FURRIES Act

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FURRIES Act
Seal of Texas.svg
Texas Legislature
  • A bill to be entitled an Act relating to the display of and allowance for non-human behaviors in Texas schools.
Territorial extentFlag of Texas.svg  Texas
Legislative history
Bill titleH.B.ANo.A4814
Introduced by Stan Gerdes [1]
IntroducedMarch 12, 2025 (2025-03-12)
Summary
Banning of non-human roleplaying and acting by children in school
Status: Not passed

The FURRIES Act (full name: Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education Act) is a proposed bill in Texas that seeks to ban animal-like behavior, costumes and roleplaying in schools. [2] [3] The name "FURRIES" is a backronym referencing members of the furry fandom, although the bill would also affect the unrelated otherkin subculture. [4] The bill failed to pass committee in the 89th Texas Legislature. [5]

Contents

Bill

The bill aims to stop all acts of animal behavior in public schools. Prohibited actions would include barking, hissing, meowing, licking oneself for grooming, and using litter boxes to relieve oneself. [6] Any accessory that is animal-like is included in the bill. Prohibited accessories would include, fursuits, collars, tails, leashes, accessories designed for pets, and items historically not designed for humans. [7] [8]

The bill attempts to make allowing or encouraging a child to believe that non-human behaviors are socially acceptable in an educational setting to be considered child abuse. School districts who fail to enforce the law could face fines, with penalties starting at $10,000. [7]

The bill seeks to extend parental rights in schools, allowing parents to file complaints against schools or educators who fail to comply, potentially leading to legal action from the Texas Attorney General's Office. [9]

The bill excludes school sports mascots, characters in plays, and designated dress up days including Halloween. [10] [11]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated in a news interview, "Kids go to school dressed up as cats with litter boxes in their classrooms" and shared a conspiracy theory that kids were getting surgery to have non-human features, though this was proven to be a myth. [12] These conspiracies were supported by Baptist ministers in Austin in order to gain support for the bill and to push for education savings accounts or school vouchers, which would give families taxpayer funds to go toward private-school tuition. [13]

The bill was sponsored by State Representative Stan Gerdes, [14] who stated on Twitter, "No distractions. No theatrics. Just education. While school mascots, theater performances, and dress-up days remain part of school spirit, this bill ensures that students and teachers can focus on academics – not on bizarre and unhealthy disruptions. Texas schools are for educating kids, not indulging in radical trends." [15] Gerdes claims he wrote the bill in response to an incident at Smithville Independent School District, though there is no record of any incident and Gerdes did not provide further details. [16] He has stated his dislike of the furry fandom, calling it "unhealthy roleplaying" and "radical." [17]

Criticism

Educators in Texas have criticised the bill and its supporters, claiming that it is based on a right-wing hoax claiming students were using litter boxes to relieve themselves. [18] [19] Others have criticised the bill as being a proxy attack against members of the LGBTQ community, particularly bathroom access for transgender people, as a significant portion of the furry community identify as LGBTQ. [20] [21] [22]

School clubs for table top and live action role-playing have raised concerns that the bill may force them to cease activities and effectively ban Dungeons & Dragons in Texas schools, potentially violating student First Amendment rights established by the Supreme Court ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines . [23] [24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Barba, Joanna (April 1, 2025). "Texas Moves to Ban Barking, Meowing in Schools Under New Law". KLAQ . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  2. ↑ Marks, Madi (March 17, 2025). "Texas bill targets 'furries,' banning non-human behavior in schools". KDFW . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ Castro, Johann (March 13, 2025). "FURRIES Act filed by Texas lawmakers targets non-human student behavior in schools". KVUE . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Billson, Chantelle (March 26, 2025). "Texas lawmaker introduces Furries Act after falling for litter-boxes-in-schools hoax". PinkNews . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Texas House Bill 54". Legiscan. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  6. ↑ Bahari, Sarah (March 17, 2025). "Texas bill would ban 'furry subculture' from public schools". The Dallas Morning News . ISSN   1553-846X. OCLC   1035116631 . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Marks, Madi (March 17, 2025). "Texas bill targets 'furries,' banning non-human behavior in schools". FOX 4. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  8. ↑ Sojo, Martín (March 25, 2025). "Nuevas restricciones en Texas: ley contra la moda "furry" en instituciones educativas" [New restrictions in Texas: law against "furry" fashion in educational institutions]. 2001online.com (in Spanish). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Texas Bill Seeks to Ban Non-Human Behavior in Schools". Lootpress. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  10. ↑ Wermud, Benjamin (March 15, 2025). "Greg Abbott cites debunked claim that public schools catered to 'furries' in latest voucher push". Houston Chronicle . ISSN   1074-7109. OCLC   30348909 . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ Waltens, Brandon (March 13, 2025). "F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act Would Ban Animal Behavior in Class". Texas Scorecard. Empower Texans . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ Warner, Jessica (March 15, 2025). "Kids using litter boxes in school? Texas FURRIES bill seeks to stop 'non-human' behavior". WOAI-TV . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ Gainey, Blaise (March 14, 2025). "Gov. Greg Abbott backs bill banning 'non-human' behavior in schools". KUT . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ Jones, Zorrie (March 14, 2025). "What is the FURRIES Act? Lawmakers target non-human student behavior in schools". KPRC-TV . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  15. ↑ Blankley, Bethany (March 14, 2025). "Texas bill would ban 'furry culture' in public schools". The Center Square . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  16. ↑ Villegas, Patti (March 18, 2025). "Texas Lawmaker Unleashes F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act: No More Barking In Classrooms". Dallas Express . ISSN   2331-334X. OCLC   9839625 . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  17. ↑ Nguyen, Khoi (March 25, 2025). "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?". The Paisano . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  18. ↑ Villarreal, Daniel (March 13, 2025). "GOP legislator files bill to stop "furries" from using litter boxes in schools". LGBTQ Nation . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  19. ↑ Gainey, Blaise (March 17, 2025). "Gov. Greg Abbott backs bill banning 'non-human' behavior in schools". KUHT . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  20. ↑ Balarajan, Brammhi (March 14, 2025). "Texas politician introduces bill to ban 'non-human behavior' in schools". Chron.com . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  21. ↑ Fields, Alyssa (March 17, 2025). "Furries, Meowing in School Now a 'Radical Trend,' According to Lawmaker". Dallas Observer . ISSN   0732-0299. OCLC   7095491 . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  22. ↑ Mitchell, Matt (March 17, 2025). "Texas Lawmakers Propose Controversial FURRIES Act to Ban Animal Roleplaying in Schools". Hoodline. Nextdoor . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  23. ↑ Wickens, Katie (March 20, 2025). "F.U.R.R.I.E.S Act could stand to persecute Texas school D&D and LARP groups, in attempts to weed out "any non-human behavior"". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  24. ↑ Codega, Lin (March 19, 2025). "A Texas conformity bill could impact tabletop roleplaying games in schools statewide". Rascal News. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
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