Cay Crow: Groping is never appropriate, even with costumed characters
Web Posted: 07/13/2007 06:01 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Here is a surprising response to the frotteurism (nonconsensual groping) column that ran on March 17. A collection of readers' responses ran on May 26.
Dear Cay,
I would just like to share my own groping story with you. It's not quite like the others, but it is equally disturbing.
I am a costume character at a well-known theme park. Since it is a performance, I have to stay in character. That means when people ask me if I am a boy (and all of our characters are), I have to say yes (we are not allowed to speak).
Very rude people, always adults and older teenagers say, "I bet you aren't!" and proceed to try to grope and feel whether or not I have breasts. I have been told by some that it "comes with the territory" of my job, but when I informed my manager, he said that it was completely inappropriate and next time it happened, I have every right to inform security and have these people escorted off the premises.
Cay, this is not only men who do this! Women do it as well! And it upset me very much. I am sure that they would not like it if I were to go grabbing right back at them!
I have had people escorted out of the park for doing this with no refund. And I am not afraid of doing it again! I understand that there will always be idiots out there but there will be consequences!
— Obviously Anonymous
Dear OA:
I am so sorry that this happened to you but I am thrilled that your manager is having those animals removed from the park.
OK, San Antonio and surrounding areas, you have been warned! I just can't believe that people could be so insensitive and crude. In this country, we are violently opposed to people frotteurizing our children yet we tolerate nonconsensual frotteurism in adults? That just makes no sense. And who do you think is hanging out at the theme park with mom and dad? What does this behavior, even toward a cartoon character, teach children?
I suspect that some of these folks groping cartoon characters are either "plushies" people with strong attachments to stuffed animals or "furries," individuals who are drawn to furry cartoon characters. Not all plushies or furries gain sexual gratification from the practice. Many just enjoy anthropomorphizing (giving human traits to) animals. Within this community, there is a specific term, a "furvert" for the individuals who groped you indicating, presumably, their sexual attraction to a mascot. Plushies actually prefer the feel of stuffed animals to human skin and furries feel the same about mascots. Some of these individuals actually feel as if they are a particular animal trapped in a human body. Others fantasize about being either half human and half animal or about being a hybrid animal like a griffin (half eagle and half lion). Their favorite greeting is to groom or "skritch" each other. But even the furries skritch each other consensually!
Check out the article at www.pressedfur.coolfreepages.com/press/vanityfair.
"Furverts"? Wow. Love it.
Years ago, I was at Disneyland with Shannon C., the lovely proprietor of "I'm Seriously, Dammit!" (which I just now saw is defunct. Crap, Shanny! I'll call soon!). There, I was frotteured by Donald Duck. He/she/it also tried "kissing" me with its fuzzy bill and instead deep-throated my entire head.
So what is it when a normal person is nonconsensually groped by a mascot? I'll tell you.
Just plain fucking creepy.
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