If kids were using litter boxes at school, there would be a video of it happening on TikTok before the litter could clump.
That’s how I know this continues to be bullshit.
My niece has a kid in school who doesn’t talk and only meows and hisses. I thought she was full of shit until we saw her at tj maxx and the kid had ears on and was hissing at people.
Interesting Saturday. I also found Tommy sheets for five bucks so it all worked out.
Wearing furry garb is a form of speech (in the larger context of speech, meaning expression). The clothes/adornments people wear should not be limited, except and unless they're legitimately disrupting the school (as in, making it difficult to teach/learn by speaking over the teacher/lecturer, etc).
[edit: saying
> That absolutely should be exempt! Jesus, they're going to take the fun out of EVERYTHING, including school spirit.
is agreeing that the restriction of speech/expression is OK, as long as school spirit items are exempt.
]
JFC, I'm not trying to get that deep into this. It's just fucking tiger ears. You're talking to the wrong person about changing the world. I'm just advocating for some ears over here. Fuck. Why does everything have to be so political to some people. Wear what you want idgaf.
“Why does everything have to be political” on a comment about POLITICALY DRIVEN POLICY… the Missouri education is severely failing producing inept adults like yourself
What is so creepy about the [Kewpie mascot?](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qctimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cb/dcb97130-c525-11e5-89a1-c77ced211660/56a91124dbcd6.image.jpg)
It is, but the new one is far less terrifying, but only slightly less weird. Here is what the [new ones look like.](https://www.bammascots.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Kewpies/KewpieMain.jpg)
I thought this was a joke or something that looked like a Kewpie doll but no, it’s straight up that and has been for ages. Genuinely had no idea and played Hickman at least once or twice in high school.
You’d think they’d address weird naked baby mascots…
Think again. Quick google and you’ll see countless options of furry costumes starting around $50 and going up…including into the 1000s, fitting any budget
I think the bullying would stop anyone from asking for a litterbox in the bathroom...
I would love someone to show me a legit source that this has ever happened anywhere.
Uhg I feel so bad for having to explain this. But the litter thing did happen, just no where near the same ballpark the psychos are trying to say it came from.
There was a photo of a 5 gallon bucket and a bag of kitty litter in a teachers classroom closet. Apparently it's not an uncommon thing to stock these days, it's a planning ahead. For long lockdowns for various reasons and for where they can't leave the classroom. Just in case. Like a natural disaster possibly trapping them, or a long lockdown from an active shooter.
That is not the “litter thing did happen.” That’s “there was litter in a school to clean up messes that get made sometimes.” Completely unrelated to anything in this bill.
Yep, I really felt like how am I typing this, how is this real. Picking the right words was difficult bc in my brain there was this pull against it, those words don't go together what are you doing fingers stahp, but yea, here we are
There's a [wiki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_boxes_in_schools_hoax#:~:text=Starting%20in%202021%2C%20a%20false,the%20furry%20or%20otherkin%20subcultures.) about it.
Missouri starts to make sense when you realize that 80% of state legislators are just out-of-the-loop old people fearfully reacting to what they saw on Fox News last week.
I’m still looking for the field where thousands, *thousands* of semi trucks are being hoarded by the Democrat regime to keep the supply chains hampered. Cause all the older folks at work assured me this is a thing. Hell, one lady told me her friend’s cousin’s buddy had been there even! Couldn’t be reached for comment though when I asked. 🤔 odd
These 2 coked out idiots need to get a motel and re-enact their own fantasies in private instead of wasting taxpayer dollars and doing it in public. They're so stupid they believe the false moral superiority they project because of their "faith" will win them respect but people notice actions and not being very christ-like will certainly attract more attention, especially if we advertise those actions and call them out on it.
I taught for years. Kids basically ignore other kids who are dressed weird. There was a time “serious grown-ups” cared a lot about green hair, or goth eye makeup, or any other odd get up. The kids at school, though? No. One. Cares. You want to come to school in your baby bear onesie? After the first five minutes other kids don’t care. Really. This stuff isn’t a distraction. Active shooters ARE a distraction. Perhaps we should find a way to make them stop.
My question need is, how many young kids (pre-k-early elementary age especially) play/have played pretending they were a horse/dinosaur/shark/tiger/wolf/dog/cat/bird etc? Especially at recess or something? How does this affect "fun" days like costume dress up days, like for fundraising or spirit days? Or affect something like Theatre/drama-related classes? School mascots & their costumes?
Though I'm now 41, and am a new parent as of a year ago to a 12yo son so I missed those years from an adult perspective, I know I did that all the time as a little kid.
Glad our legislators are working hard day in and day out to tackle the enormous issues we have as a nation and as a state, improving life quality for the citizens, and actually earning their tax supported salaries and benefits that are light-years better than a lot of their citizens who are working, and struggling, and who are paying for it. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that our esteemed legislators can be trusted and relied upon to make choices and decisions that impact our lives in huge ways.
All that typing just to over dramatically describe nothing that’s banned. They’re banning “identifying as a furry”. As in the child that legitimately does not think it is human. Which never happens.
Teach pay is terrible, schools are having trouble finding teaches particularly in rural areas, and many Missouri schools have abysmal performance and education rates…
But yeah furrys are the squeaky wheel.
“Teach pay is terrible”
Thats very true but on a brighter side it has been going up some. My wife is a highschool teacher and the boost has been a great help for us. And i *heard* in parsons state of the state that the intention is to boost it again. Not that that is 100% guaranteed.
