from the combination of two nouns in [[W:Greek language|Greek]]: '''''ζῷον''''' (''zṓion'', meaning "animal") and '''''φιλία''''' (''[[W:wiktionary:-philia|philia]]'', meaning "(fraternal) love"). Krafft-Ebing also coined the uncommon term '''''zooerasty''''' for the paraphilia of exclusive sexual attraction to animals.

It is a favored term in [[W:Mainstream|popular culture]] (and for those certain people within the [[furry fandom]]) as an alternative to the term [[bestiality]],{{cn}} because it stresses orientation over acts, and is usually regarded{{cn}} as less prejudicial.

The term '''Zooey''' is also used to describe this paraphilia, content (media), or persons involved (zoophile).

=== Zoosexual ===

The term '''''zoosexual''''' was proposed by [[W:Hani Miletski||Hani Miletski]] in 2002 as a noun synonymous with "zoophile" (the person), while the adjectival form of the word – as, for instance, in the phrase "zoosexual act" – may indicate sexual activity between a human and an animal. The derivative noun "zoosexuality" is sometimes used by self-identified zoophiles in both support groups and on internet-based discussion forums to designate [[sex|sexual orientation]] manifesting as sexual attraction to animals.

=== Symbols ===

Especially on [[W:social media|social media]], zoophiles use various symbols/[[W:Emote|emotes]] to identify themselves to other zoophiles; This includes the common '''ζ''' ([[W:Zeta|Zeta]], the first letter of the Greek "ζῷον" [animal]) symbol<ref>[https://x.com/BlackBerryCher4/status/1729550320710168957 ''Different symbols/emojis/emoji combos to look out for''] post on [[Twitter|X]]. Retrieved November 16, 2024.</ref> or the 🐾 [[Paw|paw print]] [[W:Emoji|emoji]] (normally red). Paw print tattoos (on skin or [[fursuiter]]s' [[suit]] [[fur]]) are commonly mistaken as a zoophile identifier.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/RealFurryHours/comments/wf5tks/does_having_a_paw_print_on_the_butt_mean_its_code/ ''Does having a paw print on the butt mean it’s code for “im a zoophile?”''] post on [[Reddit]]'s [[furry]] [[subreddit]], [[r/RealFurryHours]]. Retrieved November 16, 2024.</ref>

== Zoophiles vs Bestialists ==
[[File:Zetapin.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A Zeta pin, used in public by some zoophiles]]
Although sexual, not all zoophiles choose to engage in the described sexual contact, but for those who do, they state that they are [[W:Lover|lovers of animals]] and that the sexual act, when it is done, is an extension of a deeper emotional and perhaps spiritual relationship with the animal, similar to the sexual expression between human companions.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14574096/ ] . Retrieved ?.</ref>

They use this emotional definition to separate themselves from '''beastialists''' ('''beasties'''), which they claim their sole interest is in the act itself ('''Bestiality''').

===Zoophilia as a sexual orientation===

While zoophilia is classified as a paraphilia by the APA, many zoophiles conceptualize it instead as their [[w:Sexual_orientation|sexual orientation]], referring to their attraction as '''zoosexuality'''. While most studies analyze zoophilia as a paraphilia or within a criminal context, some scholars have argued in favor of the idea that zoophilia can be conceptualized as a sexual orientation.

In his study of 8 zoophiles, [[Donofrio]]<ref>Also cited by Miletski, 2005.</ref> (unpublished doctoral dissertation, 1996) suggested that zoophilia may not be a clinically significant problem, and reported that the concept of zoophilia being a sexual orientation was supported by his doctoral study. He suggested using a scale resembling the [[w:Kinsey_scale|Kinsey scale]] to measure sexual interest in humans vs. animals.

More recently, sexologist [[Hani Miletski]] surveyed 93 zoophiles, and concluded that zoophilia fits [[Robert Francoeur]]'s conceptualization of sexual orientation (affectional orientation, sexual fantasy orientation, and erotic orientation).<ref>http://www.isaz.net/isaz/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Bestiality-and-Zoophilia.pdf#page=90</ref><ref>https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-03441-006 ]. Retrieved ?.</ref>

== Zoophilia and furry ==

It is a common misconception/[[stereotype]] that all people in the [[furry fandom]] are zoophiles.

It is true that a significant proportion of [[Sexual|erotic]] [[furry artwork]] and stories involve beings with animal characteristics having [[sex]] with each other or with humans, but it should be noted that the participants are usually [[anthropomorphic]] beings.

While some furries are zoophiles, the two terms are not synonymous. Most furries do not have any sexual interest in animals in real life, though some may roleplay otherwise in a fantasy scenario.

As most furries express some degree of sexual attraction towards anthropomorphic beings,<ref>https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/furry-fiesta-2013/</ref> several surveys have also asked furries about zoophilia. To date, however, no surveys have asked about bestiality.

