Furry trend in Texas public schools will hibernate permanently, if Republicans have their way

Some Republican lawmakers in Texas are attempting to bring the disruptive furry trend to heel in the state's public schools, compelling students to engage in human behaviors — including learning.

On March 13, state Rep. Stan Gerdes (R-Smithville) introduced the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education Act, or the FURRIES Act for short. Furries are people who identify as animals, wear animal-like apparel, and mimic animal behaviors.

Last April, Blaze News provided exclusive photos and videos demonstrating that furries had become a major problem at Mt. Nebo Middle School in Payson, Utah. Though Nebo School District repeatedly denied the furry issue initially, after the reporting from Blaze News, the district reversed course slightly and pledged to address all issues of "harassment" going forward.

'I can't believe we have to do this.'

Groups of furries have reportedly appeared in schools across the country. But Gerdes hopes to force the furry trend in Texas to go into permanent hibernation.

"I can't believe we have to do this, but we cannot allow these types of roleplaying distractions to affect our students who are trying to learn or our teachers and administrators who are trying to teach," Gerdes said in a statement. "We just have to keep this nonsense out of our schools, period."

The behaviors that the FURRIES Act would prohibit are indeed "nonsense." Under the FURRIES Act, students cannot: wear leashes, collars, or other apparel designed for pets; make animal noises like hissing, meowing, or barking; lick themselves for grooming purposes; or use litter boxes to relieve themselves.

Critics have fixated on the litter box component, claiming that reports of furries using litter boxes in school restrooms have all been debunked. Even a community note on Gerdes' X post derided the reports as "sensationalist" and suggested that furries are basically harmless. Citing Wikipedia, the community note described furries as "fans of anthropomorphic animal characters," not bullies who have caused major disruptions at schools.

But furries have caused significant problems. Non-furry students at Mt. Nebo Middle School were so fed up with the constant harassment a year ago that they staged a walkout despite looming threats of suspension. In one video of a group of furries shared by Blaze News, a student even brags about spraying someone with chemicals "in the f***ing eyes."

The FURRIES Act does carve out exceptions for some animal cosplaying, including on special occasions like Halloween and for school-related characters like mascots or those in theatrical performances. Gerdes called these exceptions "practical and obvious." Overall, he said, these figures should not be regular features in Texas classrooms.

"No distractions. No theatrics. Just education," he said on X.

'If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to a school of their choice.'

Gerdes claimed that the bill has the support of Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dustin Burrows, both Republicans. Burrows has even signaled that the bill is a high "priority" for the Texas House, Gerdes continued, though no hearing for it has yet been scheduled.

Abbott has already publicly backed the bill and even used the furry problem to advocate for school choice. "In some small rural sections of school districts in the state of Texas, they have in their schools, what are called furries. Y’all know what this is," Abbott recently told a group of pastors in Austin, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"If you have a child in a public school, you have one expectation: Your children’s going to be learning the fundamentals of education — reading and writing and math and science," Abbott added. "If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to a school of their choice."

The bill would require educators to report instances of furries to the state attorney general or face fines. Students caught in violation could be removed from class, suspended, or even expelled.

Gerdes anticipates that the bill will incite ferocious opposition from the left. However, any protesters who show up to the state capitol to oppose the FURRIES Act won't be provided "litter boxes" to relieve themselves, he joked.

"They'll have to use the regular restrooms like the humans they are."

Eric Moutsos — a former Utah police officer turned independent media member who covered the furry issue in Payson on X extensively — is thrilled that Texas is taking the furry threat seriously. He also believes that the overall school furry trend, which may have originated from a sexual fetish, is the direct result of changes in laws regarding marriage and gender.

"Over a decade ago, many of us warned that permitting the government to try and redefine marriage would unleash a Pandora's box, paving the way for any conceivable evil notion to take root," Moutsos told Blaze News. "Today, we now see gender rendered irrelevant and children in our public schools identifying as 'furries.' It turns out truth isn't relative and facts do matter, and it’s lamentable that we find ourselves needing laws to halt what should never have been set in motion to begin with, but here we are."

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