My friends left me because I told them I was a furry

They weren't true friends if they reacted like this. The furry fandom is very sweet and I'm sure you'll make new friends, don't let it drag you down.

If they can’t accept you for who you are, that’s their loss. I promise you there are brighter days ahead. Even if that seems hard to believe right now… it’s the truth.

I admit I have a bias against furries. Not sure where I got it, I guess people irl degrading them and social media.

But I agree with the [dead] commenter who said, "They weren't true friends if they reacted like this."

Edit:

If someone learns something new about you, it is not unreasonable for them to update their opinion.

But whether their reaction tells you something about you or something about them is a separate question. Their reaction says everything about them. Their reaction tells you whether their opinion is still worth caring about.

Hang in there.

How long have they been your friends, and how strong of a friendship was it prior to that?

Is there a reason you needed to tell others of your sexual preference? Is it intertwined with being a furry?

People can get uncomfortable and not know how to handle unexpected news. Perhaps next time when feeling like sharing something out of the ordinary with someone, maybe treat it nonchalantly, like - you: I'll be there after I drop my suit off at the cleaners (maybe they might ask what the suit is for, then say meeting up with some people, or cosplay and explain you know how people wear costumes to conventions like characters from movies or characters that they invent on their own, I invented a character that I feel describes me, (then see if they ask about it, or wait for a different opportunity))

Edit: I assumed a suit, but I suppose one can just have drawings of their fursona? I imagine fursuits are expensive and perhaps not everyone has one. Or maybe some people just have partial pieces like a tail, mask, or ear headband? I'm not that familiar with the fury culture.

If your "friends" left you because you told them you were a furry, then they were never your friends to begin with.

Now that you've shed that baggage, go find some real friends.

That's ok, you're weird and it's going to happen when you show normal people your weird side.

You just need to find other people who are your kind of weird.

I agree with everybody else. Friends don't judge, and these people didn't come through when you needed a little support. It's their loss, not yours.

im gonna find some new friends whether its online or not

I don't mean to ostracize or make you feel worse, but have you considered your furry'ness is worth less than friendship? Maybe your friends creating space was a way of saying "You care more about getting attention than you do about being part of our friendship"?

Maybe set aside what you want to be (a furry) to maintain what you had (friends).

I mainly suggest it because no one teaches young people they are responsible for their happiness. Maybe you're feeling depressed because of your choices (pretending to be a wolf)?

My opinion is absolutely an unpopular one, but you have to think of your friends feelings, not just your own.

I have a few furry friends too, some who even need their fursuits for social 'interactions.' But aside from that, they're just like anyone else. To me it's like having a friend who collects stamps - don't worry too much about others' opinions, as long as you're not harming anyone. Hope this helps.

is telling non-sexual partners about ones' own proclivities a means to seek validation for behavior that the person internally defines as socially fringe or uncommon?

I try to wear my weirdness on the outside as a pre-selection against people who react like that. Fail early and fail often is my motto.

Just gotta be weirder from the get go my dude.