Woah! The responses to my post have been quite striking! I wasn't expecting all this! In general there seems to be a lot of anger, fear and concern in the responses here.
@Mosteel I think you understand where I am coming from the most.
I'd like to give some more context about me. I am from the US, born and raised. I am aware of the risk involved in being open about practicing zoophilia/bestiality. There may be risks I am unaware of, and reading some of the responses here it's as if I need to be prepared to be searched and arrested at any moment. Although I am not discounting the wisdom in taking precautions, this is not something I am worried about. Since it's been brought to my attention though I will do some more research and adjust my approach to this accordingly. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, and this would be a great point to talk with my therapist about.
I don't have any animals. I'm not sure if I will or not at any point. Right now, I can't afford to take care of anything other than my beautiful carnivorous plants. I'm not sure how keeping animals fits into my life in the future either.
It does seem I have different standards from some here as
@Mosteel put it. My differing standards are not from culture, they are from my own life lessons. I highly value honesty, bravery and authenticity, even when they bring hardship and conflict. I have seriously struggled to be these things in my past, and every day I strive to live up to these values in healthy ways so I can hold my head high as the man I want to be. This gives my life color and meaning and makes my days richer.
I want to clarify for
@RexShepherd that I am not currently lying to my GF. I had been until last summer, and I am not anymore.
Now for something that may be surprising (and perhaps appalling) to some here: I have recently told not only my family but also a friend, a trusted co-worker, and my housemate. I did this as practice before telling my family. My friend made it about himself and told me that he wanted to 'fight it' with me. I have not spoken to him since because I felt completely unheard by him. I have often wondered about getting back in touch and will probably do so, I just don't know when. My co-worker disagreed with zoophilia, however she made it clear that she would support me however she was able. She shared something with me that she doesn't share with anybody else too and I felt closer to her afterwards. My housemate is neutral on the topic, and I have found great comfort in being frank with her about what I feel and what's going on in my life. She is also extremely supportive. I can talk to her any time about bestiality.
I relate the above to illustrate that it's really not been all bad for me. I have, by opening up, found valuable support and closer connections in my life. I would have missed these opportunities by staying silent.
I want to address
@nekdoneco123 's question about omitting the sexual details of my enthusiasm/admiration of animals. I approach this on a case by case basis. For people who I don't know personally, and have no interest in knowing personally, I don't bring up the topic of animals at all. It's simply not relevant most of the time. For friends I may or may not share. It depends on how much I trust them, what I judge of their character, and how often I see them.
For people who I have intimate relationships with, hiding such details about myself erodes my perception of closeness with those people. If that goes on long enough I begin to feel false, as if that person does not truly know me and that I am manipulating them to acquire their love. I want their love to be voluntary. Love, to be of value to me, must be given voluntarily with everything on the table. Not telling them the full truth then becomes a series of lies by omission. At that point, I am effectively lying to acquire their love. I've done this enough in the past, and I cannot tolerate compromising my moral code in this way any more.
Another super long post.... I hope that's alright. I hope this clarifies some things. Thank you for all your responses so far!