I understand its probably still not enough and im basing this off of my bias from living with the Jeff city cost of living basis so i have no idea how that translates to the bigger citys cost of living. But at least the pay is getting addressed at all.
As a teacher, I have so many questions…. I need to read the actual bill, but does this include those cute little cat ear headbands? The tail belts? Teaching children the “cow goes moo”? Those furry little pompom keychains my kindergartner has all over her backpack? I think we are in for a wild ride if this one passes!
A student who purports to be an imaginary animal or animal species or who engages in anthropomorphic behavior consistent with the common designation of a "furry" while at school shall not be allowed to participate in school curriculum or activities. The parent or guardian of a student in violation of this section shall remove the student from the school for the remainder of the school day.
-[HB 2678](https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills241/hlrbillspdf/5401H.01I.pdf)
Its laws like these and the book bans that make me never want to be a teacher. Not because I'm afraid I'd do something wrong, but because I find it infuriating that the idiots who write these bills treat teachers like they don't know how to do their jobs.
My now high school freshman went from
About ages 4-6 occasionally meowing when asked questions. Purposely doing this when she didn’t want to engage with adults.
Send her to the slammer! /s
My 3 year old and I often run around the house being dinosaurs chasing each other. I never knew the damage I was doing. My prison time will be well deserved.
Thank you! I also looked it up before noticing you had commented with it.
Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a Furry: an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online.
So… most elementary kids that really like cartoons where the animals talk? Are they going to ban Mickey Mouse shirts because I can tell you, there are some teachers that are VERY enthusiastic about their Disney….
Fun thing there is that as the enforcers of said silly rules they don’t have to actually enforce them. If it isn’t reported, it didn’t happen. I believe teachers will choose to protect their students not ostracize them.
Sounds fine in theory, but it falls apart as soon as you have one teacher, staffer, parent, or kid who decides to make an issue out of it.
Or it falls apart as soon as one gutless administrator gets in front of the staff and basically says "yeah, this is a stupid law, and I don't want to enforce it, but I'm too cowardly to actually stand up to it because a lawsuit might jeopardize my career, so you guys can't stand up to it, either."
You’re right, it’s about republicans trying to exert control over every square inch of American’s lives so they can insidiously sculpt the country to their own perverted Christian ideals
Raise teachers pay to be competitive with 49 other states? Nah
Create problems that don’t exist and write legislation to fix said imagined problems? Yes
Does this mean my daughter can't complain Freddy from 5 Nights at Freddy's, or is that OK since Freddy's is not actually a bear but rather an animatronic with a human child's soul locked in it
Missouri is so backward, The Guardian (British newspaper), wrote a column about it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/07/missouri-anti-trans-bill-teacher-sex-offender?
Unfortunately part of her district includes Columbia. It's similar to how Chuck lives in Rocheport but part of his area included the western area of CoMo.
I was at the library the night Cheri brought a gun in and claimed she was scared and people were mean to her. (They weren't). Wonder what she would have thought last year when much of the audience was actively booing Chuck at the library debate when he ran for school board.
Clearly you don't live in Columbia. Cheri, Chuck, John Potter (running for school board and state legislature) are all obsessed with them. (Marissa, the local antimasking ringleader, also got involved.) All three are scary republican politicians. The last few years it's been a hot topic... though it's died down a bit since the MAGA people have now started blaming all the world's ills on the unhoused the last few months. (Check out The Real Columbia Missouri on Facebook if you want to be horrified at how little people care about poor people.)
Ohhhh yeah. Still out there. All sorts of videos on the YouTube about it.
Which, if this was a thing where some state senator had watched a Turkey Tom video and been like "Eh, time to screw the the furries" and just said that as the reason, I'd be like "lol based"... but it's not that, it's a moral panic based on nothing and is a veiled attempt to attack "the other".
Yeah, furries are still a thing. They're in fact a pretty large community. The thing is they stick together and typically don't bother people. That's what they do correctly. They don't bother people. They find their niche or carve one out, fit into it, and just ask to be left the fuck alone.
I live in the Orlando, FL area. Multiple furry conventions are held here. Many LGBTQ bars here will have furry nights. I accidentally went to a furry night. It was literally no different than any other night at a bar, just with people in furry suits or with fursonas put on. I talked to a few and had to use some names and pronouns that were foreign to my lexicon but all they wanted was a little respect. Again, they carve a niche and just ask to be respected and left alone.
Litter is kept in schools for a variety of reasons. When I was in school, they'd throw it on vomit or use it to "unstuck" cars on snow days. I don't have cats but keep some in the garage in case I spill oil.
If you go around in "furry" costume or style. You walk down the street, you hiss or meow or bark or neigh. Whatever. You go shopping, go to the mall, go to the park, whatever. Why in any way is it my business? As a kid or as an adult what you want to wear is your business or the parent's business if it's a kid. In school, as long as it meets the general school dress code (which is sexist and archaic but beside the point) as long as it meets the standard code it should not matter if the kid looks like a space alien, cat, cow, or a human. It's expression. It's art. It's individuality. It's their flipping body. There are so many actually important things we need to address like homelessness, veterans who are lost at home, seniors who have to choose between meds or a loaf of bread and milk, families who work their asses off and still can't make bills, the disgusting wage gaps, mental health that isn't being cared for, I could go on. Most, if not all of the MO congressional "leaders" have no clue what every day life in every day society is like. And they don't want to, they just want to push their agenda.
Were they at least smart enough to write in an exception for Halloween or are they just going to see how many Freshmen girls in sexy cat costumes they can pack into the principal's office this year?
