Two Things: A family tragedy made worse; tax dollars at work in Greensboro and Winston-Salem. But the panic is probably best expressed in an op-ed last month by a former staffer in the Reagan and Bush administrations, who wrote that the left was not just content to turn boys into girls, girls into boys, some with hormone therapy. It was now also pushing the conceptwith bizarre sexual overtonesof a furry, a child identifying as an animal.. [62], In April 2022, a satirical post of a fake e-mail went viral, claiming that Kokomo High School in Indiana was allowing students identifying as animals to have "special accommodations and certain privileges", including litter boxes in bathrooms. "I had a lot of concern about this because it was becoming a distraction to the learning and teaching at some of our schools," he said in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce. "[24], In an opinion article in the Arizona Daily Star, Judy Doll argued that Republican politicians were using the litter box hoax as a way to call "into question the moral values of everyone associated with public schools". [22], Ben Cost of the conservative tabloid newspaper New York Post said while explaining the history of the Michigan rumors that, "It's load of kitty litter. [79] Local education officials in South Carolina[80] and Pennsylvania[81] issued public statements to refute local and national rumors that litter boxes were being provided in schools. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. A list of players on the local Minor League Baseball team who had successful Major League Baseball careers. Yes. "[106] Christopher Tremoglie of the conservative website Washington Examiner said that rumors in mid 2022 of litter boxes in Iowa schools were false. Local news is important. "[13] Geoff Wetrosky of the Human Rights Campaign, said, "The attention this freakish lie has received on social media illustrates the pernicious influence of disinformation and that anti-LGBTQ+ politicians will do and say anything to animate the most extreme fringeno matter the consequence. [47], By November 2022, school officials for several other Canadian provinces released statements refuting rumors that litter boxes were being provided in schools. Joe Strike doesnt see this timing as a coincidence: Theyre trying to tie it together into this anti-trans thing and anti-gay thing. ", Audience Relations, CBC P.O. The 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. There is a real subculture of people known as furries, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. Winds light and variable. We do have some specialized cleaning kits specifically for emergency bodily fluid clean up and they do include a granular, absorbent substance that helps absorb and solidify bodily fluid in a safe way. Thats the case for furries, too. Furries are people with an interest in anthropomorphism, who may create their own alternative animal personality known as a fursona. For more information, see the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, also known as Furscience, a group of interdisciplinary professors who have researched anthropomorphic identities for more than 15 years and studied over 40,000 furries (furscience.com/whats-a-furry/). Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. According to experts, furries primarily consider their expression as a fandom done for fun, not an official identity, contrary to the claims made in this video circulating online. [98], Several news media and fact-checking organizations have debunked the claims that schools were providing litter boxes to students to use in restrooms as unsubstantiated. Send me updates about Slate special offers. Its a fandom. Plante told Reuters that Stocktons claims about furry or therian activity in schools are familiar to the community and researchers. Chance of snow 40%. Would you like to receive our Lamoille County news updates? "I think a lot of people thought this was a joke, and it's not a joke.". However, most furries fursonas are wild and mythical animals, such as foxes, wolves and unicorns or hybrid species, such as a kangaroo-dragon. "[111] Leigh Finke, a transgender candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 2022 election, said about the rumors, "It's a really gross thing no one should have to hear. Superintendent debunks claims of litter boxes in schools for students who identify as cats, Former Vt. credit union manager accused of fraud scheme, Shelburne woman pleads not guilty to kidnapping toddler, TikTok sets new default time limits for minors, Residents left stranded as severe weather batters the West Coast, Biden to help mark Department of Homeland Securitys 20th anniversary, Lilly plans to slash some insulin prices, expand cost cap, Supreme Court hears dispute between New York and New Jersey. 