Joe Rogan takes back his statement about the select schools having litter boxes, for students who identify as furries. Rogan supposedly heard it from a friend's wife, who used to work for one of these schools, according to Gizmodo.
Even politicians have agreed with the statement. Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert, and Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, both say they have heard the rumor. At least 20 candidates and officials contributed to the misinformation.
Is It True?
No. It is not. The schools that were pulled into the issue have already denied it. There was also no evidence that can prove the rumors of schools, having litter boxes for their students. However, the rumor has already spread like wildfire. Even participants in the furry subculture said that they never heard of any fellow furries asking for a litter box.
People have been spreading rumors, regardless. Some even claim that the friend of their friend saw it happen, according to NBC News. There are politicians who do not shy away from using these statements, to support their claims concerning the students in the LGBTQA+ community. A professor at American University's School for Information, Ericka Menchen-Trevino, said that it fits well with what they already believe, so they won't fact-check it.
Harvard Kennedy's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy Director, Joan Donovan, expressed that it allows politicians to dog-whistle their transphobia, without having to say it out loud. This was according to The Guardian.
Joe Rogan now claims that his friend's wife now worked in another school, and he can't verify if the previous school really did have litter boxes for students. He went ahead and added that he doesn't think they actually did it.
Michelle Amazeen, an associate professor studying misinformation, expressed that mainstream news outlets covering the story even just for debunking it, give the story reinforcement and seeming credibility. She added that the false story only feeds into the fears of conservatives about gender non-conformity, and lack of control in the events within the school.
What Are Furries?
There are a group of academics who study the furry subculture, at FurScience.com. Dr. Sharon Roberts. The co-founder of the website, said that furries identify with animals, not as animals. She also stated that she's glad that Joe Rogan retracted his statement. She hopes that the attention to correction, would lead people to look into evidence-based research on the fandom of furries.
Dr. Roberts said that most don't even have costumes. They're just into the artwork, cosplaying, and interacting with people who have the same interests in conventions. CNN reported that around 100,000 to a million are part of the furry culture. A study from FurScience.com said that furries create a fursona they can identify with, or use as an avatar.
Fursonas are anthropomorphized animal characters made by people within the furry community. More than 75% of furries are under the age of 25, says the mentioned website. 60% of them expressed that they felt prejudice against furries from society.
