Talk:Litter boxes in schools hoax

This article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Conservatism Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Conservatism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of conservatism on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ConservatismWikipedia:WikiProject ConservatismTemplate:WikiProject ConservatismConservatism articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. Education Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Education, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of education and education-related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.EducationWikipedia:WikiProject EducationTemplate:WikiProject Educationeducation articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. Discrimination Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Discrimination, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Discrimination on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.DiscriminationWikipedia:WikiProject DiscriminationTemplate:WikiProject DiscriminationDiscrimination articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale. LGBTQ+ studies This article is of interest to WikiProject LGBTQ+ studies, which tries to ensure comprehensive and factual coverage of all LGBTQ-related issues on Wikipedia. For more information, or to get involved, please visit the project page or contribute to the discussion.LGBTQ+ studiesWikipedia:WikiProject LGBTQ+ studiesTemplate:WikiProject LGBTQ+ studiesLGBTQ+ studies articles Schools Low‑importance This article is related to WikiProject Schools, a collaborative effort to write quality articles about schools around the world. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page.SchoolsWikipedia:WikiProject SchoolsTemplate:WikiProject Schoolsschool articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. Furry Low‑importance Litter boxes in schools hoax is within the scope of WikiProject Furry, an attempt to better organize and improve the quality of information in articles related to furry fandom. For more information, visit the project page.FurryWikipedia:WikiProject FurryTemplate:WikiProject Furryfurry articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. Gender studies Low‑importance This article is part of WikiProject Gender studies. This WikiProject aims to improve the quality of articles dealing with gender studies and to remove systematic gender bias from Wikipedia. If you would like to participate in the project, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page for more information.Gender studiesWikipedia:WikiProject Gender studiesTemplate:WikiProject Gender studiesGender studies articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. To-do list: Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Assess : see Unassessed Gender studies articles and Unknown-importance Gender studies articles Cleanup : edit to see Collaborate : see /Collaboration Copyedit : edit to see Deletion sorting : see /Sexuality and gender Expand : edit to see Infobox : see Gender studies articles needing infoboxes Merge : edit to see Notability : edit to see NPOV : edit to see Orphans : Brannon Masculinity Scale · Holy Virility · Media and gender · Michael Kaufman (author) · Women's education in Saudi Arabia Photo : see Wikipedia requested photographs of gender studies Split : History of feminism Stubs : see Gender studies stubs Translate : see /translation Update : edit to see Verify : Riot grrrl Needs attention : see Gender studies articles needing attention Politics: American Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Politics, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of politics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PoliticsWikipedia:WikiProject PoliticsTemplate:WikiProject Politicspolitics articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. This article is supported by American politics task force (assessed as Low-importance). Cats Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject Cats. This project provides a central approach to Cat-related subjects on Wikipedia. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the wikiproject page for more details.CatsWikipedia:WikiProject CatsTemplate:WikiProject CatsCats articles Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

This has been mentioned by multiple media organizations: Kaczynski, Andrew (2022-10-03). "Minnesota GOP nominee for governor claimed kids are using litter boxes in schools – it's an internet hoax". CNN. Retrieved 2022-10-03. The bizarre conspiracy has spread so much that it even has its own dedicated Wikipedia page. Lissau, Bill (2022-10-05). "Republican congressional candidate Lauf stands by debunked claim about schools and litter boxes". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2022-10-06. But the claim has proved to be unfounded. School officials in several states have disputed such rumors, which have spread on the internet but have been rejected by fact-checkers. The hoax even has a dedicated Wikipedia page. Kaczynski, Andrew (2022-10-30). "GOP New Hampshire Senate nominee repeats hoax that kids are using litter boxes in schools". CNN. Retrieved 2022-10-30. The claim reportedly originated from a community member at a local school board meeting last year and has since spread across the internet. It has been repeatedly shot down by fact-checkers from major news outlets as false. The bizarre conspiracy has spread so much that it even has its own dedicated Wikipedia page. Zavarise, Isabella (2022-10-30). "GOP Senate nominee repeats hoax that children use litter boxes at school, weeks after John Oliver called Republicans 'heartbreakingly stupid' for perpetuating the debunked claim". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-31. The litter box conspiracy theory has become so pervasive that it has its own Wikipedia page. Hibbert, Cynthia McCormick (2022-11-04). "Did You Hear the Rumor About Kitty Litter Boxes for 'Furries' in Public Schools?". News@Northeastern. Retrieved 2022-11-02. The kitty litter box hoax has spread so far and so fast it even has its own debunking wikipage, which claims the rumor is in response to schools enacting rights for transgender students. Howell Jr., Tom (2022-11-04). "N.H. GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc stands by 'litter box' school claim". Washington Times. Retrieved 2022-11-07. CNN reports a number of GOP politicians have made claims about children acting like cats and using litter boxes and that the claim spread on the internet after someone said it during community commentary in a local school board meeting. It is described as a hoax on its own Wikipedia page.

