(Read more about our partnership with Facebook.). The districtwhere Columbine High School is located has been stocking classrooms with small amounts of cat littersince 2017, but as part of go buckets that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting. Lisa Hansen asked other parents to join her to do some investigating into the policy, Im all for creativity and imagination, but when someone lives in a fantasy world and expects other people to go along with it, I have a problem with that, Hansen told the Midland school board. But the claim has taken on a life of its own among a growing number of Republicans, conservative influencers and political commentators. Fact check: False claim about Boston Children's Hospital's transgender care program. Netflix's new show is a slow-building horror-drama with Lovecraftian elements. An investigator can simply ask, Is that a litter box, followed by, what is it doing in the hallway? Let science lead the way on what to do next. This was not true. In April 2022, a false rumor about a school district in Wisconsin . Harmful misinformation about furries is running rampant on social media and even being promoted to some school boards. Cant even google interprete for you. And have policies ensuring no one mocks them? No evidence. Roberts said that in her research career, shes never heard of or seen an instance of a furry wanting a litter box. Two weeks ago a Republican candidate for governor in Colorado said she had received over 100 messages from parents about furries in schools. In his statement, Mr. Sharrow debunked the rumor as categorically false. stated on May 31, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on May 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on May 28, 2023 in an interview on "Fox News Sunday": stated on May 24, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on May 22, 2023 in una publicacin en Facebook: stated on May 17, 2023 in an Instagram reel: stated on April 13, 2023 in Radio interview: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The inability to stop the spread of the litterbox hoax could have real-life consequences, with activists warning that the misinformation could result in more stigma, violence and discrimination against minorities. Oregons close governors race is a referendum on Portland, No, American schools are not encouraging pupils to identify as cats, The growth of the cicerone shows how craft beer is thriving, Florida Democrats have taken to calling Republicans socialist, Californians may tax the rich more to subsidise electric cars, The blow-up with Saudi Arabia reveals a new American strategic weakness, California: Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Republicans intensify their assault on city governments, Americas states are pursuing their own foreign policies, Conservative Americans are building a parallel economy. Conspiracy-embracing politicians latch on to outlandish claims and zombie misinformation that experts say could result in more stigma, violence and discrimination against minorities. Well, apparently, according to Rogan, My friend, his wife is a schoolteacher, and she works at the said school. The photos show a young woman wearing costume cat ears. The school board members at the meeting did not respond to Ms. Hansens comments, but her remarks gained traction after Meshawn Maddock, a chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, shared a video of the school board meeting and the comments on Facebook on Thursday. had to install a litter box in the girls room because there is a girl who's a furry, who identifies as an animal. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images), putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images), Dutch Survey Data Shows Significant Increase In Memory And Concentration Problems Among Adults Since Start Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Berberine Called Natures Ozempic By TikTokers, Here Are Problems With Such Claims, Coherus BioSciences And Mark Cubans Drug Company Aim To Disrupt Humira-Referenced Biosimilar Space With Launch Of Yusimry At A 85% Discount, How Dental Visits Can Be Made Less Stressful For Autistic Children, Restoring The Sense Of Touch: Advances In Artificial Skin Technology, Pandemic Burnout Turns More Health Professionals Into Traveling Workers, Pharmaceutical Industry Ought To Justify Drug Prices On Value, Not R&D Costs. 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. The reality of living in a hateful world is. It is what some observers call zombie misinformation -- falsehoods that resurface after being repeatedly knocked down by fact checkers and, in this case, schools and even one Republican lawmaker who apologised and retracted his statement in March after spouting the claim. 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.. Just wondering, if you identify yourself as a cat, If you are sick do you see a doctor or a veterenarian? It is absolutely disgusting to use our nations youth in such a twisted political plot and ploy. 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. 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. You want to communicate by meowing? Some things in life, like cats, are too good to be muddied by Americas toxic ideological wars. Maddock did not respond to requests for comment. Her campaign oddly declined to answer questions about Ganahls claims, but inone interviewwith a local Fox affiliate, she suggested theres a lot of this going on in Jefferson County. 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. 