Conspiracy Check

Theories ยท Sexuality and gender

Litter boxes in schools hoax

The litter boxes in schools hoax was an urban legend spread in 2021 and 2022 that schools were installing litter boxes in bathrooms to be used by students who "identify as cats" or with the furry or otherkin subculture. The belief in and spread of the hoax has been described as "furry panic". Various right-wing and anti-LGBTQ sources circulated these claims as part of a moral panic against school accommodations for transgender youth, such as unisex toilets. Ahead of the 2022 US elections, the hoax was promoted by Republican politicians Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Scott Jensen, Heidi Ganahl, Don Bolduc, and media personalities Joe Rogan, Chaya Raichik, and Bill Cunningham.

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Action items

Prevention steps

  1. StopNotice a strong emotion (anger, fear, 'they don't want you to know') before you share. Pause first.
  2. Investigate the sourceWho is making the claim, what's their expertise, and what do they gain if you believe it?
  3. Find better coverageRead laterally: open new tabs and see what independent outlets and fact-checkers say.
  4. Trace claims to the originFind the original study, video or document. Check dates and whether quotes are cut.
  5. Ask what would change your mindReal theories can be tested. If every piece of counter-evidence 'proves' the cover-up, it can't be.
  6. Count the peopleBig secret plots need thousands of people to stay silent for years. That rarely happens.
  7. Talk, don't mockWith friends or family, ask questions, listen, share your own sources calmly. Shame backfires.
  8. PrebunkLearn the common tricks (cherry-picking, fake experts, false dilemmas) so you spot them early.

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