The Stinger Anthropomorphic Community, known as the Sac State Furs, is a club at Sacramento State where students express themselves through custom characters that personify animals.
The club began as a Discord server before becoming a chartered campus organization in October 2025. Port Christman, a freshman computer engineering major and the club president, said they created the club with the support of English professor William Simmons to provide a space for students with intersectional identities.
“The community is made up of a lot of people who, in social life, feel like they are isolated and feel like they don’t want to interact with others around them,” Christman said. “When you get them with other people that they know they can be safe with and are like them, then they open up a lot more.”
Christman said they have seen members gain confidence and step into leadership roles through finding community in the club.
The club has about 88 registered campus members and about 167 members in its Discord server. Sac State Furs Vice President Kaiden Gibson, a senior majoring in fine and creative arts, said the club offers a safe space for students who feel affected by the current political climate.
“There’s a lot of overlap with people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. A lot of them are in the furry community,” Gibson said. “We need to have that space, especially in a time that we have right now.”
The LGBTQ+ community, people of color and people with disabilities have all experienced effects of the Trump administration’s executive orders. In the second term alone, the Trump administration has limited diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives and limited gender recognition on a federal level to male and female.
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The club promotes accessibility, with many meetings designed for commuter students or students with disabilities.
“I’m someone who’s on the autism spectrum, and every single member never bats an eye, doesn’t make fun of me and has opened up with open arms for me for who I am,” Gibson said.
Members meet in person on Fridays and online through Discord on Sundays to participate in games and activities led by Community Director Cy Palaganas, a freshman health science major. Palaganas has hosted games selected by members, including “Team Fortress 2,” “Among Us” and “Zip-Zap-Zop,” to foster a welcoming environment.
“It’s really important to find a community like this because not everyone has the opportunity to find that,” Palaganas said. “I feel like it’s our duty as this club to make sure that everyone here can just feel safe.”
Gibson said their favorite memory was “Presentation Night,” when members gave presentations about their personal interests. “Barbie” movies, planes and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” were just a few of the many topics presented. .
“Nobody questioned, nobody laughed. They weren’t furry related, but it was just to show us, outside, who we are as people,” Gibson said.
In addition to games, members attend camping trips hosted by Christman. During winter break, the club camped at Samuel P. Taylor Park. Portman said their former Eagle Scout experience often inspires the camping trips.
“I would never plan an event that I wouldn’t want to go to,” Christman said.
Jia Beasley, a senior psychology major and the club treasurer, said she joined Sac State Furs because she had a furry character art business, Bunnii Doodles, but never had any friends in the furry community before.
“They make me start thinking about stuff that I’ve never thought in my life that I could even do,” Beasley said. “I feel like so much growth and responsibility has come out of being in this club because I’ve been challenged to learn new things to keep my passion going.”
A kimono-styled fursuit head at the Sac State Furs’ general meeting Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. The club serves as a middle ground for students with intersectional identities. (AJ Tinkess)
She said that during “Club Rush” at the beginning of the semester, she wore her fursona in public for the first time, saying she was happy to be able to express herself.
“It was nice to be out in the daytime, be fursuiting and having fun,” Beasley said. “I like the anonymity of having a suit on because I’m not going to go to class and get judged the same way as someone who shows up in a Halloween costume when no one else is.”
When Beasley purchased her first fursona and fursuit, Ekkari, she said it felt like buying a car after having a driver’s license for years.
“I’m doing it for real; it’s not just a label anymore. I was really proud,” Beasley said. “I was even more proud when I started customizing her — she became my own — because it felt like I had more personal input to it.”
Christman said a common misconception is that the furry community is inherently sexual or that members are attracted to animals. They said false narratives are often perpetuated, and they invite those who misunderstand the community to attend a meeting.
“We want to position ourselves as a force for good to show the accepting nature of Sac State and bring that positivity to everyone,” Christman said.
The club traveled to Los Angeles March 13 to March 15 to speak on a panel at the Golden State Furs Convention, encouraging students at other colleges to form similar organizations. Christman said they are working to build a network of schools and have connected with similar communities at UC Davis, Fresno State, San Jose State, Chico State and more.
“It’s very heartening to see how everyone gets along with each other and how they interact with people they’ve never met. Oftentimes, new people will join in,” Christman said.