Last month, Brendan Shea, a Republican and member of the Ohio State Board of Education, introduced a resolution to oppose civil rights protections for LGBTQ students. The spread of false rumors about students identifying as cats and using litter boxes has been laughed off by many but is a point of concern for others. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The inmates cannot continue to run the asylum. If they feel they are cats, they should stay home, get a liscense and a rabies shot and use their back yard or litter box. Kentucky school district: Students are dressing and acting like cats. But according to Superintendent Mark Martin, a petition isnt needed. A teenage girl from Melbourne, Australia, identifies as a cat, according to multiple news stories. Theres no such thing as a litter box at a furry convention.. ' she said in the TikTok video. Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who arent really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse. I dont understand why these kids are acting so un-human and not happy with themselves, she said. Roberts also noted that the vast majority of furries characters are wild or mythical animals, who wouldnt use a litter box in the first place. The fandom is centered around an interest in anthropomorphism, or human characteristics given to animals, according to Sharon Roberts, co-founder of a furry research group called Furscience. Where did you get your info. "Let's instead focus on real issues impacting Oregon youth.". You want to communicate by meowing? / students identifying as cats. Her campaign declined to answer questions about Ganahls claims, but in one interview with a local Fox affiliate, she suggested theres a lot of this going on in Jefferson County. Click here to sign up for our fact-check text chat, Communication Regarding False Accusation Made at December MPS Board of Education Meeting, Litter Boxes for Students Who Identify as Furries? No, schools do not have litter boxes for students, Complaint filed against Pennsylvania school district alleges discrimination against LGBTQ students, alongside other extreme and baseless rhetoric, Moms for Liberty, a conservative activist group, Surveys and pre-publication research from Furscience also indicate. "They identify with animals. I have never once heard a furry say they want to use a litter box, Kymera said. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. "Sadly, the spread of hateful disinformation targeting queer and trans folks is nothing new, and these tactics make our schools and communities less safe," they said. These situations have been addressed consistently by administration and the dress code policy will continue to be implemented with fidelity. Weve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country. There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation! Everyone should be sympathetic to her plight, but people should not be enabling her delusions. Follow, Investigative Radio host/ On-Scene Facebook Live stream. Editors' Code of Practice. This is a cat-focused blog, so my interest here is the idea that cats have been dragged into the ongoing American culture wars. The Jefferson County school district disputed Ganahls claims and said its dress code prohibits costumes at school. At about the 33-minute mark in this YouTube video, local parent Lisa Hansen began discussing what in her opinion is a somewhat nefarious national agenda being pushed on students. We should all be sympathetic to these people, which is why we should not enable any of their delusions. North Kingstown is in the news again as a school is reportedly allowing two students to identify as cats this school year complete with providing a litter box. But thats beyond the scope of this blog, which is to celebrate cats, have a laugh and occasionally put the spotlight on animal welfare. Some commenting on the situation in Midland questioned why the superintendent posted a message denouncing the litter boxes as a hoax on a Facebook page for emergency communications. Perhaps even more surprising is what nearly a decade of research on the subject can tell us all about how we relate to animals, how we understand ourselves, and how we benefit from letting the inner child run wild every so often.. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the state Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated comment on Facebook. Do your research. The rumour was also spread by popular US podcaster Joe Rogan. Lastly, the superintendent of the school district has dismissed the rumors as misinformation. We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. The source of the claim was a parent at a Midland County School Board meeting who said she had "heard" that this had occurred in one local school, but she did not provide evidence. The woman'sname is Nano and she was 20 at the time the images were captured, according to the reports. A video of Wisconsin talk radio host Vicki McKenna's appearance on the Dr. Duke Show, a podcast hosted by Dr. Duke Pesta, racked up more than 100,000 views as it circulated on social media: There's no truth to this rumor. