Call in 401-766-1380.John DePetro The Independent Man. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town in their state identified as cats. Many commenters who watched the video took the claim seriously. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Michigan Republican Party, archived Jan. 24. Please! The claim: A Michigan school put litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats A video of a central Michigan school board meeting went national in mid-January after a parent. A private school in Australia is reportedly supporting a young "non-verbal" student identifying as a cat. It is long past time to start rejecting this nonsense. room for rent in reykjavik long term. Regardless of what you have or have not heard about furries, it might surprise you to learn that there is a team of researchers who have devoted their careers to studying this fandom, Hal Herzog wrote for Psychology Todays Animals and Us column in 2017. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The spread of rumors about litter boxes has grown alongside other extreme and baseless rhetoric accusing LGBTQ people and educators of grooming children through lessons and policies on gender and sexuality. go to the park or an animal shelter and maybe youll be adopted! It was"unconscionable" that he was addressing the rumor, Sharrow said,but he felt it necessary to do so because of its renewed spread on social media. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the state Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated comment on Facebook. This is a cat-focused blog, so my interest here is the idea that cats have been dragged into the ongoing American culture wars. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Yet her intelligence level doesnt change the fact that mental health issues require treatment, not derision. Some politicians issued warnings about children acting as cats during debates regarding school policies related to transgender and nonbinary youth. Why would you attack our most vulnerable to get your point across, especially since the point is baseless?. It's The #2 BEST Way To . 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. A SCOTTISH secondary school has had to deny reports that some of its pupils were identifying as cats and defecating on the floor after school officials refused to provide a litterbox. A source . But thats beyond the scope of this blog, which is to celebrate cats, have a laugh and occasionally put the spotlight on animal welfare. Hananoki, Eric. I have never once heard a furry say they want to use a litter box, Kymera said. The students are minors so their names are not being released and it is unknown if they identify as male felines or female felines. Furthermore, there's no evidence that any schools in Michigan installed litterboxes for their students. Clearly, identifying as a cat is absurd and indicative of a serious personal problem. Don't pay your auto insurance bill until you read this. "It is ok to pretend to be a cat or dog in your private time, but the world and work force should not be forced to play along," one said. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools.. 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.The superintendent tells WLKY the situation is being addressed, but according to a concerned grandparent, its an ongoing problem that has many students on edge. Brainwashed School Kids Now Identifying as Animal "Furries" by Alex Newman February 4, 2022 FreedomProject Media As if identifying as newly invented "genders" was not outlandish enough,. Theyre all just like yours: A friend of a friend says it happened in their daughters district, or a teacher friend said she heard a school put a litter box in a bathroom. The superintendent at the school in Kentucky told WLWT the students violated the dress code, and that the administration had addressed the situation. 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. Of local interest, Hansen insisted, are policies that she claims accommodate students who identify as furries, or cats and dogs. ", "It implies to the student that this type of behavior is completely acceptable and normal," they wrote in the complaint to Salem-Keizer. Some who have believed the false rumors continue to cite them as an example of school districts going too far with so-called identity politics, drawing a connection between the litter box claims to schools allowing transgender students to use the restroom of their choice. By Anthony Brian Logan (ABL) January 24, 2022. Comments have been closed on this article. As the number of people identifying as trans and nonbinary has increased in recent years, particularly among young people, so has the amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation from conservative politicians. 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. But it is important to recognize that the claim comes from a place of deep fear-mongering about creating LGBTQ2SIA+ inclusive spaces in our schools.". Many people are doing what amounts to an experiment on these young people without telling them its an experiment. Description. Identifying as human isn't good enough anymore, so now some must cross species to identify as a cat to gain attention. HP10 9TY. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks, Fact Check-Photographs do not show a U.S. student who wanted to identify as a cat, Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats, Fact check: Wisconsin school district debunks claim that it has a 'furry protocol', 20-Year-Old Woman Claims She Is A Cat Born In The Wrong Body, Born in the wrong species // Fdt i feil art, 'I was born in the wrong species': Woman who says she's a CAT trapped in a human body hisses at dogs, hates water and claims she can even see better at night. Special access for subscribers! Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claimthat a Michigan school put litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats. The Michigan incident started when a mom of kids at the Midland School District, about 130 miles northwest of Detroit, spoke at a school board meeting about a rumor which she took as fact alleging the school was accommodating furries by providing litter boxes in unisex bathrooms. The one thing thats certain, however, is that cats dont deserve to be in the middle of this mess. "Sprague High School, or any Salem-Keizer school,do nothave litter boxes for use as restroom facilities," Emily Hicks, a spokeswoman for the district, said. The grandmother said a petition to end the practice was created by students and has more than 1,000 signatures. NBC News agreed to keep their last names private due to their fear of harassment. Shop Our Favorite February Amazon Deals Before the Sales End, The 14 Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023, According to Pros, 14 TikTok-Famous Cleaning Products That Actually Work, According to Our Experts, 14 Best Healthier Candy Alternatives of 2023, According to Taste Tests. You want to communicate by meowing? Nebraska Lawmaker Apologizes for Debunked Litter Box Claim. NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/nebraska-lawmaker-apologizes-debunked-litter-box-claim-rcna21951. Vicki McKenna Promotes False Claim about Furries in Waunakee School District. Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin, 4 Apr. Will Democrats and Big Tech ever apologize? This is freakn ridiculous! At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools," he wrote. In April, three Republican lawmakers in Minnesota took turns during floor debate discussing rumors theyd heard about children identifying as cats at school, cutting holes in uniforms for tails and possibly using litter boxes. contact the editor here. 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. The rumour alleged that pupils at Banff Academy were identifying as cats (Image: PA) A SCOTTISH secondary school has had to deny reports that some of its pupils were identifying as cats and defecating on the floor after school officials refused to provide a litterbox. According to reports, the girl allegedly is phenomenally bright and does not speak during school hours. False rumors about litter boxes in classrooms have gained momentum in recent months. 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.. Six Republican members of the North Dakota Legislature introduced a bill Wednesday that would send a clear message to nonhuman-identified students . 2022. Libs of TikTok noted as much in a subsequent tweet, but questioned why no one said so at the school board meeting, where some people applauded after Hansen spoke. Im just embarrassed by what this has gotten to," she said. Kirralie Smith May 18, 2021 Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. First, there was the news of Bruce Jenner transitioning to become Caitlyn Jenner. No teachers have come forward to talk about the supposed protocols, and no students or parents have corroborated any of these claims. Roughly three in four are under the age of 25, the group writes. There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation! Transgender is when someone identifies with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. I read that a comedian joked how he asks to be regarded with the possessive pronoun there, because he identifies as a place. February 27, 2023 . Silver Honda CRV seen fleeing towards Manton Ave. Cranston stand off https://fb.watch/iZ0CaYIkSb/?mibextid=ykz3hl, Copyright John DePetro. WATCH LIVE: Merrick Garland testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee. The New York Times, USA TODAY, Politifact, Reuters and Snopes, among other publications, wrote articles confirming the claims were unfounded. Its like that show and South Park are sort of grandfathered in and get away with things due to their success, but new shows wouldnt be allowed near some of these topics with a 10-foot pole. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 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. 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). False rumors about. 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. A Gannett Company. GLSEN offers a safe space kit that has stickers and posters that can be displayed in your office for students. 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. 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. 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. The Jefferson County school district disputed Ganahls claims and said its dress code prohibits costumes at school. "This is a young lady who is exceptional (sic) bright, her family petitioned the school board for right to 'identify as a cat," reads part of a Sept. 23 Facebook post featuring the images. 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