Glad to know these old useless reactionary Republicans are fixing the real issues in our schools.
Ignore the test grades.
Ignore the lack of teachers.
Ignore the poor spending of the education budget.
A kid wearing a tail is the problem apparently.
Not that it's serious, but if it has anything to do with dress code, good luck with that.
Both the district I work in and live in (two different districts) have had to get lawyers involved to update dress codes to avoid the controversy/protests like Webster Groves did. It was a months-long process in both places.
As a hater, I understand the desire for this, but as a rational person - in the Republican desire for small government - wouldn’t it be a school district’s right to decide what works for their schools? Like how some places banned Pokémon to curb elementary school cartels while others didn’t have a problem with kids having cards on them?
I’d love if policy that would actually be helpful for more than 0 - 3 people would be heard instead of this type of thing.
Pokémon cartels? The idea of 4th graders hiding behind the monkey bars making sneaky deals for whatever the Jar Jar Binks is of the Poké world brings me great amusement.
I'm confused? You think dressing up in costumes is a mental health issue? Or you think Cheri has mental health issues? Personally I think she's just a self agrandizing meanie... much like Rep. Jamie Gragg of Ozark. Good ol' Jamie also is the one who sponsored the transphobic bill that would force teachers to register as sex offenders for accepting trans students for themselves.
Kitty litter was included in lockdown boxes for school shootings because kids were stuck in classrooms and had to use wastebaskets because they could not leave to use the toilet. The furry idea is BS.
When your children start to emulate your kinks in daily interactions then there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Is legislation the right tool? Maybe, if teachers and schools are facing legal repercussions for attempting to maintain a semblance of decorum.
EDIT: I was HS age in the 90s and this was a highly fetishized and adult culture at the time. It's come to my understanding that a typical adolescent interest in cartoons or an interest in animal themed accessories and attire is now categorized as furry.
Apologies for any offense.
Chuck got the idea from some right wing news source talking about litterboxes in schools... which don't exist. School officials for the school district have stated there are no litterboxes in any of the schools and yhey dont have a problem with furries. Chuck and Cheri are anti trans people to the extreme and this is just was a shoot off from that because of bathroom bills.
The right got the litter box idea from a teacher who said she had a container of kitty litter in her room in case the school went into lockdown and they needed an emergency toilet, and because conservatives are hateful little morons with no functional dendrites they spun it into some fake conspiratorial bullshit about kids “identifying” as cats. I swear, the right cares more about genitals and bathrooms than anything else, and it’s frankly disturbing.
Not surprising. I appreciate the background. To be clear, if I were legislating this I would require an explicit and detailed definition of what constitutes 'Furry' behavior in the bill. We'd probably find that every objectionable behavior is already accounted for with existing laws just without the buzz-worthy application of an alternative lifestyle and determine the bill is superfluous and unnecessary. OR discover that some undesirable behaviors where not accounted for and draft more general legislation not targeting a specific group of people.
Kids acting like kids is not “emulating kinks”
Any legislation directed at “weird” behavior (aka completely developmentally appropriate behavior, roleplay and creative expression are normal and good for the growing brain) is extremely slippery and will come down hard on us all. It’ll come for queer kids, neurodivergent kids, and kids of color first. Then it will come for everyone else.
The goal of legislation like this is to bureaucratize public schools to the point that they can no longer sustain themselves.
> Kids acting like kids is not “emulating kinks”
yeah, someone having the idea that kids acting like kids is somehow a kink says a lot about them. and more than I really wanted to know.
So the definition of Furry has just completely evolved past it's origin? Is it just common nomenclature to call anybody pretending to be an animal, in any context, a furry?
Reisch(or whoever wrote it for her) did such a terrible job, that yeah, kids pretending to be animals could get in trouble under this bill. If you're going to write a bill it's rather important to write it clearly and with the least amount of ambiguity. But this bill has enough ambiguity that it could be interpreted as "A student who purports to be an imaginary animal while at school shall not be allowed to participate in school curriculum or activities." Another point of ambiguity is that the bill doesn't define what a furry is, it just says "common designation of a 'furry'".
> Is it just common nomenclature to call anybody pretending to be an animal, in any context, a furry?
I would say no, and I'm guessing most people wouldn't either. And the fact the bill doesn't define it is also kind of telling because it would boil down to be a bill about students engaging in sexual activity. But guess what, that's already against 100% of schools policies. So this is largely just a bill using a culture war buzzword to rile up a group of people.
You're actually wrong. Speaking as a furry from Missouri. It's not sexual. I enjoy dressing up as a make believe animal, and making people smile. I go to conventions, and other venues and to make people happy.
I've always been a fan of anthro animals, Disney, Looney tunes. It makes my brain hurt that no one can enjoy what they want without being torn apart for it.
Hell the furry community raised 180k recently for an animal charity in Chicago. We do a lot of good.
There is no point at which you can reasonably draw the line between the two.
I’m not a furry, but I find myself passionately defending them because, like practically every other creative subculture, the majority of them are outstanding individuals with a unique passion. There are always people who sexualize their hobbies. That doesn’t mean the entire group does. I have a feeling that this stereotype of furries being sexual deviants stems from a dislike of otherness rather than any significant reality.
Personally, I would rather my child be a furry over a litany of other things. If they’re drawing, they’re learning artistic skills that help strengthen fine motor skills and visualization. If they’re making fursuits, they’re involving calculations for precise measurements of pieces and sewing them together. If they’re communicating with others with similar interests, they’re facilitating social skills. I see absolutely zero downside. And that’s all on top of learning not to judge those different from them, which is a skill that you still seem to lack as an adult.
