NBC News reports for their nationwide audience on the fake news phenomenon that has swept up dozens of Republican candidates this year all over the country including here in Colorado, the alleged threat of students “identifying as animals” disrupting public schools:
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.
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. There is no evidence that any school has deployed litter boxes for students to use because they identify as cats.
But the claim has taken on a life of its own among a growing number of Republicans, conservative influencers and political commentators. In an episode of Spotify’s “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 friend’s wife worked at for a girl who “identifies as an animal.” A clip of the discussion quickly began to circulate on social media. Rogan did not name the school, and his publicist did not respond to a request for comment.
As readers know, our state is not immune:
In Colorado, GOP gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl insisted in several recent interviews that students were dressing and identifying as cats, disrupting class, and the state’s schools were tolerating it. Some children, she alleged, would only communicate in barks and hisses. Her campaign declined to answer questions about Ganahl’s claims, but in one interview with a local Fox affiliate, she suggested “there’s a lot of this going on” in Jefferson County.
The Jefferson County school district disputed Ganahl’s claims and said its dress code prohibits costumes at school. 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. The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items.
For over three weeks since the first report from the Colorado Times Recorder about Republican gubernatorial candidate Hiedi Heidi Ganahl’s interview with local right-wing radio cabin boy Jimmy Sengenberger, in which Ganahl warned of children “identifying as cats” in Colorado public schools, this bizarre and entirely fictional moral panic has dominated the governor’s race while fellow Republicans desperately try to change the subject and Democrats can barely contain their glee. Even before Ganahl’s “furry panic” her campaign was in serious trouble, down by a double-digit gap that has only widened since. Ganahl’s insistence on talking about “furries” in multiple interviews since that first appearance on KNUS has not helped her cause.
As the story has played out, we learned about a fringy “parent’s group” known as Jeffco Kids First who it appears was principally responsible for compiling the “evidence” for Ganahl’s consumption of “furries” taking over public schools–including the supposed availability of litterboxes for the use of students who “identify as animals.” In truth, as Jeffco school officials explained, schools keep buckets of kitty litter on hand for use during mass shooting lockdowns–not for “furries.”
“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, who’s now a school security consultant.
And as we noted previously, Ganahl’s campaign against “furries” is not victimless, part of a broader attack on LGBTQ+ people by drawing equivalency between sexual identity and putting on a costume. It’s more proof that unlike other statewide Republican candidates feinting to the middle after winning their primaries, Ganahl has stayed true to her far-right ideological convictions and supporters with whom she won the nomination. Ganahl latching on to the “furry panic” sweeping the far right this year across the country was nothing unique, but refusing to let it go after so much damage done truly is remarkable.
Ganahl’s steadfast refusal to back away from this absurd fake news despite innumerable opportunities, continuing to insist “furries” are a looming social catastrophe despite every responsible party in a position to know screaming that’s not the case, is one of the most inexplicable political grandstands we’ve ever seen in our years covering Colorado politics.
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They’ve ginned up fake outrage over all the remotely reasonable sounding issues, so now all they are left with is the absurd.
What is Hiedi's plan to stop furry-stiality?
Call her BS and make her go down the rabbit hole to the bottom.
Mass shootings in Colorado schools = not a problem
Nonexistent "Furries" in Colorado schools = A huge problem
What fucked up priorities these people have…no wonder, at least in our state, people like Heidi are just not considered for governing anymore.
Trumpists have proven themselves time and time again to be the most gullible people on the face of the planet.
Trump: "I love the uneducated!"
That was "poorly educated". He has to, he is one.
These people are beyond stupid. They conflate gender identity with species identity.
Every Coloradoan whose son or daughter actually shits in a litter box at school should vote for Heidi. Everyone whose child does not do so, should vote for Polis.
This reminds me of Janet Rowland in 2006 screaming about women wanting to marry horses and men wanting to marry sheep. So now, Janet, seven-plus years into same sex marriage in the US, has there been an eruption of cases of bestiality or attempts at inter-species marriages?
I didn't think so.
First read I thought, "Wait, what? Janet Rowland is in a same-sex marriage now?"
Fixed it, Michael:
So now, Janet, has there been an eruption of cases of bestiality or attempts at inter-species marriage since we are seven-plus years into same sex marriage in the US?
You gave me a great belly laugh!
Children in school are being hurt by this lie. Children should not be political pawns. I am really outraged because there does not seem to be any way to stop the lie. Isn’t there any legal action which parents could take to protect their children?
Legal action?? Probably no. Like it or not, it would seem to be protected speech.
Talking about furries or any other imaginary creature isn't likely to harm children directly, so those who are talking are probably safe.
If those on a school campus DO something such as verbal harassment, online harassment, bullying with actual contact … and that results in harm — that deed may be a violation of school regulations or even criminal code, and thus allow for government action. And if the government agency won't do anything, THEN there might be reason for civil action.