I came to Chi Tau in November, 2018. I had previously been active in another sim, but what with changes in ownership and purpose, I felt disconnected from it. I had a list of sims I would wander around to visit, and I would regularly go exploring to see what I could find. If memory serves, I saw someone in passing (I’m an unregenerate profile perver) who had a pick for Chi Tau in their profile; I couldn’t tell you now who it was.

Before I continue, I should note that I have been a horsegirl in SL for most of my Second Life, and one of the things I regularly encountered was distaste for and often outright rejection of furries. Similarly I’ve been hermaphroditic all my Second Life and met similar reactions to that as well. So my normal modus operandi on going to a new sim was to quickly change into a human avi until I found a copy of the sim rules or could ask a member of the sim staff. Suffice it to say the best I’d ever found, outside of specifically furry-oriented sims, was grudging acceptance for being a furry, a t-girl, or both.

As it happened, my first day in Chi Tau happened to be a Sunday and the monthly round table, which that day was held in the living room of the Sorority House in the old sim. I had teleported into the bus station first, then changed into human form. Meri noticed that I was new and IM’d me to welcome me, reassure me that I was welcome to be at the round table, explain about the sorority (the fraternity didn’t exist yet, and at that time you could join the sorority group right away), and I explained that I was in a human avi because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be a horsegirl here.

Her reply? “We welcome furries here, and we have several.”

Chi Tau was the first place where anyone had told me I was welcome in my horsegirl form. Not allowed or accepted, but welcome.

The best part? That welcome was true, deep, and continues to this day. When my real life took a very sudden, personally shattering turn literally later in the same month, the community poured out their support.

Three and a half years later, this is my home. You are my family, you are the people I love.