Its unclear exactly where the litter box hoax came from. Don Bolduc, Republican candidate for New Hampshire senator, is one of the latest conservative politicians to repeat the hearsay that . Members of the furries fantasy subculture tell The Post theyre not wild about this weeks viral rumor that a Michigan school put a litter box in one of its bathrooms for the kids that identify as cats, as one harried parent put it. I like bringing them because its a way to show my creative outlet and something to talk to my friends about. Mick Pratt of Westbrook wears her Pixil fursuit at a convention in Chicago in December. This thing has gotten out of control with politicians just wanting to have a talking point, said John McDonald, former director of campus safety at Jefferson County schools, whos now a school security consultant. Some fursuits are phenomenally engineered with fans, cooling packs and LED lights built into them. A couple of misunderstandings are that furries have fur fetishes or that they are psychologically dysfunctional, Plante wrote. The angle is, Look at these weird freaks, she said. C. May 5, . That same month, school board candidates in Arkansas and Tennessee made similar remarks, and Jennifer Benson, a school board member in Fargo, North Dakota, told a local news outlet children were wearing leashes to school and using litter boxes. I think that, in the long run, this kind of attention will help us, Joe Strike, who identifies as a furry and penned the 2017 book Furry Nation told The Post. If your knowledge of furries. She attended her first furry event in 2016 and got her fursuit in 2020. Heres what you need to know. The only animals allowed in public schools are for the blind or those with a medical condition requiring a dog. Furries are a fandom, like anime, Star Trek or football. Furries dont identify as animals; they identify with animals. Litter Boxes for Students Who Identify as Furries? One post calling for school districts to take action has been shared more than 31,000 times. A 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. You get to interact with others in the same sphere. Its about expressing her femininity as a transgender woman, she said. The claim is a local school district is putting litter boxes in . The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items. Furries allowed to defecate in schools. What are we doing to our kids? As he argued for the resolution in a public meeting, Shea said, Weve literally got kids who think theyre cats and dogs using litter boxes in classrooms. Shea did not respond to requests for comment. In other words, the litter box myth is dumb, but its not benign. It takes us away from what were working on and what were trying to accomplish on a daily basis, Powers said. IE 11 is not supported. Like asking for a Star Fleet Communicator to be used at work, I suppose that anything is possible., I can tell you, as someone who has studied furries for over a decade, the purported behavior of asking for litter boxes in restrooms is not supported by the research, Roberts says, referring to the rumor as a type of moral panic.. The district where Columbine High School is located has been stocking classrooms with small amounts of cat litter since 2017, but as part of go buckets that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting. Many of these assertions claim that schools have or are in the process of having litter boxes placed in schools.. Its offensive to our teachers, to our principals, to our students. She gave the example of a far-more mainstream Star Trek convention. The litter boxes rumor circulated on social media and local radio shows earlier this year. Beyond Republican politicians and officials, plenty of social media users have latched onto the rumor, most notably on Facebook and TikTok. A Michigan superintendent had to refute a wild rumor that a litter box was provided in a school bathroom for students who identify as cats last week after a video of a parent raising the claim at a school board meeting spread on social media. This is absurd. The week before, on Sept. 29, Minnesota GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen asked during a campaign stop, Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry?. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. Therefore, if you identify as a dog or cat you can no longer go to a public school because animals are not allowed. Another gawker wondered how the litter box system would even work, writing: Logistically no public school has the budget to afford kitty litter for a small percentage of their community to use also ask yourself the last janitor youve met would they scoop human feces out of a litter box?. Thats the case for furries, too. In December 2021, a community member shared the rumor during the public comment section of a Midland Public School Board meeting in Michigan that was later debunked by the school district. NSF official wants to catalyze research partnerships to tackle pressing societal challenges. Unionization, lawsuits and China: How will the video game industry adapt in 2023? Weve never observed litter boxes at any of the dozens of furry conventions weve attended internationally. A study on furries led by Canadian college professor Dr. Kathy Gerbasi and published in the journal Society & Animals found that approximately 25% of those surveyed considered themselves less than 100% human and would become 0% human if they could. Lets focus on whats really in front of us and not make up stuff.. Her favorite breakout group has been with psychologists who are furries, she said. But thats not quite right. Let me be clear in this communication, he wrote. Abbotts attacks: Its a campaign of terror, As elections near, racist appeals receive little GOP pushback. Shes allowed to wear her tail and mask at work, she said. Galguera believes that the funding of U.S. schools mainly with local taxes helps give rise to overzealous concern about what is being taught in schools, a concern that lends itself to rumors and paranoia. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. At the same time, furries such as Joe Strike are taking the high road, and believe that, over time, the community will benefit the increasingly de-stigmatized and mainstream subculture. Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock. While sex can certainly be a part of the furry fandom, the majority of furries are motivated by reasons of social belonging, not sexual motivations. IE 11 is not supported. Photo by Getty Images. Powers and his staff had to respond quickly, pulling together a statement to publish on social media on a Sunday night. He describes the costumes as suits of armor, allowing people to express themselves while remaining somewhat anonymous. To a person not steeped in the culture war battles over gender identity that have engulfed school districts nationwide, its the kind of claim that would sound bizarre and confusing and, from high-profile GOP members, authoritative. Young says she read that at least 20 Republican political candidates have mentioned the rumor. What are the top sellers at the Northeastern University bookstore this holiday season? They tend to be younger, however the ones who attend conventions are older than those who partake in online furry communities. Students arent achieving academically, socially, behaviorally, or emotionally. The fandom provides a social network for its members, and furries can benefit tremendously from these friendships. In Colorado, GOP gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl insisted in several recent interviews that students were dressing and identifying as cats, disrupting class, and the states schools were tolerating it. In his comments, Bolduc specifically mentioned Pinkerton Academy, a high school in Derry, N.H., that serves both public and private, tuition-paying students. As AI writing tools rapidly evolve, learn how to set standards and expectations for your students on their use. Bunny Hawkins wears the outfit she works in at Walmart, complete with bunny tail, mask and Walmart vest. Forensic genealogy starred in apprehension of Idaho murder suspectbut was it necessary. In an email on Sunday night, Ms. Hansen described herself as a concerned mom trying to protect my child., We parents arent sure what our schools are up to, she said. They are trying to dismantle public education as we know it. Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more. It becomes a distraction from what it is that were trying to do on a daily basis, he said. Its not your fault the misinformation is pervasive. Rumors that Maine school districts have been forced to provide litter boxes to animal-identifying children have circulated since last fall. 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 . Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel. We've received your submission. Administrators have had to debunk everything from rumors of menacing clowns terrorizing students in 2016 to more recent claims that schools are indoctrinating students through critical race theory, the academic concept that teaches race is a social construct embedded into legal systems and policies. Shes called Pixil, a combination of pixie and pixel. Theyre perfectly nice people who like to dress up in furry costumes.. In the U.S., some groups have the idea we are indoctrinating kids for all these extreme views, he says. Furries, and what it means and what it is, and what some people are trying to make it out to be are two very different things, she said. They may not realize theyre actually doing a favor in the long run, Strike said of those behind the rumor. She declined to connect NBC News with any parents or teachers shes spoken with. The writer declined to reveal the source or sources because they reportedly spoke on the condition of anonymity and the information could not be confirmed. Join us for this event with educators and experts on the current state of equity and what comes next. University of Waterloo apporte un financement en tant que membre adhrent de TheConversation CA-FR. Brenner worries that the hoax serves as another tool for school choice advocates to sow division between public school parents and educators. November 4, 2022. Roberts, an associate professor at Renison University College, affiliated with the University of Waterloo in Canada, said that nearly all furries maintain distinct human personas and do not identify as animals. Many of the litter box rumors also fixate on cats. As strange as that may sound to some, director . At least 250,000 Americans identify as furries, and though a subset of the group say theyre into it for sexual reasons, more often its nothing more than fan-driven escape. In its most distilled form, furries are a group of people who formed a community or fandom because they have a common interest in anthropomorphic media, friendships and social inclusion. However, Strike believes examples such as these and the kitty litter tale are so extreme as to be pretty easy to laugh off while still raising awareness of the group. Thanks for contacting us. Research also indicates that a fursona can help facilitate interactions with others and result in more social confidence. Olivia, 16, from California, said shes been part of the furry community for six years. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. The furries-in-kindergarten myth was repeated by at least 20 candidates and officials this year, the report found, but none of the school districts mentioned actually offered litter boxes for . Is it possible that somewhere someone has asked for a litter box? Some furries wear full costumes with built-in fans to keep them from getting too warm. Why are we telling elementary kids that they get to choose their gender this week? Ms. Hansen also says in the video that she plans to do more investigation into the issue. But furries are often framed in a negative light. The kitty litter story was quickly found to be total nonsense but may have had more staying viral power in reaching many people whod never before heard of the alternative lifestyle some of whom may find they relate to it, said Strike, who dresses up as a suave Komodo dragon named Komos. Rogan did not name the school, and his publicist did not respond to a request for comment. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) A rumor going around on social media has been raising some eyebrows. Furrieslike so many others who have hobbiesengage in limited fantasy, Roberts writes in an email. It started with a comment at a school board meeting, which was later amplified by a Michigan state Republican leader, and culminated with a school superintendent explaining that, no, there were no litter boxes on school grounds for students to use if they identified as furries. May. What fitness marketers dont tell you about New Years resolutions. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk0KIp9ow7QLabbRatt's Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrOCEMip094Help support my channel!Patreon: Comi. Will That Erode Trust? If you allow furries in school then students should be allowed to bring their German shepherd comfort animal. Pratt belongs to the Facebook group Furries of Portland Maine, which has 252 members. I still have a lot of social anxiety, but I feel more confident. It would be like trying to have sex wearing a winter coat inside a spacesuit. Why would you attack our most vulnerable to get your point across, especially since the point is baseless?.
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