en.wikipedia.org
The
litter boxes in schools hoax (also called the
litter box canard)
[1][2] is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide
litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the
furry or
otherkin subcultures. In 2021 and 2022, various American
conservative and
far-right politicians and media personalities promoted the hoax in response to several school districts enacting protections for
transgender students.
[3][4] Many news outlets, fact-checking websites, and academic researchers have debunked such claims,
[5][6][7] and officials from every school named by those promoting the hoax have verified that the accusations are false.
[8][9] The claims have been described as
internet trolling,
[10] fearmongering,
[2] and
anti-transgender rhetoric.
[11][12][13][14]
The hoax was reported in
Prince Edward Island in October 2021 and initially thought to be a joke, but had to be formally disavowed as misinformation circulated on social media.
[15] Rumors spread to other Canadian provinces and schools.
[8] In the United States, popular media coverage of the hoax originally revolved around a school in
Michigan in December 2021, but spread to schools in several other states. Ahead of the
2022 elections, several prominent American politicians and media personalities spread the hoax, including Representatives
Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
[11] and
Lauren Boebert of Colorado,
[16] Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate
Scott Jensen,
[5] retired brigadier general and US Senate candidate
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,
[6] and Christian talk show host
Bill Cunningham.
[20] Several parents of school-age children have amplified the hoax on social media websites such as
Facebook.
[21]
The hoax spread in North America largely as backlash against recognition of
gender variance in schools.
[22][9][23][21] Some conservative politicians and activists argued that protections for
LGBTQ+ students in schools had "gone too far" and that litter box accommodations are what they might lead to next,
[24][25] despite there being no confirmed instances of schools providing litter boxes for students to defecate or urinate in, or planning to do so.
[6][20]
School boards in the late 2010s and early 2020s saw heightened controversy (described by some as a
moral panic[31] or
culture war[32]) surrounding accommodations for
transgender,
non-binary, and otherwise
gender-variant students, such as
unisex restrooms, and allowing students to use bathrooms and
participate on sports teams corresponding to their
gender identities.
[33][34] High rates of suicide and
suicidal ideation among
transgender youth were also cause for concern.
[35] In 2022, parents and advocacy groups across the U.S. made a concerted push to
ban books from libraries, predominantly those discussing race, sexuality, and gender.
[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."
[25] Some conservative politicians and alt-right media commentators had used false litter box rumors to generate alarm about what accommodations for LGBTQIA+ students might lead to, and have
falsely accused LGBT-inclusive educators of "child grooming".
[6]
Throughout 2021 and 2022, online rumors of students dressing and acting like cats circulated, spurred on by prank videos.
[7] 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.
[39] In August 2021, a high school in
Meade County, Kentucky said that a small number of students had violated their existing dress code.
[40] There was no evidence, however, that any schools had provided litter boxes in restrooms to any students.
[41][42]
The only known official instance of cat litter being placed in school classrooms for potential use by students was in the late 2010s by the
Jefferson County Public School District in Colorado, where the 1999
Columbine High School massacre took place. Some teachers were given "go buckets" that contained cat litter to be used as a toilet in an emergency lockdown situation, such as during a
school shooting.
[6][43][44]