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. At some point, even the wokest of the woke have to see the calamitous problems they have created. Regarding the Norwegian woman, that one startled me as I have a cat named Nano. NBC News agreed to keep their last names private due to their fear of harassment. In the Dec. 21, 2021, YouTube video, which has over80,000 views, Lisa Hansen says during the Midland Public Schools board meeting she had been told there wasa litter box in the bathroom of at least one local school for students who self-identify as cat "furries. USA Today, "Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats," Jan. 30, 2022. Clearly, identifying as a cat is absurd and indicative of a serious personal problem. In this divisive/contentious world in which we currently find ourselves, I ask that if you hear wild accusations that dont sound like something in which your Midland Public Schools Board of Education, Administration, District would be part, take a moment to send an MPSConnect message to me, he wrote, providing the MPSConnect link. For those of us who subscribe to neither ideology, the whole thing is another sad example of the polarization that is destroying the US, the same divisive talk amplified by platforms like Twitter and Facebook. "The students are told they cant wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. And it demonstrates how quickly some elements of truth can be twisted and mashed up with fully debunked assertions to create a viral narrative amplified by prominent politicians, as well as commentators with large audiences. Anti-monarchy activists 'turn Buckingham Palace into polling station'. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. Not everyone supported the policy changes, with a group protesting them outside district offices in April. "Furries" roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. I was told by a teacher friend in Georgia that this is true in her state as well. Even more disturbing is the fact that the private school she attends is willing to acknowledge her feline self-identification and permits her to act like a cat in school so long as her behavior doesnt disrupt the class, according to the Herald Sun. He said the costumes violate the school dress code: "A small number of Meade County High School students have violated the dress code policy during the early part of the school year. Accessed 5 Apr. It doesnt make sense," she added. February 27, 2023 . An appeals court also recently upheld one Florida high schools policy of forbidding transgender students from using the bathroom of their acquired gender. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The district's superintendent said in a public statement that "there have never been litter boxes within (Midland Public) schools.". theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Oregon trans student's advice to LGBTQ youth, Salem-Keizer: Claims of litter boxes in school restrooms are false. She said: If some student wants to pretend like a cat and use a litterbox after school, thats their prerogative, whatever. When asked by NBC News for evidence to support her assertion, Lauf referred to an anonymous far-right blog that claimed a student was permitted to wear a furry suit to school in Hinsdale, Illinois. Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claimthat a Michigan school put litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats. The post garnered more than 1,000 interactions in less than two weeks. As if to prove the superintendents point, commenters piled on, asking among other questions why the superintendent didnt address the issue of furries in schools. I start looking on the ground, through the fourth roweverythings good. former QAnon supporter and Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene. Local advocates want to shut down that line of thinking. The superintendent tells WLKY the. Michigan had installed litter boxes in order to appease students who had started identifying as cats, there's no evidence that any schools in Michigan installed litterboxes for their students. Independent TV. (LogOut/ "So, now in schools, if a kid wants to identify as a furry, . The school districts say these claims are untrue. First, there was the news of Bruce Jenner transitioning to become Caitlyn Jenner. "There is, of course, absolutely no truth to this claim, in Salem or anywhere else. The conversation will go back to what it should be about people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. I understand WHY my daughter home schooled our grandchildren.". These things just made me feel uncomfortable and so unnecessary as to why theyre barking at me, and its very distracting during school days.". It doesnt make sense," she added.But according to Superintendent Mark Martin, a petition isnt needed.He said the costumes violate the school dress code:"A small number of Meade County High School students have violated the dress code policy during the early part of the school year. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. The next day, the popular conservative Twitter account Libs of TikTok tweeted the video of Hansen at the school board meeting. 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. According to the Herald Sun, the girl identifies as a cat and the private school she attends allows her to be non-verbal and act feline, so long as it . These people will hiss at you or scratch at you if they dont like something youre doing.". Inthe Dec. 21, 2021, YouTube video, which now has more than 91,000 views, a woman said during the Midland Public Schools board meeting that she was told there wasa litter box in the bathroom of at least one local school for students who self-identify as cat "furries" people who adopt and identify with an anthropomorphized animal persona, often within online or local communities of furries. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools," he wrote. Since insurance wont cover vet visits, and I doubt most vets want to participate in the Im a cat delusion, Im thinking their options are limited to doctors. Skibbereen Community College bosses said they contacted authorities over crazy claims. "The Oregon Department of Education has had trans-inclusive policies in place for years now, and no harm has come to cisgender or transgender students as a result of those policies," Stenvick said. She declined to connect NBC News with any parents or teachers shes spoken with. For foreign students. But this post tells a story that simply didn't happen. 