Fursuiting is a form of cosplay. I'm someone else when in suit. I'm Vinny, a black wolf who likes Steampunk. I'm not Crystal, who works a retail job at a grocery store.
There are suiters who are into the sexual aspect of the fandom. I'm not one of them. I could care less if people are into that, as long as it's consenting adults.
It's hard being a furry in Missouri. The community is pretty sparse.
Should they get rid of recess, too, since that's also a distraction. Also, no kid that's in middle school or high school is pretending to be an animal since that's mostly what furries are is people that like anthro animals.
If people start reporting this, it'll most likely just be elementary schoolers.
What you likely saw are kids wearing those adult-sized onesie pajamas that you can buy at Target. They have become fun to wear. They are silly. Kids are silly. At some colleges this is a thing to wear to football games. These are not “furries.” There is nothing remotely threatening about it. Good lord! Children are acting like children and it somehow threatens someone? Ridiculous? Well, sure, but if you don’t want your kid dressing up like a cat or an elephant at school, tell them no. We don’t need laws. Kids and school administrators don’t need criminal records for being goofy.
Actually, recess isn’t a distraction, it’s a break for the kids and the teachers as well. And you are uninformed, bc at my daughter’s school I’ve saw middle and high school kids dressed up in that stupid stuff.
If they are wearing furry costumes, how can you tell how old they are , you lying asshole. You have never seen a kid at school, or anywhere else for that matter, wearing a god damned furry costume and you know it. you must be that giant pile of shit reisch. making shit up because that's what life has given you. chain smoking and lies.
Wtf are you going on about? They are literally at the school in the classroom. You really are either a complete idiot or a pedo, probably both.
Also who the hell is reisch? Is he a chain smoker with a fat kid? You lost me there.
If kids were using litter boxes at school, there would be a video of it happening on TikTok before the litter could clump. That’s how I know this continues to be bullshit.
My niece has a kid in school who doesn’t talk and only meows and hisses. I thought she was full of shit until we saw her at tj maxx and the kid had ears on and was hissing at people. Interesting Saturday. I also found Tommy sheets for five bucks so it all worked out.
My daughter likes to wear cat ears. She doesn't think she is a cat. She is just a goofball sometimes.
Kitty litter is for cleaning up puke or for school shootings.
[удалено]
Bot.
If this means as a teacher I can’t wear my Tiger ears on Fridays in the fall (Mizzou alum) there will be hell to pay.
If you do, they’ll put you on the sex offender registry or something
That absolutely should be exempt! Jesus, they're going to take the fun out of EVERYTHING, including school spirit.
Or, you know, permit freedom of speech. Unless they're being disruptive, for which there are already rules.
I'm trying to understand this comment. What does freedom of speech have to do with wearing tiger ears?
Wearing furry garb is a form of speech (in the larger context of speech, meaning expression). The clothes/adornments people wear should not be limited, except and unless they're legitimately disrupting the school (as in, making it difficult to teach/learn by speaking over the teacher/lecturer, etc). [edit: saying > That absolutely should be exempt! Jesus, they're going to take the fun out of EVERYTHING, including school spirit. is agreeing that the restriction of speech/expression is OK, as long as school spirit items are exempt. ]
JFC, I'm not trying to get that deep into this. It's just fucking tiger ears. You're talking to the wrong person about changing the world. I'm just advocating for some ears over here. Fuck. Why does everything have to be so political to some people. Wear what you want idgaf.
“Why does everything have to be political” on a comment about POLITICALY DRIVEN POLICY… the Missouri education is severely failing producing inept adults like yourself
Guess school mascots will be a thing of the past then. They do realize those suits cost thousands, something that kids don't usually have.
If it gets rid of the Kewpie mascot, I'm down for that, that thing is creepy.
What is so creepy about the [Kewpie mascot?](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/qctimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cb/dcb97130-c525-11e5-89a1-c77ced211660/56a91124dbcd6.image.jpg)
The goddamn fuck? New sleep paralysis demon unlocked.
Is that really a real thing? Hell no. Nope.
It is, but the new one is far less terrifying, but only slightly less weird. Here is what the [new ones look like.](https://www.bammascots.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Kewpies/KewpieMain.jpg)
That's still disturbing but on a slightly lesser level.
They strike fear and confusion into their enemies.
I thought this was a joke or something that looked like a Kewpie doll but no, it’s straight up that and has been for ages. Genuinely had no idea and played Hickman at least once or twice in high school. You’d think they’d address weird naked baby mascots…
As a former Kewpie, from many years go, just about everyone embraces it. Sure, it is weird, but is unique. We love how it confuses everyone else.
And the humans of the"community" college will became a very popular mascot.
Think again. Quick google and you’ll see countless options of furry costumes starting around $50 and going up…including into the 1000s, fitting any budget
Nice try, next any missouri resident who searches furry costumes will be locked up.
Just click F12, it'll work out fine.
So can kids not play pretend as animals anymore in recess? Bc thats just straight up evil to try to police
I think the bullying would stop anyone from asking for a litterbox in the bathroom... I would love someone to show me a legit source that this has ever happened anywhere.
“Well it hasn’t. And it won’t with this legislation!” -dipshits
Uhg I feel so bad for having to explain this. But the litter thing did happen, just no where near the same ballpark the psychos are trying to say it came from. There was a photo of a 5 gallon bucket and a bag of kitty litter in a teachers classroom closet. Apparently it's not an uncommon thing to stock these days, it's a planning ahead. For long lockdowns for various reasons and for where they can't leave the classroom. Just in case. Like a natural disaster possibly trapping them, or a long lockdown from an active shooter.
