Late to the party here, but... if you want to be a furry just do it. There's no barrier to entry besides liking anthropomorphic animal characters more than the average person. How you choose to express that and how far you take it is up to you.
Step one to becoming a furry: decide to be one.
Step two: have fun with it.
That's pretty much all there is to it.
Sure there are some bad people out there in the fandom just like anywhere else. But overall I've found it to be a very positive and welcoming community with a big focus on creativity and self acceptance.
