I see that callout post is still going around, and I know a lot of the tensions between shifters and otherkin might be weighing heavily on those who are caught in between- that is, people who are kin and shifters, or some sort of alterhuman in addition to being a shifter, so to offer some advice:

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• If you're a shifter and you're afraid of being outed or attacked by otherkin, keep a separate shifter profile for shifter community stuff.

• Keep personally identifying information (such as your kintypes, beliefs, opinions) a secret unless you know they won't be used against you. You have a right to keep your information private, and nobody should be bullying you about telling them if you don't feel comfortable doing so.

• Hop from community to community, and take what you need and leave the rest. You need shifting tips, but aren't physically shifting yet? Take them from whichever community suits you the best, and when discourse gets to be too much, leave and take sanctuary in another one.

• Public resources: use them whenever possible. I know a lot of otherkin aren't comfortable with physical shifters following them, but if you see a public resource (such as a standalone site) or forum you're more than likely welcome to use it- I've found forums and public resources don't tend to have restrictions on who can use them.

• Make your own groups! The shifter community could always use diversity of opinion and experiences, and having a community that meshes both together could be invaluable.

• Curate your space: I know a lot of otherkin don't agree with shifters, but you don't have to take what they say lying down. Block or unfollow people who seem downright hateful towards shifters; I know it can seem like you're making an echo chamber but sometimes it can really grate on your nerves to hear negativity surrounding something you are 24/7. If hearing negativity like this impacts your mental health badly (as it did mine at one point) unfollow or block, and don't feel bad about it.

 

It sucks to be disliked by another community for something you had no choice in, but we can do something about it by curating our spaces and making things safer for us.

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And don't feel ashamed for believing in shifting, or being a shifter. None of us can help being the way we are, and whether it's by a random quirk of nature or some genetic anomaly, we exist. You don't have to feel ashamed of who you are, and your experiences (especially as those who are both 'kin or alterhuman and shifter) are invaluable.