this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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The Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education, or FURRIES, Act, filed by Austin-area Republican State Rep. Stan Gerdes, would "prohibit any non-human behavior by a student, including presenting himself or herself, on days other than exempt days, as anything other than a human being."

The law would allow for exempt days, such as Halloween and other school dress-up days.

The law defines "non-human" behavior as "any type of behavior or accessory displayed by a student in a school district other than behaviors or accessories typically displayed by a member of the homo sapiens species," with provided examples being:

Using a litter box for the passing of stool, urine or other human byproducts

A personal or outward display, except during a school play or by a school mascot, through surgical or superficial means of features that are non-human such as using tails, leashes, collars or other accessories designed for pets

Using fur, other than naturally occurring human hair or a wig made to look like human hair

Artificial, animal-like ears

Other physiological features that have not historically been assigned to the human race through a means of natural biological development

Students who bark, meow, hiss or make other animal noises that are not human speech

Licking oneself or others for the purpose of grooming or maintenance.

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[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 3 points 49 minutes ago
[–] S_H_K@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 hour ago

Fuck how the heck they find double entendre.acronyms for any shit they pull. Coincidentally eat shit assholes what the fuck did those poor people do to you? I don't consider myself a furry but have friends that does.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 7 points 1 hour ago

Furries are the ultimate dorks. I know I am very furry affiliated and most of my friends are furries... but this makes being a furry badass nyao.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

You could think that reality has no more pressing problems.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

Surgical means‽

Also why are they legislating about this. Texas schools have real problems like gun violence and illiteracy. Furries and animal role play are just things some people have always done that don't really harm anyone and given how they persist across so many cultures and times could actually be considered a natural behavior of homo sapiens like parrots' mimicry

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 7 points 2 hours ago

So can’t dress as a Republican?

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 3 hours ago (3 children)

Other physiological features that have not historically been assigned to the human race through a means of natural biological development

Does that forbid earrings as well? They're non-biological extensions/modifications of the human body.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 3 points 1 hour ago

Better yet. Simply wearing glasses?

[–] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago

technically all clothing is illegal now?

[–] OmegaMan@lemmings.world 1 points 2 hours ago

No because earrings are not physiological.

[–] halferect@lemmy.world 14 points 3 hours ago

What world do these people live in? I just can't imagine this is a issue and i imagine that passing a law like this will just lead to kids definitely shitting in litter boxes because breaking the law is fun, imagine the court case of a kid dressed like a cat and pissed in a box.. straight to jail

[–] Earflap@reddthat.com 20 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Man they keep coming back to the litterbox thing, it really freaks them tf out. Even though its been debunked dozens of time, my conservative friends all swear they know a guy that knows a guy that swears he saw one for real!

I would not be able to stop myself from laughing if i saw that happening for real but these people think of it as a threat to their existence, as a crime.

What a witless world we live in.

[–] oyo@lemm.ee 25 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Maybe the constitution of the United States of America says something about this? Maybe like the first thing in the bill of rights? Nah I must be mistaken.

[–] theshoeshiner@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (3 children)

Schools have to maintain a certain level of order and conformity to function as intended. Courts have already ruled as much. You can't engage in behavior which would prevent the system from working as intended e.g. walk around topless, yell profanities, play loud music, etc - things which you can obviously do in other public spaces. Wearing full body animal costumes or barking randomly, claiming its your identity, is just as ridiculous and just as disorderly.

With that said, schools probably already had the tools they needed to stop this, so I'm not sure why a law was needed. Unless there was actually some furry zealot fighting against a school board.

[–] Ashelyn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 hour ago

I just had a read through the bill and, as written, it would prohibit elementary school children from playing pretend as animals on the school playground during recess. Obviously, if a student were using that as pretext to, like, bite someone, you'd want a supervisor stepping in, but to straight-up ban harmless elements of play-pretend like this is frankly asinine.

[–] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 hours ago

yeah ok but like schools can make policy. If someone is doing something thats an issue there's a dean for a reason.

Also, I don't think a headband with ears is really the biggest issue of our times right now. This is entirely useless and just for control. Same with banning books, there's already systems in place. Globally banning things -that AREN'T an issue- does not help anybody at all.

This is ONLY for erasure of demographics and control over the people. Starts with furries, then men in skirts, then anything queer at all.

[–] veniasilente@lemm.ee 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You can’t engage in behavior which would prevent the system from working as intended

So, enforcing uniformity?

[–] theshoeshiner@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

To the degree necessary for education, absolutely.

[–] RIPandTERROR@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago

That doesn't matter anymore

[–] Ckjazz@lemmy.ca 20 points 7 hours ago

Sooooo much freeedommmm.... By limiting self expression.

[–] CobraChicken3000@lemmy.ca 9 points 7 hours ago

Republicans are fucking weirdos.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 21 points 8 hours ago

So a furry suit made from human hair is ok? Asking for a friend

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Besides them being stupid as hell to conduct this ridiculous culture war, I take issue with another thing, the name:

Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education

It's not unlawful until you forbid it. So the title makes no sense. You're not forbidding the unlawful. You're forbidding the previously lawful, making it unlawful.

Stupid assholes.

[–] null@slrpnk.net 18 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Plus the acronym rules are inconsistent. It should be FURRE or FURRORIE

[–] Treble@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 7 hours ago

Repugniklan Anger Withering our Rights

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[–] narr1@lemmy.ml 12 points 8 hours ago

Oh boy, the fascists have really done it now: they're going after the beastpeople! Beware its poisonous spittle!

[–] MiniMoose4Free@lemm.ee 12 points 10 hours ago (4 children)

Kinda like this one I know the litter shit is bullshit. Though we all knew those annoying ass kids in school.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah they were annoying. So were the pseudointillectual douchebags (I would know I was one). So were the jocks. So was basically everyone. Kids are annoying. Banning child behavior for being annoying is part of the creation of a less free society for no good reason.

Alternatively, why not just.. let people be themselves and weird? Because they were annoying to you? So many people are annoying for one reason or another, do we need to discipline them for it? Moreover, should we? Or would that just be limiting our expression and enforcing uniformity?

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 5 hours ago

Yeah some kids are annoying, but they're young and learning how to behave in a society. They shouldn't be handcuffed in school and sent to jail. Nor should other kids live in fear of having what they witnessed happen to them (although that's probably the whole point of this).

[–] jnb@lemmy.ca 26 points 9 hours ago

These idiot boomers fell for the facebook propaganda.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_boxes_in_schools_hoax

[–] ksigley@lemm.ee 28 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

My barking at people is protected under the first amendment.

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 4 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

Unfortunately students give up their first ammendment rights when they go to school.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

False Tinker v. Des Moines asserted that students at public schools can be forced to not be disruptive to learning, but retain their rights as held under the first amendment within those grounds.

In fact, if the Supreme Court practiced common law and based their decisions on anything other than bribes, pre existing beliefs, and whatever they pulled out of their ass I'd say that this law was blatantly unconstitutional and would get thrown out immediately

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 hours ago

That needs to be challenged in court. I get having rules in a school setting, but locking up misbehaving children is mental.

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