On 25 December 2022, it was proposed that this article be moved to Litter box canard. The result of the discussion was not moved.

I left the following feedback for the creator/future reviewers while reviewing this article: Hello, the article should state that this was a hoax. Perhaps the title also..

Bruxton (talk) 21:41, 5 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

There is some prehistory (if you will) to these rumors. For at least 10, maybe 15 years, stories have circulated online of attendees at furry conventions requesting litter boxes for their hotel rooms. These too are likely hoaxes that originated from and have been perpetuated by Internet trolls, as I'm not aware of any credible instances of it actually happening. However, nearly all such discussion took place on social media sites and website comment sections that wouldn't qualify as reliable sources by Wikipedia standards, so it may be difficult to find references to back it up. As far as we know, these rumors were just furry haters doing Internet troll things and it's doubtful they were motivated by transphobia. mwalimu59 (talk) 12:53, 9 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

• Many sources in the article discuss the sharing of rumors in the context of transphobia, and the rumors spreading in relationship to discussion of accommodation and affirmation of transgender students in schools. Minnemeeples (talk) 14:20, 9 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Understood. My statement was with respect to the early/older rumors. I'm not disputing that the recent episodes (since 2021) are likely rooted in transphobia. mwalimu59 (talk) 18:44, 9 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

mwalimu59, I just added this source from The Herald Journal that explains the possible early 2000s origin. It quotes a folklore researcher, so it has some credibility. If you find have other sources, please suggest it. Thanks! Minnemeeples (talk) 19:28, 10 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The photo of an actual normal litter box seems to me to somehow lend a sense of concrete reality to the idea that litter boxes were in schools. That doesn't seem like a good idea, given that it's a hoax. Novellasyes (talk) 12:43, 15 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I boldly removed the photo. It is of a "Japanese typical litter box". This article is about the hoax in North America. It does seem other hoax articles have a leading image more directly related to the hoax. Minnemeeples (talk) 18:46, 15 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Novellasyes (talk) 19:18, 16 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Who is writing this article? The DNC? It's hyperpartisan, right-wing this, right-wing that. I don't fault anyone for believing anything when it's obvious that almost any lunacy can find political support these days. MurrayGreshler (talk) 04:53, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The word "right" in the political sense only appears in the article 5 times. Well 4 times right now but it'll back to 5 after I revert that ridiculous edit of yours. Now, do you have any more specific issues with the article or are you just soapboxing because you don't like it stating the objective fact that this is a right wing conspiracy theory? --Pokelova (talk) 07:44, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

MurrayGreshler, you removed content about Libs of Tik Tok with this edit that is from the Washington Post article already cited in the article. The author, Taylor Lorenz, stated, "Its content is amplified by high-profile media figures, politicians and right-wing influencers. Its tweets reach millions, with influence spreading far beyond its more than 648,000 Twitter followers. Libs of TikTok has become an agenda-setter in right-wing online discourse, and the content it surfaces shows a direct correlation with the recent push in legislation and rhetoric directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community." So far you're only flagging the article and deleting sourced content from reputable sources. If you feel there are tone issues, please be specific on talk. The many sources cited in the article describe the hoax as being pushed by far-right politics. Even conservative media sources, such as The Bulwalk in this article, have written about that context. Minnemeeples (talk) 12:54, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I see that "far-right" is mentioned three times in this article and "centre-right" is mentioned once, whereas there is only one instance of "right-wing". This is not too much considering the length of the article. Dsuke1998AEOS (talk) 13:40, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Please no false equivalency. A US Senate candidate today:[1] Lunacy must be treated as such. O3000, Ret. (talk) 03:13, 30 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The article starts saying "The Litter boxes in schools hoax is an urban myth". That seems strangely contradictory. Is it a hoax, a delibrately fabricated falsehood, or is it a myth, a false storie making the rounds? Worded like it is now it might even imply that there is an urban myth that there is such a hoax. Str1977 ^(talk) 08:25, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I made this edit to address that. I agree that it seems to be sort of a double-negative to say the hoax is an urban myth. Minnemeeples (talk) 18:05, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I've done a dive into this out of an interest in hoaxes and mythology, and it appears several of the premises of the article are not accurate. The earliest mass/national press coverage of this that I could located actually was from August 2021, and came from Jezebel (https://jezebel.com/we-salute-the-teen-furries-taking-over-this-kentucky-hi-1847565515) which seems to publicize a claim from Meade County, Kentucky about this happening in Spring 2021. They were channeling a local news report based on an anonymous claim from a grandmother (so no direct knowledge, it would seem). I'll dive into this more, but I expect to make a significant text edit that will anchor the dates better and make it less politically-charged (which isn't helping this otherwise interesting hoax). Neptune1969 (talk) 16:05, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This Wikipeida article is about litter boxes in schools, not furries in schools. The Jezebel article makes absolutely no mention of litter boxes. The background section already explains the context of students dressing up creating tension between schools and students. Minnemeeples (talk) 17:49, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Neptune1969. Please see Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:Reliable sources. Use of Reddit discussions threads constitutes both original research and use of an unreliable source. Minnemeeples (talk) 17:59, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Rather than engage what I wrote, you deleted all of it. The middle set of edits cannot be described as original research. On the cat-litter-in-the-classroom-for lockdown, here's a commercially available kit that was the first hit when I searched in a standard search engine:

https://www.sosproducts.com/Classroom-Lockdown-Kit-p/6401l.htm

So the Colorado story doesn't really belong in this article. Neptune1969 (talk) 21:08, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