801 3rd St. S So how did Rogan find out about all of this and what evidence did he provide to support this story? The wave of misinformation in the midterm campaigns comes amid wider culture wars in the United States. The school district called that blogs story completely inaccurate and not something it would permit. The subculture of furries refers to people who dress up or roleplay as animal characters. Is this another push to get religion back into schools? The one thing thats certain, however, is that cats dont deserve to be in the middle of this mess. And today I am equally stunned and a little bit upset well, not a little bit, a lot of bit upset. Psychology professor Elizabeth Fein, who also researches furries and therians, told Reuters: While therians recognize they have human bodies, they might also feel they have the reincarnated soul of a wolf, or that they have a sense of affinity with cats that is so deep that they are on some level a cat themselves. For some of these folks, its enjoyable to do things those animals would do - bark, or growl, or rough-house play in an animalistic way. Denver International Airport Under Attack. Nearly two out of five said the opposing party is downright evil. Once one group has decided the other is evil, fantasies about their behaviour follow. Furries are bullied at almost twice the rates of non-furries, and our forthcoming research indicates that four to 15 per cent are on the autism spectrum. The story was picked up by several widely-read sites, included in Tucker Carlsons daily newsletter, and reshared on prominent Twitter accounts in addition to going viral on Facebook. Do you watch the news everyday? Rogan did not name the school, and his publicist did not respond to a request for comment. School districts in several states have debunked the claim that they are providing litter boxes in bathrooms. Having said that, I can picture Family Guy creating much fanfare with this fictional student-cat-identity and substitute-teacher-noncompliance story. Let me be clear in this communication, he wrote. 33701 Im not a furry, and I once held erroneous views of furries, too. You live your way and if nobody gets hurt, then let them live their way. In an episode of Spotifys The Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week, host Joe Rogan told former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard that a litter box was installed in a school that his friends wife worked at for a girl who identifies as an animal. A clip of the discussion quickly began to circulate on social media. Similarly, youve got to take Rogans story with a litter box full of salt until he provides more specifics that can allow everyone to actually double-check what he had said. In a follow-up video the teacher admitted she made up the story to create awareness of what kids are going through at school. She didnt elaborate, so its not clear if she was criticizing school policies for allowing students to identify as different genders or arguing that kids needs arent accommodated. A Michigan school superintendent debunked the rumor after a video from a December school board meeting resurfaced in which a speaker airs concerns about students who identify as cats.. With all that, this is what legislators are spending their taxpayer-supported time talking about right now? The rumor that furries people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters and sometimes dress up as them used litter boxes in the school district, which is about two hours northwest of Detroit, appears to have started at a school board session last month, based on a video of the meeting. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. Fursonas can be a safe, functional way for furries to explore who they are as people. "And as long as we're in a period of time where identity and culture are such salient political cleavages in US society, we are going to continue to see politicians latching on to outlandish claims to demonstrate what side they are on in the culture wars. The woman says she was born the wrong species. My psychologist told me I can grow out of it, but I doubt it, she told an interviewer. NBC News spoke to three school-age furries who have posted on TikTok about the experience of being a furry at school. A furry. The post garnered more than 1,000 interactions in less than two weeks. No - obviously, at least to me, it is completely a fabrication. I understand WHY my daughter home schooled our grandchildren.". The rumor of litter boxes in schools appears to have begun among parents on social media, and one of the first schools to confront the falsehood was in Canada last fall. I get to the third row and I hear this meow! Uhhh, excuse me? "The legislators who continue to parrot these debunked stories are most likely doing so because they believe doing so is politically expedient, regardless of whether they believe it or not," Joshua A. Tucker, professor of politics and co-director of the New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics, told the AFP news agency. 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. American journalist Jack Posobiec was arrested at World Economic Forum., The Uvalde, Texas, mass shooter was an illegal alien., The blue, pink, and white colors in the progress pride flag represent pedophiles, "The European Union is now warning pregnant women not to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to the possibility of infertility and miscarriage., Photos show Elon Musk and his company are in the final stages of making a Robot Wife., "Every study has shown that when work requirements are tied to federal safety-net programs, it puts more people to work., The U.S. "takes 87% of all the prescription medications in the world. This claim as well as many others are simply false and are causing unnecessary stress to students and staff, Norbert Carpenter, the director of schools, said in the post. 