[8] In the United States, popular media coverage of the hoax originally revolved around a school in Michigan in December 2021, but spread to schools in several other states. Conservative fearmongering about students seems particularly unlikely to abate for a while. By Jessica Marie 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. Moravian cookie bill advances in the N.C. House. Students are much more open about who they are and, for the most part, their peers are very accepting and encouraging of them, Pirie said. [90], While speaking to supporters at a campaign event, retired brigadier general and United States Senate candidate Don Bolduc alleged schools were providing litter boxes to students who dress up as furries and cats. Fursuits are usually worn on special occasions a parade, meet-up or convention. Have you met sports fans who wear their teams jersey at a special event, such as a game, or a music fan who wears their favourite bands branded T-shirt? The current misrepresentation of furriesthat they simply want to be animals and are sexual deviantsdates back decades. Youre not the only one.. Send me updates about Slate special offers. School districts in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska Ah yes. However, most furries fursonas are wild and mythical animals, such as foxes, wolves and unicorns or hybrid species, such as a kangaroo-dragon. [a][8] In October 2022, in response to a letter that was sent to local media, administrators for the Renfrew County District School Board or Renfrew County Catholic District School Board in Ontario issued statements that their schools "do not have, and have never had, litter boxes in any of our elementary or secondary sites". Share with us. 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 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? 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. If your knowledge of furries comes mostly from television or social media, then what youve heard about furries is probably wrong. Family members and other people in the community who care about our schools have pointed out that these rumors are circulating on social media, not just about Lamoille, but about schools across the country.. accounts, the history behind an article. Not to say that a teacher cannot lose control of a classroom from time to time, but not in these circumstances. 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 Most people who are required to file 2021 tax returns will have done so by the official filing due date Monday, April 18. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Midland Furries are people who have an interest in anthropomorphism, which specifically refers to giving human characteristics to animals. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. Research also indicates that a fursona can help facilitate interactions with others and result in more social confidence. Lamoille South Unified Union Superintendent Ryan Heraty has heard the rumors too. The claims made by [Stockton] about the prevalence and social respectability of therianthropy are not supported by any of the social scientific research that has been done on the topic, by our team or by others, said Fein. 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). 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 An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. WebA Michigan school district has debunked a wild claim that a school provided litter boxes for students who identified as "furries" people who dress up as anthropomorphic animals. 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/). Have you heard of cosplay, where people costume as characters? But thats not quite right. Im staying calm, but Im not happy about it, she said. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Let me be clear in this communication: There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation. 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 After the rumors spread widely in schools and on social media, the Public Schools Branch denied claims of litter boxes, with the director of the school district saying "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". Thanks for signing up! In most instances, the rumors emanate from right-wing echo chambers and other conservative officials, connecting acceptance of furries to the broader culture war about accommodating transgender youth in schools. Pick 'em up at the showroom in Thomaston! Snow accumulations less than one inch. Although many furries identify closely with an original character (fursona), many view their participation in the fandom solely as a hobby, and do not necessarily identify as or perceive themselves to be animals. Reuters asked Michael Bronski, professor of women, gender and sexuality at Harvard, whether identifying as an animal was a protected queer identity. For many furries, the fandom is a way to build social connections with others. Yes. Reuters has sought comment from Stockton, who has provided no evidence to support her claim. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. [102][103], Elizabeth Brown from Reason suggested the litter box rumors became popular due to "lin[ing] up perfectly with conservative fears about transgender and non-binary students". Don't threaten. [105] Columnist Gene Lyons in a Chicago Sun-Times opinion piece compared the litter box hoax to the moral panics behind the 16th century werewolves tales in Germany and the witch hunts of 17th century New England. [42] Later in the same month, two Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Steve Drazkowski and Tim Miller, repeated debunked stories about schools providing litter boxes in a debate about a statewide student survey. [16][6][86] In North Carolina, Iredell-Statesville Schools considered a ban on students wearing furry costumes, in part due to the burden of staff having to refute unsubstantiated rumors about litter boxes in restrooms. The most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Many of the litter box rumours also fixate on cats. 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. Most people wouldnt wear this kind of fan paraphernalia to work or a job interview, and some wouldnt wear it at all. He said for months schools and the PSB have received phone calls and emails about the issue. Reuters has not found evidence of widespread cases of schoolchildren identifying as furries disrupting classrooms for this reason. [40] There was no evidence, however, that any schools had provided litter boxes in restrooms to any students. Jan. 25, 2022. Despite these risk factors and some who fear ostracism for their interests, furries well-being, self-esteem, life satisfaction, relationship quality and happiness are the same as non-furries. [60] In North Dakota, Fargo School Board member Jennifer Benson said litter boxes had been placed in school restrooms, but she declined to present evidence of it when requested by local media, and school officials in Fargo and elsewhere in North Dakota said the claim was the result of false rumors being spread nationally. Explanation of why the Triad has a new overlay area code of 743. About 95 per cent of furries develop their own unique avatar-like character called a fursona. [113] Television show host John Oliver debunked litter box claims on the episode of Last Week Tonight that aired on October 24, 2022. Lamoille schools are not alone in being targeted by litter box rumors. For the most part, they do not. [65] School board candidates in Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Dakota also made unverified claims about litter boxes being provided in schools. Its this connection that concerns Lamoille North superintendent Catherine Gallagher the most, who reiterated her support for the districts LGBTQ community and derided the rumors as harmful. According to the U.S. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Would you like to receive our Chittenden County news updates? Social Media Advertising - Sponsored Local Content. When a clip of the interview circulated widely in the media in October, Thelander said, "I don't believe it now", and that he was unable to corroborate the rumors he had heard from others. 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. Claim: As of late 2021 or early 2022, at least one bathroom in one public school in Midland, Michigan, contained a litter box installed for the use of students adopting a feline alter ego. However, its worth noting there [39] In August 2021, a high school in Meade County, Kentucky said that a small number of students had violated their existing dress code. 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. 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. After facing backlash, he deleted the tweet and later apologized. [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. [68], In June 2022, social media posts in Hannibal, Missouri, falsely claimed that the school district was placing water bowls and cat litter boxes in school restrooms and that the issue would be discussed at an upcoming board meeting. Will This Make Biden Acknowledge the Supreme Court Is Out of Control? Fursonas can be a safe, functional way for furries to explore who they are as people, including their gender identity and sexual orientation. School districts do have an absorbent material they use to clean up, but its not cat litter. Anything is possible and I cant disprove a negative. Furries are a fandom, like anime, Star Trek or football. Is it possible that somewhere someone has asked for a litter box? [It has been] circulating around the internet for more than a decade: This claim that there is a pandemic of furries in schools eating out of dog bowls or barking and hissing in class, said Plante. Most people reach out to raise legitimate concerns. Very important to address every students needs.. Contrary to Stocktons claims, identifying as an animal is not a protected characteristic in U.S. law. Police close Burke Street to investigate shooting death. A state senator recently claimed that schools were putting litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate students that identify as furries. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. 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 Despite how silly this might sound to many, multiple tips and calls received by this newspaper in the past six months have inquired whether this rumor was true. [22][9][23][21] Some conservative politicians and activists argued that protections for LGBTQ+ students in schools had "gone too far" and that litter box accommodations are what they might lead to next,[24][25] despite there being no confirmed instances of schools providing litter boxes for students to defecate or urinate in, or planning to do so. [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". Offered on CBC Gem reuters has not found evidence of widespread cases of schoolchildren identifying as an animal not! 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