10 Insomniac132 1 yr. ago The BIW furriesthe 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. Be proactive. Moravian cookie bill advances in the N.C. House. Harmful misinformation about furries is running rampant on social media and even being promoted to some school boards. Debunking myths about kids identifying as animals, and litter boxes in schools, After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News, COVID-19 misinformation in the Philippines, Historical distortion regarding Ferdinand Marcos, Disinformation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Media censorship and disinformation during the Gezi Park protests, Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Litter_boxes_in_schools_hoax&oldid=1141965866, LGBT-related controversies in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 20:18. School districts in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism These are not the kinds of species that would use litter boxes, anyway. or anything. But just like with book bans, furry fearmongering is translating into state law: The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported this week that the Iowa Senate has passed new laws enshrining further parental control over students education, in part spurred by Februarys litter-box rumors. Back in action: Jeopardy contestant from Winston-Salem returns to show, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years. Thank you for signing in! 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 [6][43][44], Unsubstantiated rumors surfaced in Prince Edward Island in October 2021, possibly as a joke. A few hours after, the state senator retracted his claim and apologized, having gained backlash online. But are litter boxes an integral part of the furry fandom? [69], In July 2022, administrators for Meade School District in South Dakota clarified in response to rumors that litter boxes would not be provided to students who self-identify as animals in response to rumors. ", "Conservatives Are Obsessed With This Lie About Students Identifying as Furries", "Folklorist: Sky View High School litter box rumor follows pattern of 'urban legends', "Opinion | America Is Being Consumed by a Moral Panic Over Trans People", "Culture wars take center stage in Tudor Dixon's education proposals", "Trans athletes, book bans: How school elections became political battlefields", "Did Salem-Keizer allow a student who identifies as a cat to bring a litter box to school? [63][64] In New York, administrators for Dansville Central School refuted litter box rumors after an Instagram post received thousands of views. Im a co-founder of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, also known as Furscience. [6], Throughout 2021 and 2022, online rumors of students dressing and acting like cats circulated, spurred on by prank videos. [96][97], In January 2023, Aberdeenshire council repudiated claims made on social media that students at Banff Academy had taken part in dirty protests due to the non-provision of litter boxes for "furries". Its a fandom. Vance, Christian talk show host Bill Cunningham said that schools were providing litter boxes for students to defecate in. Success! [15], As the hoax spread widely in the United States and garnered media attention, online rumors spread to several other Canadian provinces and schools. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Monique Curet , PolitiFact. No school ever had litter boxes for students who identify as animals. Ask SAM: Are there really litter boxes in school restrooms? Period. They might dress up as a storm trooper or superhero and attend a comic book convention to have fun with friends. Don't threaten. Fursonas can be a safe, functional way for furries to explore who they are as people, including their gender identity and sexual orientation. 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. [20] Several parents of school-age children have amplified the hoax on social media websites such as Facebook. they put litter boxes in the bathroom. Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., #100, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Sharon E. Roberts receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Reuters has sought comment from Stockton, who has provided no evidence to support her claim. [26] While the fandom is popularly perceived as such, it is not innately sexual or fetishistic. In late October, Don Bolduc, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee in New Hampshire, claimed schools were offering litter boxes for students who identified as cats [113] Television show host John Oliver debunked litter box claims on the episode of Last Week Tonight that aired on October 24, 2022. Notice the language that some of these politicians use, he told me. Explanation of why the Triad has a new overlay area code of 743. racist or sexual language. [104] Kelly Weill from The Daily Beast argued that the politicization of furries in classrooms was a proxy for the broader cultural discussion about race and gender issues. Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again. The enabling of this behavior is [helping] people with legitimate mental health issues get applause instead of the medical help they truly need. [65] School board candidates in Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Dakota also made unverified claims about litter boxes being provided in schools. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Ask SAM: Did Tim McCarver sell cars in Winston-Salem after retiring from baseball? As strange as that may sound to some, director Norbert Carpenter said he felt the need to issue a public statement to address misinformation circulating within the school system and on social media. Q: Is there any truth to the cat litter in school bathrooms? Midland In January, a Michigan public school district had to issue a denial to a parents claim that it was providing litter boxes in unisex bathrooms to children who identified as What are we doing to our kids? And while litter boxes are most commonly used by domestic cats in real life, most furry avatars (i.e., the characters who humans are playing) are animals that wouldn't And there are furry conventions where such enthusiasts gather in various cities to meet other members of the community whom theyve only met online, buy art works, and fundraise for charities, among other activities. I have seen dog bowls and giant straws used to feed furries at a restaurant, but this was an inside joke between a small local business and Anthrocon an annual furry convention held in Pittsburgh which brings millions of dollars to the local economy and raises thousands of dollars for animal-related charities. But that in reality, furrydom is about imagination and community, not transformation: Its through this aesthetic interest that theyre able to endeavor on role-play, and join nerdy communities to express that creativity, he said. Reuters fact-checked the claim, stating there was no evidence for it; the school district also denied the claim. In February, the Daily Beast reported that some Pennsylvania-based school board attendees who supported book bans on certain subjects also taunted other parents about their children being furries. Be nice. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. [28][29], According to Lynn McNeill, a folklorist at Utah State University, false rumors of furries using litter boxes date back to at least the early 2000s as satire, and became a recurring urban legend. Elections: What EVSC school board candidates say about diversity, inclusion and masks. Contrary to Stocktons claims, identifying as an animal is not a protected characteristic in U.S. law. The meme has continued through the present day onwhere else?TikTok. [7] Rumors sparked public outcry and calls for administrative action from concerned parents,[38] with a school board in Statesville, North Carolina proposing a formal ban on animal costumes. Schools scramble to get ahead of 'furry' internet hoax", "Students in local schools identify as animals but no litter boxes exist", "Lambton school trustee candidate buys into urban myth of students "presenting as cats", "There are no human-size litter boxes in CCRCE schools", "Midland Public Schools December 2021 Board of Education Meeting", "Litter Boxes for Students Who Identify as Furries? [100] Two fact-checking assessment by Reuters, in July 2022 and again in October 2022, concluded that there was no evidence that schools were officially recognizing the animal expressions of students participating in the furry fandom trend or accommodating students with litter boxes. School districts do have an absorbent material they use to clean up, but its not cat litter. "It seemed to me like it was a backlash against some of the progressive things that our schools are doing, and we would have many that would say this is rooted in hate and transphobia and homophobia and that message needs to be clear, it's not acceptable. Therians believe deep down inside that they are trapped in a human body but were meant to be some other species. said Dr Kathy Gerbasi, a psychologist specializing in studying both. Jan. 25, 2022. Renfrew County Catholic District School Board, "Silly school litter box rumors front a darker agenda", "LGBTQ+ youth are target of a massive fear-mongering campaign", "GOP Gubernatorial Hopefuls Regurgitate 'Students Identifying as Cats' Smear - Truth or Fiction? Man died Wednesday. Strike said the key to withstanding it is to find solidarity in ones community: Stay tight to other furs and to friends that are good friends or sympathetic, and just remind yourself that youre supported. [11][73] Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl falsely claimed that schools in the state were recognizing cat identities of students. 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. Prior to the litter box rumours, furries were seen as sexual deviants an idea that was reinforced by popular media that emphasized the sensational over facts. Research also indicates that a fursona can help facilitate interactions with others and result in more social confidence. Some believe they dress that way all the time. [6] By that same month, local school officials in Maine and Vermont had also dispelled litter box rumors. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. [56][57], In March 2022, a conservative commentator promoted claims that the Waunakee School District in Wisconsin had a "furry protocol" specifying the rules for furries, including being "allowed to dress in their choice of furry costumes" and "choose not to run in gym class but instead sit at the feet of their teacher and lick their paws". The current misrepresentation of furriesthat they simply want to be animals and are sexual deviantsdates back decades. For most people furries included these arent exactly conditions that put them in the mood.. ", "Fact Check-No evidence of schools accommodating 'furries' with litter boxes", "Ron Johnson goes on transphobic rant, says trans teens 'think weird things' and are going through 'phases', "New Hampshire Senate race: Maggie Hassan, Don Bolduc debate abortion, inflation, energy - recap", "N.H. school officials push back after Bolduc repeats hoax about kids using litter boxes", "Fact check: Do SLO County schools have litter boxes for students identifying as 'furries'? Such as Facebook like to receive our Lamoille County news updates harmful misinformation about furries running... Gerbasi, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters Baseball careers might dress as. Research also indicates that a fursona can help facilitate interactions with others and result in more social confidence and.. 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