Sign up today! Yes, but no litter boxes Fargo School Board member Jennifer Benson told The Forum that a student informed her some schools have litter boxes in restrooms for [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. Winds light and variable. Well, all kinds of people go to conferences; sometimes they have sex there. Pick 'em up at the showroom in Thomaston! Local News. They are broadly recognized as people with varying degrees of aesthetic interest in anthropomorphic animals or characters. Some teachers were given "go buckets" that contained cat litter to be used as a toilet in an emergency lockdown situation, such as during a school shooting. But the vast majority of them still identify as humans, while sometimes adopting an animal-like persona and engaging in short-term roleplay, according to furries and experts, one of whom noted that there are no litter boxes at furry conventions. [76] In Ohio, State Board of Education member Brendan Shea repeated the litter box rumor in debate about a resolution to restrict protections for LGBTQ+ students. 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. Threats of harming another 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? DERBY CENTER- A rumor alleged to have started via the online social media company Tik Tok was dispelled at the North Country Union Junior High There is a real subculture of people known as furries, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. In the same way that cosplayers typically dont believe they are actually Spiderman, furries dont think they are their fursonas. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. One of the most recent examples involves a relatively unknown community. Black Mountain Chocolate to shut down March 11, www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/individual-income-tax, Ask SAM answers your questions about Election Day. 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. Ask SAM: How many Winston-Salem Dash players have made it to the majors? 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 Sign up today! University of Waterloo provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR. [3][4] Many news outlets, fact-checking websites, and academic researchers have debunked such claims,[5][6][7] and officials from every school named by those promoting the hoax have verified that the accusations are false. Low around 30F. WebOh come on, everyone knows that litterboxes for furries are made by Prison Industries. We hope that you enjoy our free content. Don't knowingly lie about anyone [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". [20] Several parents of school-age children have amplified the hoax on social media websites such as Facebook. [71], In August 2022, rumors of litter boxes were directed at two high schools in South Carolina. Vance (R) Demands Schools Notify Parents If Their Kids Identify As Chipmunks", "Renfrew County boards squelch bizarre stories about kids using litter boxes at school", "How a viral hoax about furries became fodder for the GOP's moral panic", "Furry Panic Is the Latest Dumb GOP Attack on Public Schools", "A student identifies as a cat how stunning and brave", "Op-Ed: Should We Provide Litter Boxes for People Who Identify as Cats? Its the same for furries. ", Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again. Its a fandom. 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. No evidence. The age-old slippery slope of progressivism acting like an animal? Contrary to Stocktons claims, identifying as an animal is not a protected characteristic in U.S. law. At least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have claimed this year that K-12 schools are placing litter boxes on campus or making other accommodations for 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. He said for months schools and the PSB have received phone calls and emails about the issue. Youre not the only one.. 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 In a clip from What is a Woman?, a documentary by right-wing commentator Matt Walsh, interviewee Sara Stockton, a family therapist based in New York, says schoolchildren are self-identifying as animals and disrupting classrooms. There was a problem saving your notification. None of them have ever reported feeling like their teachers or anyone else in their life were expected by society to respect their queer identity. [75] One school in Colorado did admit it had placed buckets of cat litter in classrooms several years prior for a backup option in the event of an emergency lock down, but there was no evidence of any accommodations for furries in Colorado schools. 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. Weve never observed litter boxes at any of the dozens of furry conventions weve attended internationally. 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. ", "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? 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've lost our minds. MIDLAND, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) A superintendent in Michigan is trying to clear up any misconceptions or rumors about a conspiracy theory regarding students who identify as cats.. [8][9] The claims have been described as internet trolling,[10] fearmongering,[2] and anti-transgender rhetoric. He later said that he had not verified the claim was true prior to sharing it. That is how people interpret what furry fandom isa bunch of people who think they are animals and living this delusional thingbecause that is also how a lot of them see queer people., And what about the litter boxes? 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. Winston-Salem police closed Burke Street for several hours this morning as detectives investigate the second killing there in as many months. [110], Local LGBTQ+ activists in Prince Edward Island said the October 2021 litter box rumors were a form of internet trolling in an attempt "to make the queer community seem ridiculous, in order to paint all of the community's concerns as absurd". The artist Dorian Electra, at every concert venue they go to, they put litter boxes in the bathroom. [95], American football television commentator Tony Dungy posted statement on twitter promoting the hoax on January 18, 2023. 