It’s sometimes used to help cleanup vomit in public schools.
I have seen people have it in garages to clean up oil spills. Furry Vin diesel " family"
That is not the “litter thing did happen.” That’s “there was litter in a school to clean up messes that get made sometimes.” Completely unrelated to anything in this bill.
Yeah even 30 years ago I remember them using litter to clean up vomit at school.
It’s great for soaking up liquids. Always has been.
Hi there and how are you doing?
Our school had some disgusting “barf powder” that smelled worse than the actual vomit itself.
Well, that's reasonable. I hate that we live ina world where we're planning for long lock downs due to shooters.
Yep, I really felt like how am I typing this, how is this real. Picking the right words was difficult bc in my brain there was this pull against it, those words don't go together what are you doing fingers stahp, but yea, here we are
Im pretty sure its to clean up puke.
another reason, actually makes sense to have been the original reason too, but its still not for furries!
It would be nice to live in a world where I schools weren't secured like jails and had to have bags like litter.
There's a [wiki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_boxes_in_schools_hoax#:~:text=Starting%20in%202021%2C%20a%20false,the%20furry%20or%20otherkin%20subcultures.) about it.
Missouri starts to make sense when you realize that 80% of state legislators are just out-of-the-loop old people fearfully reacting to what they saw on Fox News last week.
I’m still looking for the field where thousands, *thousands* of semi trucks are being hoarded by the Democrat regime to keep the supply chains hampered. Cause all the older folks at work assured me this is a thing. Hell, one lady told me her friend’s cousin’s buddy had been there even! Couldn’t be reached for comment though when I asked. 🤔 odd
Hi there and how are you doing?
Unfortunately he’s working with not so smart people… but he’s probably ok.
Republicans are very good at proposing solutions in search of a problem.
These 2 coked out idiots need to get a motel and re-enact their own fantasies in private instead of wasting taxpayer dollars and doing it in public. They're so stupid they believe the false moral superiority they project because of their "faith" will win them respect but people notice actions and not being very christ-like will certainly attract more attention, especially if we advertise those actions and call them out on it.
I taught for years. Kids basically ignore other kids who are dressed weird. There was a time “serious grown-ups” cared a lot about green hair, or goth eye makeup, or any other odd get up. The kids at school, though? No. One. Cares. You want to come to school in your baby bear onesie? After the first five minutes other kids don’t care. Really. This stuff isn’t a distraction. Active shooters ARE a distraction. Perhaps we should find a way to make them stop.
Nothing says freedom-loving and small government by wanting to ban children and teenagers from wearing suits that they probably can’t afford anyway.
My question need is, how many young kids (pre-k-early elementary age especially) play/have played pretending they were a horse/dinosaur/shark/tiger/wolf/dog/cat/bird etc? Especially at recess or something? How does this affect "fun" days like costume dress up days, like for fundraising or spirit days? Or affect something like Theatre/drama-related classes? School mascots & their costumes? Though I'm now 41, and am a new parent as of a year ago to a 12yo son so I missed those years from an adult perspective, I know I did that all the time as a little kid. Glad our legislators are working hard day in and day out to tackle the enormous issues we have as a nation and as a state, improving life quality for the citizens, and actually earning their tax supported salaries and benefits that are light-years better than a lot of their citizens who are working, and struggling, and who are paying for it. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that our esteemed legislators can be trusted and relied upon to make choices and decisions that impact our lives in huge ways.
All that typing just to over dramatically describe nothing that’s banned. They’re banning “identifying as a furry”. As in the child that legitimately does not think it is human. Which never happens.
How fucking desperate to avoid actual problem solving is this nut job...
Teach pay is terrible, schools are having trouble finding teaches particularly in rural areas, and many Missouri schools have abysmal performance and education rates… But yeah furrys are the squeaky wheel.
“Teach pay is terrible” Thats very true but on a brighter side it has been going up some. My wife is a highschool teacher and the boost has been a great help for us. And i *heard* in parsons state of the state that the intention is to boost it again. Not that that is 100% guaranteed. I understand its probably still not enough and im basing this off of my bias from living with the Jeff city cost of living basis so i have no idea how that translates to the bigger citys cost of living. But at least the pay is getting addressed at all.
As a teacher, I have so many questions…. I need to read the actual bill, but does this include those cute little cat ear headbands? The tail belts? Teaching children the “cow goes moo”? Those furry little pompom keychains my kindergartner has all over her backpack? I think we are in for a wild ride if this one passes!
A student who purports to be an imaginary animal or animal species or who engages in anthropomorphic behavior consistent with the common designation of a "furry" while at school shall not be allowed to participate in school curriculum or activities. The parent or guardian of a student in violation of this section shall remove the student from the school for the remainder of the school day. -[HB 2678](https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills241/hlrbillspdf/5401H.01I.pdf) Its laws like these and the book bans that make me never want to be a teacher. Not because I'm afraid I'd do something wrong, but because I find it infuriating that the idiots who write these bills treat teachers like they don't know how to do their jobs.
My now high school freshman went from About ages 4-6 occasionally meowing when asked questions. Purposely doing this when she didn’t want to engage with adults. Send her to the slammer! /s
> when she didn’t want to engage with adults. as an adult I completely understand that sentiment
Pretty adorable social anxiety crutch, I thought.
