It’s a load of kitty litter.
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. A Facebook post detailing the hilarious rumor is blowing up online.
“There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation!” wrote Michael E. Sharrow, the superintendent for Midland Public Schools, near Detroit, which was accused of the bizarre concession at a Dec. 20 board meeting.
At the school sit-down, concerned parent Lisa Hansen said she was “really disturbed” after reportedly learning from a student that “at least one of our schools in our town, in one of the unisex bathrooms, a litter box for the kids that identify as cats.
“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,” added Hansen, who defined “furry” as someone who identifies as a “cat or a dog, whatever.”
She also claimed that the “nefarious” practice was part of a nationwide “agenda being pushed” within the education system.
Footage of her spurious accusation was subsequently shared to Facebook Thursday by Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, who wrote, “Parent heroes will TAKE BACK our schools.”
That same day, Sharrow took to Facebook to clarify that the rumor was, in fact, false.
“It is unconscionable that this afternoon I am sending this communication, 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,” he wrote.
The boss added, “Let me be clear in this communication. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools.”
Go figure: The social media criticisms flew fast and furry-ous.
“I just can’t believe this is real,” sputtered one incredulous commenter, while another wrote, “What’s going on in this town?”
“Clearly it was fake. Me and my two brain cells figured that out,” scoffed one critic.
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 you’ve met … would they scoop human feces out of a litter box?”
There are an estimated 250,000 people in the US who identify as “furries,” a subculture whose members enjoy dressing up as cartoonish animals, sometimes as a sexual fetish but more often as a fun escape.
https://nypost.com/2022/01/26/school-boss-debunks-rumor-that-they-provided-kitty-litter-for-furries/