Litter boxes in schools hoax

Starting in 2021, a false rumor alleged that certain North American schools were providing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry, otherkin, alterhuman, or therian subcultures.

Various American conservative and right-wing politicians and media personalities promoted the hoax in response to several school districts enacting protections for transgender students.

[1][2] Many news outlets, fact-checking websites, and academic researchers have debunked such claims,[3][4][5] and officials from every school named by those promoting the hoax have verified that the accusations are false.

[10][11][12][13] The hoax was reported in Prince Edward Island, Canada in October 2021 and initially thought to be a joke, but had to be formally disavowed as misinformation circulated on social media.

Ahead of the 2022 elections, several prominent American politicians and media personalities spread the hoax, including Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia[10] and Lauren Boebert of Colorado,[15] Minnesota Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen,[3] Colorado Republican gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl,[16] retired brigadier general and New Hampshire Republican US Senate nominee Don Bolduc,[17] podcast host Joe Rogan (who later clarified there was no "proof that they put a litter box" in a particular school),[18][19] Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok,[4] and Christian talk show host Bill Cunningham.

[4][20] Furries are a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters, with fandom members frequently often interacting with others through online roleplay, art, conventions and cosplay.

[28][29] According to Lynn McNeill, a folklorist at Utah State University, false rumors of furries using litter boxes date back to at least the early 2000s as satire, and became a recurring urban legend.

[36][37] In 2016, American radio show host Michael L. Brown wrote an opinion piece in The Christian Post opposing to transgender accommodations and gender-affirming procedures, stating, "if we don't stop this downward slide, we might soon be required to provide litter boxes for people who identify as cats.

[5] Rumors sparked public outcry and calls for administrative action from concerned parents,[38] with a school board in Statesville, North Carolina proposing a formal ban on animal costumes.

[62] In April 2022, a satirical post of a fake e-mail went viral, claiming that Kokomo High School in Indiana was allowing students identifying as animals to have "special accommodations and certain privileges", including litter boxes in bathrooms.

[42] Later in the same month, two Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Steve Drazkowski and Tim Miller, repeated debunked stories about schools providing litter boxes in a debate about a statewide student survey.

[10][73] Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl falsely claimed that schools in the state were recognizing cat identities of students.

[75] In Ohio, State Board of Education member Brendan Shea repeated the litter box rumor in debate about a resolution to restrict protections for LGBTQIA+ students.

"[3] Jensen's campaign declined media requests to substantiate the litter box claim, which the Minnesota Department of Education and several school districts refuted.

[83] When confronted by local media to validate the claim, Lauf instead criticized a state policy to provide free menstrual hygiene products in schools and teachers who refer to children by their preferred gender pronouns.

[84] At a campaign event, congresswoman Lauren Boebert alleged that litter boxes were being provided to students who identify as cats in Durango, Colorado, which administrators for the local school district said were untrue.

[15][4][85] In North Carolina, Iredell-Statesville Schools considered a ban on students wearing furry costumes, in part due to the burden of staff having to refute unsubstantiated rumors about litter boxes in restrooms.

[87] While interviewing Tulsi Gabbard on his Spotify show, Joe Rogan shared a rumor that a school was providing a litter box for a student that identified as a cat.

[89] While speaking to supporters at a campaign event, retired brigadier general and United States Senate candidate Don Bolduc alleged schools were providing litter boxes to students who dress up as furries and cats.

[91] Several school officials in San Luis Obispo County, California, had to refute false litter box rumors, which may have emanated from the promulgation of the hoax by radio show host Joe Rogan.

[96][97] In August 2023, Fox News anchor Shannon Bream repeated the hoax, claiming that parents in northern Virginia had told her it was happening in their schools.

[98] In January 2023, Aberdeenshire council repudiated claims made on social media that students at Banff Academy had taken part in dirty protests due to the non-provision of litter boxes for "furries".

[106][107] Elizabeth Brown from Reason suggested the litter box rumors became popular due to "lin[ing] up perfectly with conservative fears about transgender and non-binary students".

[108] Kelly Weill from The Daily Beast argued that the politicization of furries in classrooms was a proxy for the broader cultural discussion about race and gender issues.

[22] Ben Cost of the conservative tabloid newspaper New York Post said while explaining the history of the Michigan rumors that, "It's a load of kitty litter.

He also said regarding a widely circulated story by the Herald Sun tabloid newspaper about an Australian teenager allowed to act as a cat in class that was never verified,[111] and of the broader discussion of gender identity issues, "This is the world we live in today, and this is the danger created by normalizing transgender delusions in young students who may get over it.

"[24] In an opinion article in the Arizona Daily Star, Judy Doll argued that Republican politicians were using the litter box hoax as a way to call "into question the moral values of everyone associated with public schools".

"[12] Geoff Wetrosky of the Human Rights Campaign, said, "The attention this freakish lie has received on social media illustrates the pernicious influence of disinformation and that anti-LGBTQIA+ politicians will do and say anything to animate the most extreme fringe—no matter the consequence.

[118] In the months leading up to the 2022 United States elections, online mentions of the litter boxes in schools increased significantly as several Republican candidates repeated the hoax.

[120] Virginia Chamlee of People said that Bolduc's repeating of the false claims during his political campaign may have alienated moderate voters and led to his defeat by Maggie Hassan in the race for a New Hampshire United States Senate seat.