A superintendent for a school in Michigan had to debunk a rumor started by a parent who falsely claimed a school accommodated furries by providing kitty litter for them in the school's restroom.
The furry fandom is a sometimes sexual subculture in which people dress up and act like anthropomorphic animals, often resembling characters in anime and other cartoons.
Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock apparently fell for the fake furry allegations.
Michigan superintendent denies rumor that litter boxes were put in bathroom for students who identified as furries.https://www.businessinsider.com/michigan-superintendent-denies-bathroom-litter-box-furries-2022-1\u00a0\u2026— Sunny Days \ud83c\udf1e (@Sunny Days \ud83c\udf1e) 1642892392
She took to Facebook and called for moms to put Republicans in power.
"Kids who identify as ‘furries’ get a litter box in the school bathroom. Parent heroes will TAKE BACK our schools.”
In her post, Maddock shared a video of the Midland Public Schools board meeting during which a concerned parent named Lisa Hansen started the kitty litter rumor after allegedly hearing about it from a student.
"Hansen said she heard one school put a litter box in a unisex bathroom for kids who identify as 'furries'"\n\nProgresshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10432845/Michigan-school-district-denies-LITTER-BOXES-provided-students-identify-FURRIES.html\u00a0\u2026— Tim Pool (@Tim Pool) 1643032605
Hansen's fury is an example of many other combative Republicans storming nationwide school board meetings protesting "non-existent school curriculum and transgender students’ right to use the restroom during school hours," according to LGBTQ Nation.
"Yesterday, I heard something, and I was stunned," Hansen prefaced.
"And today I’m equally stunned and a little bit upset. Well, not a little bit upset, a lot a bit upset, furious. I would use that word.”
She went on to say the "agenda being pushed" through schools was "nefarious when it comes to some of the activities." One of those "activities" was supposedly brought up by a child inquiring about furries.
Hansen claimed she heard one of the schools in the district provided a litter box in the unisex bathroom for "the students who identify as a cat. I am really disturbed by that."
The scary part isn't that the believe this nonsense, but that they want to believe this nonsense.— Bill \ud83e\udd89 (@Bill \ud83e\udd89) 1643049431
She continued:
“I will do some more investigation on that. I know it’s going on nationwide. I know it is. It’s part of the agenda that’s being pushed. I don’t even want to understand it.”
"I'm 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," she added.
You can watch Hansen address her furries concern in the video below. Her speech starts at the 33:00 minute mark.
Midland Public Schools December 2021 Board of Education Meetingyoutu.be
The wacky rumor was mocked online and later amplified by gullible Republicans.
In an email to parents, Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow said that sending the communication debunking the litter box rumor was "unconscionable."
This feels like a good example of where the district\u2019s response should be \u201cWe will not dignify that with a response.\u201d— Lesley Bennett (@Lesley Bennett) 1642977263
He went on to assert the accusation was completely false.
"However, our Midland PS stakeholders may be confused about a false message/accusation that has resurfaced this week and is gaining traction in the social media realm.”
“Let me be clear in this communication,” Sharrow added. “There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation! There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools.”
As someone I know would say, those that believe litter boxes exist at schools have flunked an IQ test.— Mad Cow.... (@Mad Cow....) 1642970382
Those who were keen enough to identify the joke mocked Co-Chair Maddock for helping to spread the false rumor.
LGBTQ Nation also noted Michigan GOP officials helped promote former President Donald Trump's “Big Lie," claiming that he won the 2020 election, and urged the insurrection at the start of the pandemic.
The @MIGOP is full of corrupt idiots. Not surprised at all . I don\u2019t even know if they would know 2+2 = 4— Michelle Dombrowski (@Michelle Dombrowski) 1642953739
This woman is very serious. She attends all the RRISD school board meetings.https://twitter.com/thinkermichelle/status/1485262514338336772\u00a0\u2026— Christine (@Christine) 1642978877
They will believe anything to prop up their own hatred of others.— Tony Cope (@Tony Cope) 1642953277
This is our school district. So glad this is why we made the NYT. I am disgusted that this woman\u2019s horrid comment is now national news. Hope her fifteen minutes is worth it. Because there\u2019s not enough going on right now, we have to talk about bathrooms.— Aimee Steinka (@Aimee Steinka) 1642955961
Schools should be on high alert that psychos are gunning for their school boards.— Ms Whiskers~ 60 % Animals 40% Politics.. (@Ms Whiskers~ 60 % Animals 40% Politics..) 1642969333
A group called Furscience was formed by a group of social scientists to promote a better understanding of the furry fandom.
On their website, the group said there are a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding furries and how the fandom is viewed as a "deviant sexual fetish."
"These inaccurate portrayals, combined with the public’s unfamiliarity with the fandom, make many furries (reasonably) fear discrimination and violence."
"If the fandom is about anything, it’s about friendship and community, which makes the mainstream media’s reduction of the fandom to a fetish insulting and categorically and demonstrably inaccurate."
They added:
"Despite a history of bullying and significant social stigma, our research shows that furries benefit from fandom participation and interaction with like-minded others in a recreational environment, which is associated with greater self-esteem and greater life satisfaction."
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social