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 students who identify as cats, according to an NBC News review of public statements. But Rogan did not give the actual names of the people involved or the name of the school or the location of the school. These are not the kinds of species that would use litter boxes, anyway. 727-821-9494. 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. Goddard said. Suggests root canals are linked to breast cancer. Beyond Republican politicians and officials, plenty of social media users have latched onto the rumor, most notably on Facebook and TikTok. Here in Colorado a hot debate took centre stage a couple of weeks ago with a local media station preparing to do a newscast about kids in grade and middle schools who go to school dressed as animals and only meow, hiss or bark during school, the claim is that kids are now identifying as animals. The Jefferson County school district disputed Ganahls claims and said its dress code prohibits costumes at school. Most people wouldnt wear this kind of fan paraphernalia to work or a job interview, and some wouldnt wear it at all. Surveys and pre-publication research from Furscience also indicate that the vast majority are LGBTQ and as many as a third are transgender. A student identifies as a cat how stunning and brave | Washington Examiner Opinion A student identifies as a cat how stunning and brave by Christopher Tremoglie, Commentary Writer August. A doctor at the Mayo Clinic is misdiagnosing pregnancies of Trump supporters so they have abortions. A private school in Australia is reportedly supporting a young "non-verbal" student identifying as a cat. Even putting litter boxes in the bathrooms in some schools? "Furries" roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. Have them investigate and collect real evidence on what is really occurring. For most people furries included these arent exactly conditions that put them in the mood.. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. If your knowledge of furries comes mostly from television or social media, then what youve heard about furries is probably wrong. But this post tells a story that simply didn't happen. About 95 per cent of furries develop their own unique avatar-like character called a fursona. Have y'all heard about this?" The post was later edited to add, "I have no litter box proof.. A Wisconsin school district has a set of "furry protocols" that allows students to identify as cats. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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 . Therians believe deep down inside that they are trapped in a human body but were meant to be some other species. said Dr Kathy Gerbasi, a psychologist specializing in studying both. Excuse me? If youre on the right, youre might argue that some schools have gone so overboard with political correctness, its not a stretch to imagine privileges conferred on the allegedly cat-identified. Author lied. It's much better. 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. And such an identity would not be protected by law.. Kids who identify as furries get a litter box in the school bathroom, Ms. Maddock wrote in a Facebook post sharing the video of the board meeting. Hansens claims were picked up and reshared by a state GOP chairwoman, Meshawn Maddock, who warned Parent heroes will TAKE BACK our schools in a Facebook post. The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items. Looks like a number of politicians have been littering the airwaves with such furry-ious assertions. The school districts saythese claims are untrue. 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. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. No, furries don't get litter boxes in school bathrooms | Is This Legit? Associate professor, Social Development Studies, University of Waterloo. The photos are from 2016 and show a Norweigan adult who is capable of speaking, not a non-verbal, school-aged child. "President Biden confirm(ed) everyone will receive their $1k gas checks this week!! 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. Have you heard of cosplay, where people costume as characters? 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. Then I hear meow! Im like, Okay, whats up with that? Among other culprits, their analysis identified former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as a "super-sharer of unreliable sources," with 849 links shared from January to July. The incident has received plenty of media attention. Then an image circulated online of a chicken-breast permission slip. The product of deep reflection, fursonas can represent idealized versions of the self that are imbued with positive characteristics, like being sociable, funny and less anxious. Within a few months, similar rumors began to spread in the U.S., where they quickly became culture war fodder. Remember, fursuits are prohibitively expensive, custom made, hard to clean, hot and bulky. I think I will be cat all my life.. Mr. Sharrow, the superintendent, citing a backdrop of this divisive/contentious world in which we currently find ourselves, urged parents to contact him if rumors like this surfaced again. Many parents and teachers have confided in me privately about the madness thats happening pertaining to this trend, Lauf told NBC News in an email. I have never once heard a furry say they want to use a litter box, Kymera said. In one of the images, she appears to be crawling on her hands and knees. Copyright The Economist Newspaper Limited 2023. Weve never observed litter boxes at any of the dozens of furry conventions weve attended internationally. In the same way that cosplayers typically dont believe they are actually Spiderman, furries dont think they are their fursonas. Group Claims More Than 1,000 Cats Killed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. They enjoy bonding with like-minded others over things they have in common. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 165,300 academics and researchers from 4,637 institutions. A furry. Your email address will not be published. School districts in several states have debunked the claim that they are providing litter boxes in bathrooms. There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation! But again, where is the evidence that such accommodations are being made in schools. Other, similar claims also have circulated in Wisconsin where a school district denied that it allows students who identify as furries to lick their paws in gym class and bark in hallways and in Texas, where a candidate for state office falsely claimed that cafeteria tables are being lowered to allow furries to eat without using utensils. Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that photos show a non-verbalstudentwhose cat identity is accommodated at public school. A Nebraska state lawmaker publicly repeated the claim then apologized when he learned it wasnt true. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Be a serious parent or parents. "In our research, we have found certain conservatives -- those low on conscientiousness are driven by the need to create division, disorder and confusion when it comes to sharing of fake news," Kakkar told AFP. How were you or your family members conceived?! From abortion to book bans, critical race theory and transgender rights, much political rhetoric in the run-up to the mid-term elections in the United States has centered around culture war issues. Thats the case for furries, too. Washington, DC The only problem is it isnt true. 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. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. 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. A reaction from another user calling for schools to stop admitting furries to schools brought in over 1 million views. On Jan. 20, Meshawn Maddock, the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, advanced the rumor, posting on Facebook that Kids who identify as furries get a litter box in the school bathroom, with a link to a parent activist group. A source close to the family said: "No one seems to have a protocol for . The wave of misinformation reflects discontent among many conservatives around how the concepts and politics ofgender identityare rapidly shifting. Oct. 15, 202202:34 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. "She is non verbal and she crawls around making cat like noises and the school is perfectly fine with this behavior? ' she said in the TikTok video. Plante and other researchers who spoke to Reuters all said the Facebook clip from Walshs documentary conflated furries with therians. Lisa Hansen addressing the board during a Midland Public Schools meeting in Michigan last month. A school district in Chandler, a town outside Phoenix, adopted a new policy based on the state law which some parents interpreted as too conservative, says Lindsay Love, a school-board member. A man in Minneapolis claimed his van had been set on fire and graffitied with Biden 2020 and blm because he was flying a Trump 2020 flag. Thank you for supporting our journalism. 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. "Not many people know that . All rights reserved. Heidi Ganahl, the Republican nominee for governor of Colorado, speaks at a forum in Denver on Sept. 30. 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. The wave of misinformation reflects discontent among many conservatives around how the concepts and politics of gender identity are rapidly shifting. 02 Jun 2023 11:06:31 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. The Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire shared at a Thursday event the hoax claim that children are being told they can identify as anthropomorphic cats and use litter boxes in schools. We did not find any credible news reports that say schools are providing litter boxes. Ben Goggin is the deputy editor for technology at NBC News Digital. "Not making them participate. Fabricated culture wars help nobody. Another 50 per cent of furries own furry paraphernalia a furry T-shirt, ears, collar or tail that communicates their furry interests to others. The postfrom Peggy Hubbard, who lost a recentIllinois Republican U.S. Senate primary, implies a connection to a U.S. school district, but the pictures don't show an American public school student or anything recent. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. La guanbana es considerada como la quimioterapia natural. Speaking of no boundaries, these days there seems to be no boundaries as to what personalities and politicians can claim on podcasts, radio, TV, social media, and other platforms without providing hard evidence versus hardly no evidence. And if you truly believe that all of this has become a crisis, maybe commission a study on it. Conspiracy-embracing candidates in the US midterm elections have courted mockery by repeating a debunked myth about schools pandering to students who identify as cats, but analysts say the strategy is calculated, serious -- and effective. In November a group of conservative parents claimed that the school board had compiled a secret dossier on them. Some say litter boxes are located in transgender bathrooms in schools. ", The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. School districts in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska have debunked claims that they are providing litter boxes in bathrooms. The inclusive nature of the furry fandom means