A woman who identifies as a wolf has spoken out and defended her furry identity from haters who accused her of having mental health issues.
28-year-old Naia Ōkami from Seattle, Washington State, knew she had “the spirit of a wolf” ever since she was just ten years old.
Though she knows that she is really a human, Naia said there was no reason why she shouldn’t go along with pretending that she is her favorite animal – a British Columbia wolf.
According to the young therian, who is also trans, being a wolf – spiritually and psychologically speaking – isn’t stopping her from living a normal life and having a partner and a job.
“So spiritually and psychologically, I identify as a wolf but I know I’m human. I walk on two legs, I’ve got a job, I’ve got a career. My partner is human,” the young lady, who occasionally dresses up as a wolf, said on the ‘I’ve Got News For You’ podcast.
Taking a jab at critics who called her crazy and suggested she was mentally impaired, Ōkami added:
“There’s plenty of reasons to hate a person. If you’re going to hate me because I’m blunt and I said something that offended you or a did something wrong that’s a valid reason not to like me.
“But if you’re going to dislike me because of just an identity or a trait that’s not hurting you or anyone else, I don’t really need you in my life anyway.”
As the 28-year-old revealed, her passion is doing volunteer work at wolf preserves and dressing up as a wolf for special events and gatherings like Comic Con.
She also believes that her ‘wolf instinct’ helps her do her job as an investigator.
“When I’m going after predators … I get to feel like a wolf hunting my prey and my prey happens to be humans who are doing bad things.”
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