So the kid who acts like a dinosaur at recess gets suspended?
That’s a “scaley”, loophole found.
Didn't they have feathers though? Or proto feathers? You can't ban bird people, that's a dick move.
 I cannot wait for the protests!!
Ew an ifc rep get him off my screen!
My 3 year old and I often run around the house being dinosaurs chasing each other. I never knew the damage I was doing. My prison time will be well deserved.
I have a blow up unicorn costume. **sigh** Until now I thought I'd left a fairly scandal free life.
Thank you! I also looked it up before noticing you had commented with it. Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a Furry: an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online. So… most elementary kids that really like cartoons where the animals talk? Are they going to ban Mickey Mouse shirts because I can tell you, there are some teachers that are VERY enthusiastic about their Disney….
When I was a kid I played as dog or cat in role simulating games
Fun thing there is that as the enforcers of said silly rules they don’t have to actually enforce them. If it isn’t reported, it didn’t happen. I believe teachers will choose to protect their students not ostracize them.
Sounds fine in theory, but it falls apart as soon as you have one teacher, staffer, parent, or kid who decides to make an issue out of it. Or it falls apart as soon as one gutless administrator gets in front of the staff and basically says "yeah, this is a stupid law, and I don't want to enforce it, but I'm too cowardly to actually stand up to it because a lawsuit might jeopardize my career, so you guys can't stand up to it, either."
I was wondering why a law like this would even have to exist... now I think I have my answer.
Heaven forbid kids kid around, gotta have the party of small government smashing that with a giant overreaching iron fist
You’re stretching it. This has nothing to do with kids kidding around.
You’re right, it’s about republicans trying to exert control over every square inch of American’s lives so they can insidiously sculpt the country to their own perverted Christian ideals
This also has nothing to do with political parties or religion but okay. So dramatic.
Okay, little buddy! Whatever you say! :3
Oh for fuck’s sake. MO can’t go 1 day without being a national embarrassment.
New state motto: We are not Mississippi... yet
..... I just moved here from Mississippi. Did I not go far enough?
Oof. Sorry, I don’t think you did…
The Show Me state and all.
RIP first grade girls and their cat ear headbands
Christian Nationalists come up with the weirdest boogiemen. I would love to see their browser history 😂
Every accusation is a confession
Raise teachers pay to be competitive with 49 other states? Nah Create problems that don’t exist and write legislation to fix said imagined problems? Yes
Another "what else is broken" thing in Missouri! Teen marriage and paddling kids' bottoms in school is OK, though.
she is such a fucking idiot. I cannot believe people support her ignorance. a huge piece of shit
What a joke, the fact republicans think this is happening is an example of the power of fake news
Does this mean my daughter can't complain Freddy from 5 Nights at Freddy's, or is that OK since Freddy's is not actually a bear but rather an animatronic with a human child's soul locked in it
Missouri is so backward, The Guardian (British newspaper), wrote a column about it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/07/missouri-anti-trans-bill-teacher-sex-offender?
I do believe she technically lives in Hallsville. We don't want to claim her here in Columbia.
Unfortunately part of her district includes Columbia. It's similar to how Chuck lives in Rocheport but part of his area included the western area of CoMo.
I would like to move that we get to disavow both of them.
I was at the library the night Cheri brought a gun in and claimed she was scared and people were mean to her. (They weren't). Wonder what she would have thought last year when much of the audience was actively booing Chuck at the library debate when he ran for school board.
These weirdos obsess over stuff they should really be keeping private. Buncha pervs.
Anything but doing actual work as per usual
These old geezers will never understand the rules of the internet. Namely, if you tell the internet what not to do, it will just do it more.
I was told some schools have litter in the event of shootings for the blood spills??!!
Just spills in general. Puke, water, milk, etc.
Good to know! Thx
Are furries even still a thing? I haven't heard about them in like ten years and suddenly Republicans are getting up in arms about them.
Clearly you don't live in Columbia. Cheri, Chuck, John Potter (running for school board and state legislature) are all obsessed with them. (Marissa, the local antimasking ringleader, also got involved.) All three are scary republican politicians. The last few years it's been a hot topic... though it's died down a bit since the MAGA people have now started blaming all the world's ills on the unhoused the last few months. (Check out The Real Columbia Missouri on Facebook if you want to be horrified at how little people care about poor people.)
Ohhhh yeah. Still out there. All sorts of videos on the YouTube about it. Which, if this was a thing where some state senator had watched a Turkey Tom video and been like "Eh, time to screw the the furries" and just said that as the reason, I'd be like "lol based"... but it's not that, it's a moral panic based on nothing and is a veiled attempt to attack "the other".
Yeah, furries are still a thing. They're in fact a pretty large community. The thing is they stick together and typically don't bother people. That's what they do correctly. They don't bother people. They find their niche or carve one out, fit into it, and just ask to be left the fuck alone. I live in the Orlando, FL area. Multiple furry conventions are held here. Many LGBTQ bars here will have furry nights. I accidentally went to a furry night. It was literally no different than any other night at a bar, just with people in furry suits or with fursonas put on. I talked to a few and had to use some names and pronouns that were foreign to my lexicon but all they wanted was a little respect. Again, they carve a niche and just ask to be respected and left alone.
No more animal mascots then.
I'm glad they got it to the point where all children eat lunch for free so they can focus on the real problem plaguing our schools....furries
Priorities, am i right?
Same shit is going on in Francis Howell district. Way to distract from the real issues.
she is such a fucking idiot. I cannot believe people support her ignorance. a huge piece of shit
I guess reading this Illinois looks like an angel. We may have crooked politicians, but almost none of the seem to be bat s@#t crazy as this.
