Star Trek paraphernalia has so routinely been found at the homes of the pedophiles they've arrested that it has become a gruesome joke in the squad room... This does not mean that watching Star Trek makes you a pedophile. It does mean that if you're a pedophile, odds are you've watched a lot of Star Trek.
But Furry fandom is different from other fandoms. There isn't any one show or object of attention, so there isn't a single fandom, more like a collection of interests that overlap. (Some furries say they hate fursuiting, while other ones say it's the reason they're here). It's defined by whoever claims to be a fan. If fetishists say they are furry fans, they are. If their fetish interest is the reason they're here, then it is a fetish for them.
Those members are just as much fans as anyone else, they like sci fi and writing and creativity too. You can call it a sub-section of a subculture. But it's arguable they are not even a sub-section but equally prominent. Look at Reddit's furries - the regular furry board r/furry started before r/yiff, but the newer one got more subscribers in a shorter time without marketing for it. Likely the top most popular business Furry has produced is an adult toy company.
The expression of interest is also different from other fandoms. Others "dress up" as show characters, this one has fursonas that some people play as their selves.
I have heard it said that sexologists who look at internet culture are very interested in things that aren't easily expressed in visual medium, like touch, smell, and taste based fetishes. They think these things are under-represented by visual internet culture. Other fandoms aren't named for a touch word.
So I agree, being furry doesn't necessarily imply any fetish, but having a fetish and being a furry fan implies deeper things than plain Rule 34 material of other fandoms. If that's true, it doesn't "offer a good litmus test of whether a researcher's motives can be trusted", it's apples and oranges from other fandoms. And the kinksters may not even be a minority or "untrue scotsmen" like some want to think.
Interesting article about Star Trek and pedophilia.
The Fallacy of Composition.
But Furry fandom is different from other fandoms. There isn't any one show or object of attention, so there isn't a single fandom, more like a collection of interests that overlap. (Some furries say they hate fursuiting, while other ones say it's the reason they're here). It's defined by whoever claims to be a fan. If fetishists say they are furry fans, they are. If their fetish interest is the reason they're here, then it is a fetish for them.
Those members are just as much fans as anyone else, they like sci fi and writing and creativity too. You can call it a sub-section of a subculture. But it's arguable they are not even a sub-section but equally prominent. Look at Reddit's furries - the regular furry board r/furry started before r/yiff, but the newer one got more subscribers in a shorter time without marketing for it. Likely the top most popular business Furry has produced is an adult toy company.
The expression of interest is also different from other fandoms. Others "dress up" as show characters, this one has fursonas that some people play as their selves.
It's important to emphasize that it's tactile. Furry is a touch word.
I have heard it said that sexologists who look at internet culture are very interested in things that aren't easily expressed in visual medium, like touch, smell, and taste based fetishes. They think these things are under-represented by visual internet culture. Other fandoms aren't named for a touch word.
So I agree, being furry doesn't necessarily imply any fetish, but having a fetish and being a furry fan implies deeper things than plain Rule 34 material of other fandoms. If that's true, it doesn't "offer a good litmus test of whether a researcher's motives can be trusted", it's apples and oranges from other fandoms. And the kinksters may not even be a minority or "untrue scotsmen" like some want to think.