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 [18] During an interview with Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Midland A Michigan superintendent denied that litter boxes had been added to a school bathroom for students who identified as furries. they put litter boxes in the bathroom. 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). Ask SAM: Where is the origin of the term 'hunker down'? You have permission to edit this article. The most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. 10 Insomniac132 1 yr. ago The BIW furriesthe [50] The video was also shared by Libs of TikTok, a politically influential right-wing Twitter account of Chaya Raichik with several hundred-thousand followers. 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. Explanation of where the old term 'hunker down' came from. [65] School board candidates in Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Dakota also made unverified claims about litter boxes being provided in schools. [6], Throughout 2021 and 2022, online rumors of students dressing and acting like cats circulated, spurred on by prank videos. So schools are literal zoos now.. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, "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. Photo illustration by Slate. [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. In 2002, a short MTV documentary aired that made furries seem like people merely interested in ribald group sex, and users on the influential Something Awful forums piggybacked off such perceptions to smear furries as pedophiles and zoophiles. Checking back? I was pretty caught off guard. 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. Rogan offered no evidence to support the claim,[89] which was circulated on social media and shared on Instagram by the Libs of TikTok account. Theres a lot more of this. If you're interested in learning more, click here. Why are we telling elementary kids that they get to choose their gender this week? We'd love to hear eyewitness Not So, Says School Official", "Colorado GOP Governor Candidate Latest To Fall For Student 'Furries' HoaxHere's How Many Others Have Been Duped", "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right's outrage machine", "School district denies wild rumours that litter boxes were given to students who identified as 'furries', "Texas GOP hopeful claims school district has special tables for 'furries', "Furries eating out of dog bowls at school? to accommodate students who identify as cats, the Public Schools Branch says. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 160,300 academics and researchers from 4,571 institutions. I am really disturbed by that.. Research also indicates that a fursona can help facilitate interactions with others and result in more social confidence. The woman alleged that litter box use in schools was a national problem. But thats not quite right. Ahead of the 2022 elections, several prominent American politicians and media personalities spread the hoax, including Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia[11] and Lauren Boebert of Colorado,[16] Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen,[5] retired brigadier general and US Senate candidate Don Bolduc,[17] podcast host Joe Rogan (who later clarified there was no "proof that they put a litter box" in a particular school),[18][19] Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok,[6] and Christian talk show host Bill Cunningham. [99] As rumors spread in April 2022, news fact-checking organization PolitiFact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim that schools were providing litter boxes for students and rated the claim "Pants on Fire!". An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. 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. We've lost our minds. Reuters has not found evidence of widespread cases of schoolchildren identifying as furries disrupting classrooms for this reason. ", "DDSB among boards quashing online rumours litter boxes have been added to washrooms", "False stories of litter boxes in P.E.I. All Rights Reserved. "[112], Education Minnesota said that the internet hoax "appears to be an attempt to discredit school policies intended to make schools safe and welcoming for students". Conservative fearmongering about students seems particularly unlikely to abate for a while. After facing backlash, he deleted the tweet and later apologized. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. 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. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a participant shared a rumor that litter boxes were being placed in West Bend schools. 19-year-old charged with murder. According to the U.S. Joe Strike doesnt see this timing as a coincidence: Theyre trying to tie it together into this anti-trans thing and anti-gay thing. 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. Error! WebWinston-Salem's Burke Street Pizza is still serving up slices. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. For North Carolina tax forms, you can go to www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/individual-income-tax and click on Download Forms and Instructions.. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Most people who are required to file 2021 tax returns will have done so by the official filing due date Monday, April 18. Ah yes. [36][37], In 2016, American radio show host Michael L. Brown wrote an opinion piece in The Christian Post opposing to transgender accommodations and gender-affirming procedures, stating, "if we don't stop this downward slide, we might soon be required to provide litter boxes for people who identify as cats. Monique Curet , PolitiFact. [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. "[25] Some conservative politicians and alt-right media commentators had used false litter box rumors to generate alarm about what accommodations for LGBTQ+ students might lead to, and have falsely accused LGBT-inclusive educators of "child grooming". 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. [113] Television show host John Oliver debunked litter box claims on the episode of Last Week Tonight that aired on October 24, 2022. [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. Public Schools Branch | CBC News Loaded. 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
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