that, for many furries, its a safe place where they can be their most authentic selves. Conspiracy-embracing politicians latch on to outlandish claims and zombie misinformation that experts say could result in more stigma, violence and discrimination against minorities. In other words, if you removed all the sexual content, there would still be a furry fandom. Rumours about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats are spreading in Quebec. Texas district debunks GOP hopefuls claim," Jan. 27, 2022, USA Today, "Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats," Jan. 30, 2022, YouTube, "No, furries don't get litter boxes in school bathrooms | Is This Legit?" Some Republicans hate that we allow for some to identify as something other than the sex they were born as. There is a real subculture of people known as furries, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. Thats the problem. ", Video shows boxes of books removed from a middle school library that were banned by the DeSantis regime in Florida.. The woman'sname is Nano and she was 20 at the time the images were captured, according to the reports. Not So, Says School Official A Michigan school superintendent debunked the rumor after a video from a December school board. "Republican politicians may circulate misinformation like this in order to try to improve their electoral standing.". Meanwhile on TikTok, one video claiming kids are now requesting litter boxes at school collected 3 million views on the platform. One post calling for school districts to take action has been shared more than 31,000 times. District of Columbia The false claim that children who identify as cats are using litter boxes in school bathrooms has spread across the internet since at least December, when a member of the public brought it up at a . I am a writer, journalist, professor, systems modeler, computational and digital health expert, avocado-eater, and entrepreneur, not always in that order. The idea has, naturally, been repeated by Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. 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). 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. In mass media, furries are usually associated with sexual fetishes, the website says, but the most-cited draw to the furry fandom is its sense of belongingness, recreation, and escape from the mundaneness of daily life.. We need your help. Ben Collins covers disinformation, extremism and the internet for NBC News. "So, now in schools, if a kid wants to identify as a furry, the school goes along with it?," read an April 4 Facebook post. She is a co-founder of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project/Furscience. Every school district that has been named by those 20 politicians said either to NBC News or in public statements that these claims are untrue. They might dress up as a storm trooper or superhero and attend a comic book convention to have fun with friends. It's sanitary. "However, that is just a small subset of conservatives.". The World Economic Forum has its own police force. Texas district debunks GOP hopefuls claim, Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats. Know what makes your body hoard aluminum? I have seen dog bowls and giant straws used to feed furries at a restaurant, but this was an inside joke between a small local business and Anthrocon an annual furry convention held in Pittsburgh which brings millions of dollars to the local economy and raises thousands of dollars for animal-related charities. Yes. Popular social-media accounts, including Libs of TikTok, which highlights daft things liberals are supposedly doing, spread the idea that schoolchildren are self-identifying as cats, and teachers are placing litter boxes in school bathrooms so that they may defecate comfortably. Really. Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for governor, featured the parents in a campaign ad. MIDLAND, MI As the culture wars around gender identity ramp up, a school superintendent in central Michigan found it necessary to make a statement on social media that students who identify as. She declined to connect NBC News with any parents or teachers shes spoken with. The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items. I like bringing them because its a way to show my creative outlet and something to talk to my friends about. Everyone has a separate reality. In fact, he didnt give too many more details beyond what you can see in the video accompanying the following tweet: So essentially all Rogan left you with was this happened at my-friends-wifes-school. And, once again, where exactly is the evidence supporting such cat-astrophic claims? Any cats involved? Partisan fantasies are also a gift to grifters. According to the Herald Sun, the school, which has called the girl "phenomenally bright," has stated that some of their students have. Fursonas can be a safe, functional way for furries to explore who they are as people, including their gender identity and sexual orientation. Yet almost a year on, politicians are still repeating the furry claim. Two curious stories relating to cats have been circulating online this week: In the first story, a substitute teacher claims she was fired because she refused to meow back to a student who "identifies as a cat," while parents in a Michigan school district were infuriated by a rumor that the district was providing litter boxes to cat-identified s. Isabella Grulln Paz is a reporter covering breaking news and a member of the 2021-2022 New York Times fellowship class. Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. A harmless TV show is not evil. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Fluoride.. Your browser does not support the