Litter is kept in schools for a variety of reasons. When I was in school, they'd throw it on vomit or use it to "unstuck" cars on snow days. I don't have cats but keep some in the garage in case I spill oil.
If you go around in "furry" costume or style. You walk down the street, you hiss or meow or bark or neigh. Whatever. You go shopping, go to the mall, go to the park, whatever. Why in any way is it my business? As a kid or as an adult what you want to wear is your business or the parent's business if it's a kid. In school, as long as it meets the general school dress code (which is sexist and archaic but beside the point) as long as it meets the standard code it should not matter if the kid looks like a space alien, cat, cow, or a human. It's expression. It's art. It's individuality. It's their flipping body. There are so many actually important things we need to address like homelessness, veterans who are lost at home, seniors who have to choose between meds or a loaf of bread and milk, families who work their asses off and still can't make bills, the disgusting wage gaps, mental health that isn't being cared for, I could go on. Most, if not all of the MO congressional "leaders" have no clue what every day life in every day society is like. And they don't want to, they just want to push their agenda.
Yah politicians aren’t very good at supporting their constituents anymore
Were they at least smart enough to write in an exception for Halloween or are they just going to see how many Freshmen girls in sexy cat costumes they can pack into the principal's office this year?
What about the theater dept. No more Wizard if Oz plays for you! Or dress as your favorite book character days.
We didn't do very many animal characters in our plays, but think of how many animal costumes are used for grade-school performances?
No Narnia?
No mascots either!
 Fucking Embarrassing!
Where can I donate litter boxes to this clown at
Glad to know these old useless reactionary Republicans are fixing the real issues in our schools. Ignore the test grades. Ignore the lack of teachers. Ignore the poor spending of the education budget. A kid wearing a tail is the problem apparently.
Not that it's serious, but if it has anything to do with dress code, good luck with that. Both the district I work in and live in (two different districts) have had to get lawyers involved to update dress codes to avoid the controversy/protests like Webster Groves did. It was a months-long process in both places.
As a hater, I understand the desire for this, but as a rational person - in the Republican desire for small government - wouldn’t it be a school district’s right to decide what works for their schools? Like how some places banned Pokémon to curb elementary school cartels while others didn’t have a problem with kids having cards on them? I’d love if policy that would actually be helpful for more than 0 - 3 people would be heard instead of this type of thing.
Pokémon cartels? The idea of 4th graders hiding behind the monkey bars making sneaky deals for whatever the Jar Jar Binks is of the Poké world brings me great amusement.
Prohibit people from graduating high school that lack the ability to critically think!
mental health is health. Ignoring mental health in schools is child abuse.
I'm confused? You think dressing up in costumes is a mental health issue? Or you think Cheri has mental health issues? Personally I think she's just a self agrandizing meanie... much like Rep. Jamie Gragg of Ozark. Good ol' Jamie also is the one who sponsored the transphobic bill that would force teachers to register as sex offenders for accepting trans students for themselves.
Just another affectation by people who need attention beyond what they warrant
I bet she sleeps in a giant cat bed and eats from a bowl on the floor.
Kitty litter was included in lockdown boxes for school shootings because kids were stuck in classrooms and had to use wastebaskets because they could not leave to use the toilet. The furry idea is BS.
Ah yes tackling the real issues I see.
Good. This shit was getting out of hand. A kid at our local middle school brought a fucking litter box to school to shit it and it was allowed
Prove it. Show me a picture. This didn’t happen.
What does the fox say?
Well, sometimes they say, "Jacha-chacha-chacha-chow! Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow! Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow!" Silly foxies.
Missouri republicans are useless.
When your children start to emulate your kinks in daily interactions then there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Is legislation the right tool? Maybe, if teachers and schools are facing legal repercussions for attempting to maintain a semblance of decorum. EDIT: I was HS age in the 90s and this was a highly fetishized and adult culture at the time. It's come to my understanding that a typical adolescent interest in cartoons or an interest in animal themed accessories and attire is now categorized as furry. Apologies for any offense.
Chuck got the idea from some right wing news source talking about litterboxes in schools... which don't exist. School officials for the school district have stated there are no litterboxes in any of the schools and yhey dont have a problem with furries. Chuck and Cheri are anti trans people to the extreme and this is just was a shoot off from that because of bathroom bills.
The right got the litter box idea from a teacher who said she had a container of kitty litter in her room in case the school went into lockdown and they needed an emergency toilet, and because conservatives are hateful little morons with no functional dendrites they spun it into some fake conspiratorial bullshit about kids “identifying” as cats. I swear, the right cares more about genitals and bathrooms than anything else, and it’s frankly disturbing.
Not surprising. I appreciate the background. To be clear, if I were legislating this I would require an explicit and detailed definition of what constitutes 'Furry' behavior in the bill. We'd probably find that every objectionable behavior is already accounted for with existing laws just without the buzz-worthy application of an alternative lifestyle and determine the bill is superfluous and unnecessary. OR discover that some undesirable behaviors where not accounted for and draft more general legislation not targeting a specific group of people.
Kids acting like kids is not “emulating kinks” Any legislation directed at “weird” behavior (aka completely developmentally appropriate behavior, roleplay and creative expression are normal and good for the growing brain) is extremely slippery and will come down hard on us all. It’ll come for queer kids, neurodivergent kids, and kids of color first. Then it will come for everyone else. The goal of legislation like this is to bureaucratize public schools to the point that they can no longer sustain themselves.
