In response to Republican Governor, an upcoming “furry convention” in Florida will limit its attendees to those over 18. Ron DeSantis passed a law that prohibits children from attending live “adult entertainment”.

Megaplex, a convention in Orlando dedicated to “people that enjoy dressing up or making art as anthropomorphized animals,” released an original statement about their decision on Wednesday.

Many have expressed concern about recent changes to Florida legislation. Megaplex 2023 attendees will be required to meet the legal requirements and age requirement for Megaplex 2023. This is due to the Florida SB 1438.

The Protection of Children Act, SB 1438, prohibits “knowingly admitting” a child “to an adult live show. An adult live show is defined as any “show, exhibition, other presentation before a live audience that, in part or whole, depicts, simulates, or simulates nudity or sexual conduct or sexual excitement or specific sexual activities.”

The Rolling Stone attacked DeSantis, accusing him of “sucking pleasure” from “joys”, such as the furry convention.

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the GOP presidential candidate, has succeeded in squeezing out many little pleasures of life. From drag brunches and Disney adult TikTok. DeSantis could now bring down the ax on furries, thanks to the passage of SB1438, the Protection of Children Act. Senior writer E.J. Dickson wrote.

Dickson, the president of the furry association, dismissed the claim that the convention could be in violation of a law intended to prevent sexualization of minors. He said the link was part of the “pervasive misconception” that furries were “inherently homosexual.”

He added, “While there is a small segment of furrydom who do treat it as a sexual interest, it’s not representative of the larger community. Many furries don’t see their interest in anthropomorphized animals as anything sexual.” Many conventions cater to the NSFW elements of furry fandom. However, they usually save this programming for late at night so that the rest of their con can be family-friendly. Or they cordon off adult vendor booths to keep them out of sight of other attendees.

The Rolling Stone quoted “a transgender faerie and the owner” of the furry adult toy firm Lycantasy who agreed with Megaplex on the response to the new law, but said that she would not attend this year’s convention, because “I didn’t want to be in a confrontation or worse, in jail or dead for simply going to the restroom in Florida.”

Dickson continued to defend “furry fandom,” arguing that it is a safe place for children and attracts “marginalized” people.

Many furries feel marginalized. In addition to being LGBTQ, many furries also identify as neurodivergent. They tend to see the community as something of a haven. Rolling Stone reported that children are increasingly gravitating towards the fandom because of this.

Dickson added, “The popularity of the furry fandom among youth has increased as a result of the rise of furry influencers, especially on platforms such as TikTok. The Pittsburgh-based Anthrocon reported that 16 percent (or its attendees) in 2019 were younger than 19 years old.”

Dickson spoke to the founders of Moms of Furries. One of them said that it was “heartbreaking” to think of the young furries who would not have a place to connect due to the new age restriction.

Megaplex is optimistic about the future, despite this year’s policy.

Megaplex released a statement that read: “We hope this change will be temporary, and we look forward to welcoming members of all ages next year.” Megaplex is not abandoning or forgetting our younger fans. They are looking at options for events and other activities that include them and their families.

The Megaplex 2022 schedule shows that many of the events for adults or general audiences were held in the evenings. Other events for adults and a general public were held in the afternoons. These included “How to Be Queer,” a “Babyfur/Kidfur Meet Up,” and a “Transgender Furs Meet & Greet.”

The convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando from September 15-17. Megaplex has not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for a comment.