That has nothing to do with the anti-LGBTQ+ hysteria perpetuated by far-right politicians regarding their fantasies about furry accommodations in public schools. Zaathras (talk) 22:13, 1 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I'm aware of a couple of cases where claims have been made that schools or teachers are required to allow/acknowledge students who identify as furries or animals (usually cats), but without any mention of litter boxes.

One example occurred in a print newspaper sent to Illinois voters just a couple of weeks before the 2022 midterm elections. The one I received was called The McLean County Times, and they have website, but I couldn't find some of the more shocking stories from the print edition on their website. Note that the same publisher has more than thirty other similar publications with essentially the same content (at the above link, scroll down near the bottom to 'Other Publications'). What's available online indicates the site is heavily right-leaning, but the above-mentioned print content that's missing from the website would likely get a rating of questionable source/conspiracy theories. It's almost as if they knew keeping those stories off the website would make them harder to scrutinize.

Another recent story, caught George Takei's attention, involves an Arizona woman named Lindsey Graham (not to be confused with the South Carolina senator), who tried wearing a cat costume to a school board meeting, claiming to identify as a cat, the stunt intended to mock the school's policies on transgenderism.

In both of the above examples, there is no mention of litter boxes, but they are more direct about conflating gender identity and 'species identity'. Given that, would it still be okay to address claims such as these in this article? That's not either of these are well-sourced enough to merit inclusion, but even if not, most likely there have been other instances and they may continue to happen in the future. mwalimu59 (talk) 19:28, 26 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Has nothing to do with this, no. Zaathras (talk) 20:23, 26 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This probably isn't useful if our goal is a larger, more nuanced discussion of the "furries in schools" moral panic (the Background section, particularly refs #29–31, seems to be just be uncritically repeating unsubstantiated rumors from this panic), but the NBC news article quotes three school-age furries. –RoxySaunders 🏳️‍⚧️ (💬 • 📝) 21:31, 26 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Might it be worth adding a mention of North Dakota HB 1522, which (as drafted) prohibits "providing a place, facility, school program, or accommodation that caters to a student's perception of being any animal species other than human", and Oklahoma SB 943, which prohibits "engag[ing] in anthropomorphic behavior commonly referred to as furries"[sic]? Neither explicitly mentions litterboxes, but the hoax would appear to have inspired these clauses. I appreciate that suitable reliable sources will be needed to support the connection - plenty of unreliable ones are available, so it's just a case of finding a source that meets WP:RS. Tevildo (talk) 09:49, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I made an edit to add context from an NBC News article from January 2023 about North Dakota. Is there reliable coverage of the Oklahoma bill that connects it to the litter box hoax? The Oklahoma school superintendent repeated the hoax during his campaign last year, which I also added to the timeline. Minnemeeples (talk) 17:04, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Just noting that there may be some legitimate uses of cat litter in a school to mop up spills of dangerous or bad-smelling liquids, for instance spilled oil or vomit. So schools may actually be purchasing it, just not for the purpose mentioned in the hoax. That might actually be the origin of the hoax.

Not sure if adding this to the article would improve it however. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ambrosechapel (talk • contribs) 23:00, 22 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It would not. Zaathras (talk) 01:27, 23 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It is true kids are dressing like cats. Uxbridge school district allows it. 159.250.11.207 (talk) 16:12, 19 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Please read about original research on Wikipedia. Content suggestions must be from reliable sources. Minnemeeples (talk) 16:42, 19 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I mean, I did in fact heard talk from students advocating for litter boxes in bathrooms, so I’m not sure why you’re all saying it’s a hoax if it’s happened at least once 2604:3D09:1585:7300:B066:F09D:9913:3DFA (talk) 05:50, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

When the article starts randomly running defense for furries in schools 'not being a sexual fandom' you know somethings up. 65.92.123.103 (talk) 21:39, 18 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

No literal litter boxes in the stories, but is it worth including the June 2023 story about pupils at a UK school supposedly identifying as cats (Rye College#Gender identity controversy)? Some of the commentary at the time (https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/23/pupil-identifies-as-cat-claims-denied/, https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/25/natasha-devon-lbc-cat-school-recycled-homophobia/) saw it as a continuation of the US hoax.

I wrote it up for this article in this edit in July, but it's since been removed. Belbury (talk) 14:52, 23 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]