2022. Ultimately, when you allow people to transition or identify as something they are not, by enabling these mental health issues instead of trying to resolve them, the natural progression is for people to start identifying legitimately as other things, such as cats. The #1 Way To Support This Channel Is Backing Me On SubscribeStarhttps://www.subscribestar.com/thequarteringBecome A Youtube Member! During a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania in September last year Greene repeated false assertions that schools in the state were lowering tables and putting out litter boxes for who students who identified as furries or cats. Thats hearsay. And during a legislative hearing last month in Tennessee, two Republican state lawmakers discussed the growing crisis of public schools providing litter boxes for children who identify as cats, and claimed its happening across the state. The trend toward acting like a cat or dog is real, even if the Midland school litter box is the hoax du jour. NBC News found one example of a school district keeping cat litter on campuses for students to use but it had nothing to do with accommodating children who identify as animals. 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?. However, a spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council told The National: There are no cats and no pupils identifying as cats at Banff Academy.. 2. At a luncheon for Republican women in Mesa County, Colorado, last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., warned that educators are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.. READ MORE:Isla Bryson: Why are trans criminals put in Scottish women's prisons? Rumors began to surface that these students were permitted to use litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate them, but the districts superintendent debunked such stories. It started when a video of a central Michigan school board meetingwent viral in mid-January after aparent claimed a"nefarious" agendahad taken hold of public schools in her county. 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. That has not stopped such rumors from circulating on social media, where they have been repeated like a game of telephone, often with descriptions of friends of friends who supposedly saw such things firsthand. florida porkfish regulations; nicholas letourneau georgetown. The post quickly went viral, racking up nearly 860,000 video views on Twitter. Im staying calm, but Im not happy about it, and its happened on your watch, and I dont understand it., Heres the video: (It should start at the relevant section, but if it doesnt, Hansen speaks at the 32:44 mark). On the October 11 episode of his Joe Rogan Experience Spotify podcast, Rogan claimed that a school "had to install a litter box in the girls room because there is a girl who's a furry, who . Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. "Unbelievable.". The email was also published in a regional Facebook group. Will Democrats and Big Tech ever apologize? The rumor about litter boxes gained enough traction that it was even mentioned during a March 2022 debate between state lawmakers in Nebraska. "This is still a problem. I read that a comedian joked how he asks to be regarded with the possessive pronoun there, because he identifies as a place. The photos show a young woman wearing costume cat ears. A Cork school has notified gardai - over bogus claims that a student has decided to identify as a cat. Interestingly, Pesta follows the slide about "furry protocols" with another false rumor about a teacher being fired for protesting against the installation of litterboxes at schools in Michigan for students who identified as cats. In January 2022, for example, unfounded rumors were circulated on social media claiming that a school in Michigan had installed litter boxes in order to appease students who had started identifying as cats. Why would you attack our most vulnerable to get your point across, especially since the point is baseless?. Three school-age furries told NBC News they have at times dressed up at school, typically wearing just part of their full costume such as a mask or gloves that look like paws, but theyd never heard of any furry ever asking for a litter box. The Meade County School district is dealing with an unusual situation: a group of high school students is attending school acting like and dressing as cats. Our approach is always unique to the student and we will take into account professional advice and the wellbeing of the student, the Australian school said in a statement. Accessed 5 Apr. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? "Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever tothis false statement/accusation! Sen. Bruce Bostleman would later apologize for falsely claiming that students were meowing, identifying as cats, and going to the bathroom in litter boxes. Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. Meanwhile on TikTok, one video claiming kids are now requesting litter boxes at school collected 3 million views on the platform. I have two grandkids in school and my grandkids didnt want to go to school anymore," she said.She said the issue gained attention on social media once people started sharing photos and videos of the feline costumes and behavior, "I started getting videos and messages from kids, and I said, 'Ok, Im going to post this so parents know whats going on. We have excellent schools here. At an October Midland school board meeting, an eighth grader said she was confused, as a student, why kids are walking around acting like cats and dogs., Speaking at about the 1:30-minute mark, she described a student who walked around the school with a long cat tail, cat ears and "little bells that jingled everywhere she went.". With themselves, she said in the TikTok video on TikTok, one video claiming kids are requesting. Wearing costume cat ears garnered more than 1,000 interactions in less than two weeks weve the! 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