ALTERHUMANITY, BEING THERIAN
Alterhuman can be defined as a type of identity that is atypical of the experience of "being human." This can be for any reason be it physical, spiritual, psychological, etc. It can be anything! Including objects, animals, and abstract concepts.
I am mainly therian! This means I identify as a non-human animal. I'm a dog, a German Shepherd/Borzoi mix. To be clear, I am aware that I do not have the body of a dog, and if I had the brain of one I would not be explaining these concepts to you. However, there is the connection with that which is not human. I have been described as "a dog raised by cats." My mind and my identity feel dog-like. If I were to envision a true self, it would be a dog.
As previously mentioned, this facet of my identity is spiritual and psychological. There is no definitive proof that souls exist, but I tend to believe that they do, and besides that much of my identity even outside of being therian stems from the brain I was born with and the life it has experienced. I do not consider myself a human, because I have mostly been treated as though I am not one, or that I do being human "incorrectly." I am autistic with a bunch of other mental disorders that ultimately come from predisposition and the experience of being perceived and thus treated in ways that are damaging. The self is made to feel unlovable, and so seeks out places where real love and connection is. I find this in those that are not human, and my friends who are similarly alterhuman.
When I was younger the feeling I had of separation from the people around me was expressed kind of differently (although I did feel kinship with my childhood dog which influenced things quite a bit too, I think. He was a German Shepherd named Whiskey). Mostly in a weird vaguely religious manner I felt that I was connected to something else, greater than me, and one day that thing would notice I'm not where I should be and take me away (I was not raised with any religious or spiritual belief my brain was just making shit up). It was mostly an idea that I was in some way nonhuman and I was just hiding among people, and one day I'd be found by those I belong with and join them. I think in a way I've found them in my friends. I for a long time turned my eyes away though from the concept of being entirely nonhuman, there is a part of me that does sometimes deeply want to feel human among those I live with. The simple fact is that I don't, and I will not. I prefer to reject it, honestly. I do not find safety in humanity. but regardless, being therian or alterhuman in general is not a "wrong" thing to be. I am happier expressing my identity in the form that it is, and being with people that see it as another part of me that they love and respect. In a joyous world I have paws and I love my friends and I telling each other we're wagging our tails. I am very very tired of the people on this planet that prefer ostracizing others for any sort of nonconformity. If you limit and belittle the lives of others because you think it's sooo weird, you are a tar pit. Grow the fuck up.
If you want to learn more you can check out House of Chimeras Nonfiction section for nonhuman information!
Not all who are alterhuman are transgender, but these things can connect on the basis of experiencing dysphoria towards ones own identity, labels and/or body. I started wondering about my own gender when I was 11, and messed around with a bunch of labels until age 13 when I settled on "I'm a boy." I was immediately very pushy about making changes to be seen as masculine however I could, I don't remember much of it but some people accepted me (my friends, I love you!) and some people didn't. I was on testosterone gel from 2024-2025. It did end up causing some anomalous health problems for me and I had to stop, but I don't regret it. The changes I wanted to my body are the ones that will be permanent, so I am content. Being physically more masculine has made me more comfortable in the aspects of my identity and interests that are more feminine as well. I like being a guy with facial and body hair and a deeper voice and I like wearing dresses and skirts!
The labels I use now tend to be "bigender" or "genderqueer," because I simply don't care to put myself in a strict male or female box anymore. I am something else entirely and I like it that way. I am free that way. I know some people refer to themselves in the past as the gender they always have been and have transitioned into. I refer to my younger self as a girl because that's what she believed herself to be, and that wasn't incorrect at the time. It just shifted, and so I changed accordingly. I think she'd think I'm cool as fuck. I would like to say I have surrounded myself in people that love and support me for who I am, but I haven't. Not entirely. I still live with someone who repeatedly pushes me to change for society's sake, who repeatedly tells me that I will never be loved by others. But I know that that isn't true. I do have people in my life that I know love me very much, and I am able to live because I know I am loved somewhere. They know who they are, and if one of them is reading this: Hi! I love you so much! Regardless of whether you have taken all the steps to reach the life you want or you're someone who hasn't for any reason: know that there are people out there who you may or may not have met yet that think you're cool as fuck and love you very much. I hope for every kindness for you and the worst for anyone that tries to keep it away from you.