Nebraska state senator, Bruce Bostelman, apologises for repeating the rumour that schools are accommodating children who self-identify as cats.
Recent years have proven tumultuous with regard to the education system in the United States. Many lawmakers have called for the end of the teaching of critical race theory and the existence of non-heteronormative identities including gay and transgender individuals, believing these teaching practices are corrupting the minds of young Americans. However, the past week has seen the conversation steer in a wholly new direction when a Nebraska state lawmaker made the false claim that schools are accommodating children who self-identify as cats, by placing litter trays in school bathrooms.
State senator Bruce Bostelman, a conservative Republican, issued an apology on Monday after repeating the debunked rumour during a public, televised debate on a bill intended to help school children who have behavioral problems. You can watch the full video here:
Twitter users quickly took the video, sharing their shock and confusion at the 59-year-old state senator’s claims. The viral video now sits at over 300,000 views as of Monday afternoon.
In the video, Bostleman expressed his “shock” and bewilderment at the existence of furries, schoolchildren who “dress up as animals, cats or dogs, during the school day.” he said during legislative debate.
“They meow and they bark and they interact with their teachers in this fashion, and now schools are wanting to put litter boxes in the schools for these children to use. How is this sanitary?”
Bostleman goes on to cite a story in which a student who identified as a cat “defecated on the floor”, as a result of not being provided with a litterbox.
The rumour spread across the internet last December and surfaced in a private Facebook group, “Protect Nebraska Children,” and in an Iowa school district, forcing the superintendent to write to parents that it was “simply and emphatically not true”.
Hours after his remarks, Bostelman backtracked and acknowledged that the story wasn’t true. “It was just something I felt that if this really was happening, we needed to address it and address it quickly,” Bostelman said.
Nevertheless, the rumour has persisted, becoming political fuel amid the culture wars. Bostleman himself alleged that schools were allowing schoolchildren to wear cat costumes but banning children from schools and not allowing them to wear clothing bearing the flag after Lincoln’s public school district asked students not to fly American flags in 2016. School officials quickly overturned the request and apologised.