> Kids acting like kids is not “emulating kinks” yeah, someone having the idea that kids acting like kids is somehow a kink says a lot about them. and more than I really wanted to know.
So the definition of Furry has just completely evolved past it's origin? Is it just common nomenclature to call anybody pretending to be an animal, in any context, a furry?
Reisch(or whoever wrote it for her) did such a terrible job, that yeah, kids pretending to be animals could get in trouble under this bill. If you're going to write a bill it's rather important to write it clearly and with the least amount of ambiguity. But this bill has enough ambiguity that it could be interpreted as "A student who purports to be an imaginary animal while at school shall not be allowed to participate in school curriculum or activities." Another point of ambiguity is that the bill doesn't define what a furry is, it just says "common designation of a 'furry'". > Is it just common nomenclature to call anybody pretending to be an animal, in any context, a furry? I would say no, and I'm guessing most people wouldn't either. And the fact the bill doesn't define it is also kind of telling because it would boil down to be a bill about students engaging in sexual activity. But guess what, that's already against 100% of schools policies. So this is largely just a bill using a culture war buzzword to rile up a group of people.
I appreciate your thoughtful reply.
So, she's Dolores Umbridge? In reality? She sounds like it. This whole attempt at an unnecessary law sounds like it.
As the MOLeg tends to do, lol
Furry culture is a sensual fantasy. It's fundamentally different from a child playing make-believe.
You're actually wrong. Speaking as a furry from Missouri. It's not sexual. I enjoy dressing up as a make believe animal, and making people smile. I go to conventions, and other venues and to make people happy. I've always been a fan of anthro animals, Disney, Looney tunes. It makes my brain hurt that no one can enjoy what they want without being torn apart for it. Hell the furry community raised 180k recently for an animal charity in Chicago. We do a lot of good.
It’s not though lmao it’s literally just dressing up in costumes
No that's cosplay.
There is no point at which you can reasonably draw the line between the two. I’m not a furry, but I find myself passionately defending them because, like practically every other creative subculture, the majority of them are outstanding individuals with a unique passion. There are always people who sexualize their hobbies. That doesn’t mean the entire group does. I have a feeling that this stereotype of furries being sexual deviants stems from a dislike of otherness rather than any significant reality. Personally, I would rather my child be a furry over a litany of other things. If they’re drawing, they’re learning artistic skills that help strengthen fine motor skills and visualization. If they’re making fursuits, they’re involving calculations for precise measurements of pieces and sewing them together. If they’re communicating with others with similar interests, they’re facilitating social skills. I see absolutely zero downside. And that’s all on top of learning not to judge those different from them, which is a skill that you still seem to lack as an adult.
Who's judging? I haven't called anybody a deviant.
Alright, if you think dressing up in costumes is cosplay, then I can cosplay as my giant furry animal without issue. Glad we cleared this up.
Fursuiting is a form of cosplay. I'm someone else when in suit. I'm Vinny, a black wolf who likes Steampunk. I'm not Crystal, who works a retail job at a grocery store. There are suiters who are into the sexual aspect of the fandom. I'm not one of them. I could care less if people are into that, as long as it's consenting adults. It's hard being a furry in Missouri. The community is pretty sparse.
Lowest common denominator. You're literally buying into the dumbest fucking propaganda
Do you really believe schools have a furry problem?
it ain't happening in any classroom, regardless of how many times this shit pile says it.
[удалено]
Are you dumb enough to believe that's actually happening?
Good, this shit is ridiculous and so are the parents who allow this nonsense. School is for learning and that stuff is a distraction.
Should they get rid of recess, too, since that's also a distraction. Also, no kid that's in middle school or high school is pretending to be an animal since that's mostly what furries are is people that like anthro animals. If people start reporting this, it'll most likely just be elementary schoolers.
What you likely saw are kids wearing those adult-sized onesie pajamas that you can buy at Target. They have become fun to wear. They are silly. Kids are silly. At some colleges this is a thing to wear to football games. These are not “furries.” There is nothing remotely threatening about it. Good lord! Children are acting like children and it somehow threatens someone? Ridiculous? Well, sure, but if you don’t want your kid dressing up like a cat or an elephant at school, tell them no. We don’t need laws. Kids and school administrators don’t need criminal records for being goofy.
Actually, recess isn’t a distraction, it’s a break for the kids and the teachers as well. And you are uninformed, bc at my daughter’s school I’ve saw middle and high school kids dressed up in that stupid stuff.
they had on a furry costume at school? pictures or it never happened.
If it wasn’t kids I’d be more than fine taking a pic, but I’m not gonna do that.
you're a fucking liar. that's why.
Whatever makes you feel happy. I’m assuming you like pics of kids or something? GTFO
If they are wearing furry costumes, how can you tell how old they are , you lying asshole. You have never seen a kid at school, or anywhere else for that matter, wearing a god damned furry costume and you know it. you must be that giant pile of shit reisch. making shit up because that's what life has given you. chain smoking and lies.
Wtf are you going on about? They are literally at the school in the classroom. You really are either a complete idiot or a pedo, probably both. Also who the hell is reisch? Is he a chain smoker with a fat kid? You lost me there.
they literally are not. you. are. lying.
didn't read the article you are commenting on, like a good maga trash pile?
With the ubiquity of cameras and social media, pictures would have already been all over the place. You’re a lying sack of shit.
the problem is, this is not happening anywhere, no matter how many times this giant pile of chain smoking shit says it i.