One of the most recent examples involves a relatively unknown community. [37], In early 2022, Snopes rated claims of litter boxes being placed in restrooms in Michigan schools as "false"[7] and the Agence France-Presse said they were "baseless". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Plante told Reuters that Stocktons claims about furry or therian activity in schools are familiar to the community and researchers. (The district said the worksheets were fake and not affiliated with its schools.). Then they hear these rumors about furries and see their kids watching these videos., Old lies and false impressions die hard, and other forms of discrimination tend to reemerge in moments when LGBTQ people are targeted by lawmakers and media personalities. Both Dunn and Joe Strike, another furry historian and community member, recalled an infamous 2003 episode of CSI that, in the words of another furry documentarian, portrayed the community as a community of sexual deviants who like to have sex in fur costumes, despite the fact that such fetishists probably represent about 2 percent of the fandom., Strike also pointed to a 2001 Vanity Fair report on a furry convention that served as the basis for many public commentators impressions of furries as people with animal kinks, even as furries themselves claimed that piece painted the community in a completely false light, per BuzzFeed News. We'd love to hear eyewitness The man's famil, Portions of Burke and First streets remained closed most of the day Monday while police investigated an early-morning shooting outside Gatsby. The specific claim that schools are providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats or furries seemed to first emerge in 2021, targeting the Prince Edward The rumor has caused a stir in schools in Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa and other states across the country, prompting school officials to address it with families and school boards, just as Pirie plans to with the Lamoille North Supervisory Union board. Thanks for signing up! In response, the superintendent of the school board visited every bathroom in the district, and verified at the meeting that the rumors were untrue. Send me updates about Slate special offers. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Its not. [85] At a campaign event, congresswoman Lauren Boebert alleged that litter boxes were being provided to students who identify as cats in Durango, Colorado, which administrators for the local school district said were untrue. Furries do a similar thing, but with a twist. Fursuits are usually worn on special occasions a parade, meet-up or convention. I want to be sure that our school is providing the community with opportunities to engage with us. 5:55 Rumours about litter boxes in schools for students identifying as cats are false, Norbert Carpenter tells CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce Litter boxes will not Administrators for Horry County Schools said the rumors were part of a nationwide hoax and untrue.[72]. People have sex and furries are people. Please subscribe to keep reading. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. A bit of background is necessary here: Furries are not people who think they are animals. But first, Winston-Salem officials are documenting its history. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the following characteristics are protected from discrimination: Race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information. For more see (here) and (here). "[106] Christopher Tremoglie of the conservative website Washington Examiner said that rumors in mid 2022 of litter boxes in Iowa schools were false. Its a TikTok meme, Dunn said. There is a big difference between those legitimate concerns and these rumors. According to the U.S. Furries are a fandom, like anime, Star Trek or football. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. He said for months schools and the PSB have received phone calls and emails about the issue. Fact check: No, schools aren't providing litter boxes for students who identify as furries. It is convenient fearmongering that coincides easily both with the hysteria over race-conscious curricula and the rise in state laws targeting LGBTQ students, especially transgender children. Let me be clear in this communication: There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation. However, its worth noting there are many marginalized statuses within the furry community. [82], Australian satirical website Damascus Dropbear published a new fake story in August 2022 about a school in Melbourne providing litter boxes. Thats why its being levied at children, because of that generation gap where old people dont know what their kid is looking at on the phone. In the same way that cosplayers typically dont believe they are actually Spiderman, furries dont think they are their fursonas. School districts in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska [48], In December 2021, conservative activist Lisa Hansen[6] in Michigan gave public testimony before the Midland Public Schools school board as it discussed COVID-19 testing requirements for students,[13] claiming she was informed that litter boxes had been added in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", along with claiming that it was a "nationwide" issue and that there was an "agenda that is being pushed". [115], Many of the prominent American politicians seeking public office who promoted the hoax were defeated in the 2022 elections. High 39F. Its scary because, as Ryan Broderick pointed out in his newsletter Garbage Daywhich this week focused on the panic over furrieseven stories debunking the rumors helped spread them. The same falsehood also circulated in an Iowa district, and a congressional candidate in Texas tweeted that school cafeteria tables were being lowered to accommodate students identifying as furries. Don Bolduc, Republican candidate for New Hampshire senator, is one of the latest conservative politicians to repeat the hearsay that schools are providing litter boxes We encountered an issue signing you up. For some of these folks, its enjoyable to do things those animals would do - bark, or growl, or rough-house play in an animalistic way. [113] Television show host John Oliver debunked litter box claims on the episode of Last Week Tonight that aired on October 24, 2022. Conservative fearmongering about students seems particularly unlikely to abate for a while. What are we doing to our kids? Sharon E. Roberts receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We've lost our minds. Very important to address every students needs.. In 2021 and 2022, various American conservative and far-right politicians and media personalities promoted the hoax in response to several school districts enacting protections for transgender students. The inclusive nature of the furry fandom means that, for many furries, its a safe place where they can be their most authentic selves. [9] A school official said there was a request for cat litter in one school, but it was denied by the school board and that they did not recognize animal identities. Or they applied for an extension, giving them until October 17 to file their returns. A SCHOOL in Michigan has bizarrely been accused by outraged parents of installing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats and dogs. Two Things: Victim's family not surprised by no show; hospital wars in Greensboro and money well spent, Rural Hall officials violated state law, audit finds. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Theres a lot more of this. Jim Baize, who is Ruth Baize's husband, compared furries to gender identity in comments of his own on Monday. WebThe litter boxes in schools hoax (also called the litter box canard) [1] [2] is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin subcultures. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. There was a problem saving your notification. I heard that at least one of our schools in our town has in one of the unisex bathrooms, a litter box for the kids that identify as cats, a concerned parent claimed during a Board of Education meeting in December. He also said regarding a widely circulated story by the Herald Sun tabloid newspaper about an Australian teenager allowed to act as a cat in class that was never verified,[107] and of the broader discussion of gender identity issues, "This is the world we live in today, and this is the danger created by normalizing transgender delusions in young students who may get over it. 10 Insomniac132 1 yr. ago The BIW furriesthe [40] There was no evidence, however, that any schools had provided litter boxes in restrooms to any students. For many furries, the fandom is a way to build social connections with others. In other words, if you removed all the sexual content, there would still be a furry fandom. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Nor had he seen anti-furry outrage to the degree to where it seems to be overtaking school districts and a lot of political discourse. After all, you can also find newly stoked disputes about furries and schools in the U.K., Canada, and Australia. [4][66][67] In Iowa, Republican state senator Tim Kraayenbrink said at a public forum that schools were putting litter boxes in schools for furries to use. Reuters has fact checked claims around furries in U.S. schools in the past and found no evidence of them disrupting classrooms or schools developing a policy of including them as a formal identity (here) and (here) and (here). Legitimate concerns can help our school community grow, whereas these sorts of rumors really hurt our school community, she said. Explanation of why the Triad has a new overlay area code of 743. Obviously, its not true, so I dont know where people are coming up with this stuff.. Midland There is a real subculture of people known as furries, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. No, neither Lamoille Union High School nor any other school in Lamoille County is providing litter boxes in school bathrooms for the use of students who identify as furries, a term for those interested in dressing up as anthropomorphized animals. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Ensuring that all our students feel welcome in our communities is work that never ends, so our school continues to make sure that all of our students feel welcome, even as people outside of our schools spread false and demeaning rumors.. Yes, but no litter boxes", "High school principal says there's no truth to rumor of litter boxes for student said to self-identify as a cat", "Post about Indiana school's 'otherkin' policy is satirical", "Fake post about litter boxes at KHS goes viral", "Republicans falsely claim schools are providing litter boxes for students identifying as cats", "Nebraska lawmaker apologizes for debunked litter box claim", "Republican senator apologises for pedalling 'ugly' rumour about furries and litter boxes", "No, Maine students aren't using litter boxes in school", "Hannibal School Board adopts vaping policy and learns its school restrooms are furry-free", "Congressional candidate touted debunked myths, but now says it was a mistake", "Fact check: No, Horry schools did not provide litter boxes for students who identify as cats", "Marjorie Taylor Greene spouts debunked right-wing conspiracies at Pennsylvania rally", "Ganahl Falsely Claims That Kids Are 'Identifying as Cats All Over Colorado & Schools Are Tolerating It', "Ohio Board of Education Delays Vote on Anti LGBTQ+ Resolution", "Tennessee school officials: No, we did not give litter boxes to students identifying as furries", "NK school officials deny claims of litter boxes in schools", "School districts address 'false rumors' of students using litter boxes, behaving like cats", "Principals respond after 'kitty litter' hoax hits school district in Indiana County", "Scott Jensen repeats debunked claim about litter boxes in schools", "Scott Jensen repeats right-wing hoax about cat litter in schools", "Replying to @KFILEAndrew with all due respect, this is not a hoax and is happening in schools in Illinois, too", "Republican congressional candidate Lauf stands by debunked claim about schools and litter boxes", Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois), "Rep. Lauren Boebert not a shoo-in for November race: poll", "North Carolina school district discussing 'furry' ban amid hoax calls about students dressing as animals", "Fact check: Are there litter boxes in NC schools for students dressed as furries? Vance, Christian talk show host Bill Cunningham said that schools were providing litter boxes for students to defecate in. Its a TikTok meme. West Meadows Townhome Homeowners Association, Paragliders soar past second highest mountain in the world, Venus may have 'evolving' surface, constantly changing due to subsurface bubbling, Millions at Risk of Slipping Into Poverty as COVID-Era SNAP Benefits Set to End, More than 300 words have been added to the English dictionary. She added: As part of my research, Ive interviewed many therians. Ive heard this and find it hard to believe. (That a significant number of furries identify as LGBTQ likely added to the misrepresentation, with homophobia coloring the portrayal of this subculture in the media.). 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