Below is a review of the estimates on the prevalence of zoophilia among furries:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Results !! Sample size
|-
| ''The Sociology of Furry Fandom'' (Rust, J. D., 2001)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050302094251/http://www.visi.com/%7Ephantos/furrysoc.html</ref> || 2% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 350
|-
| ''The Furry Sociological Survey'' (Evans, K., 2008)<ref>[https://www.gwern.net/docs/psychology/2008-evans.pdf ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 17% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 278
|-
| ''2008 Furry Survey'' (Osaki, A., 2008)<ref>[http://www.klisoura.com/ot_furrysurvey2008.php ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 18.4% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 7,024
|-
| ''2009 Furry Survey'' (Osaki, A., 2009)<ref>[http://klisoura.com/ot_furrysurvey2009.php ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 13.9% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 9,024
|-
| ''2010 Furry Survey'' (Osaki, A., 2010)<ref>[http://klisoura.com/ot_furrysurvey2010.php ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 13.6% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 4,895
|-
| ''2011 Furry Survey'' (Osaki, A., 2011)<ref>[http://www.klisoura.com/ot_furrysurvey2011.php ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 13.3% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 4,365
|-
| ''2012 Furry Survey'' (Osaki, A., 2012)<ref>[http://www.klisoura.com/ot_furrysurvey.php ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 14.9% of respondents stated they were zoophiles. || 3,267
|-
| ''Furscience 2019 Studies'' (Roberts, S., et al., 2019)<ref>[https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/furscience-2019/ ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 6.9% of participants listed zoophilia on an open question about kinks/fetishes. || 827
|-
| ''The “Furry” Phenomenon: Characterizing Sexual Orientation, Sexual Motivation, and Erotic Target Identity Inversions in Male Furries'' (Hsu, K., Bailey, J. M., 2019)<ref>[https://www.gwern.net/docs/psychology/2019-hsu.pdf ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 46.7% of participants reported nonzero attraction towards animals. || 334
|-
| ''What Are Furries?'' (fek, 2020)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210116160156/https://whatarefurries.com/ ]. Retrieved ?.</ref> || 14.3% of respondents stated they felt any sexual attraction towards animals. || 4,790
|}

The simple average across all surveys is 16.1%. Weighing the estimates according to sample size gives a result of 14.9%. Some important limitations of these surveys should be noted, however.

A shortcoming that affects every survey on the [[furry fandom]] is the fact that it's impossible to gather a random and representative sample of [[online community|online communities]]. As all of these surveys rely on [[W:Self-selection_bias|self-selected]] samples, they may have oversampled furries who have a greater interest in the fandom, a more positive opinion of it, or who simply spend more time online.

[[Rust, J. D.]]t's estimate of only 2% would be even lower than what's been estimated for the general population. However, this is likely due to [[W:Social-desirability_bias|social desirability bias]] affecting the results, as 325 of the participants were interviewed in person, and respondents had to provide identification plus an email address in order to participate in the online survey.

In [[Dr. Sharon Roberts]]' survey respondents were asked to list their kinks and fetishes in an open-ended question. As some zoophiles think of their attraction as a sexual orientation rather than a paraphilia or [[kink]], not all zoophiles may have listed their attraction on this question. Furthermore, only respondents who listed at least one kink were included in the total, hence furries who are [[asexual]] or don't have any kinks are not represented in these results.

[[Hsu, K.]] and [[Bailey, J. M]]'s study focused only on participants who identified as [[male]], hence their results are not generalizable to all furries. They also state that 64.7% of participants were recruited via a [[forum]] for furries. While they don't specify what forum, other surveys of the fandom suggest that very few furries participate in forums.<ref>https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/past-results/international-online-furry-survey-2011</ref> It should also be noted that while 46.7% of respondents reported some level of sexual attraction to animals this does not necessarily mean that they can all be classified as zoophiles, as many researchers set a threshold of medium or low attraction to make such a classification.

==ZooWiki==
[[File:ZooWiki.png|thumbnail|ZooWiki logo]]
'''ZooWiki''' was a [[W:wiki|wiki]] for the German zoophile community. It was created on May 23, 2005, by [[Wolfie (Germany)|Wolfie]]. It had 89 articles as of October 2006, on topics such as literature, authors, philosophy, events, vendors, anatomy and general trivia.

ZooWiki's policies specified that it should not contain explicit or illegal content. ZooWiki was located at [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204124210/http://zoowiki.zetapin.de/index.php?title=Hauptseite http://zoowiki.zetapin.de/] (defunct, July 2012. Retrieved via the [[W:Wayback Machine|Internet Wayback Machine]]).

== References ==
<references/>

==See also==

* [[W:Zoophilia|Zoophilia]] on [[Wikipedia]]
* [[W:Bestiality|Bestiality]] on Wikipedia
* [[Bestiality]]
* [[Zetacon]]
* [[Zooier Than Thou]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.zeta-verein.de/en/ ''ZETA-VEREIN''] official website (German)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160423052440/http://zoophilia.net/ Zoophilia.net] official website (retrieved via the Internet Wayback Machine)
* ''[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.sex.bestiality/browse_frm/thread/b26e8acbd087f127 Zoophilia and Your Health]'' on [[alt.sex.bestiality]] (login required)

=== Media ===

* [http://adjectivespecies.com/2012/02/06/zoophilia-in-the-furry-community/ ''Zoophilia in the furry community''] article on [[adjective species]]
* [https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/15248/sappho-zoophile-drama-furry-community ''YouTuber Sappho "comes out" as a zoophile, sparking outrage towards the furry community''] article on [https://www.invenglobal.com/ InvenGlobal]

[[Category:Paraphilias]]
[[Category:Mature terms]]

[[ru:Зоофилия]]

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Zoophilia