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A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban “non-human behavior” in public schools, such as barking, meowing and other animal-like practices commonly used by furries.
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The Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education, or FURRIES Act, was proposed in the state’s House last week by GOP Rep. Stan Gerdes.
“No distractions. No theatrics. Just education,” Gerdes wrote on X. “Texas schools are for educating kids, not indulging in radical trends. Let’s keep the focus where it belongs—on preparing students for success in life.”
Under the proposal, students would be prohibited from engaging in various animal behaviors, including using a litter box, licking themselves, making animal noises like barking, meowing, or hissing or otherwise pretending to be an animal.
OKLAHOMA BILL WOULD BAN ‘FURRIES’ FROM SCHOOL, REQUIRE PARENT, ‘ANIMAL CONTROL’ TO PICK-UP RULE-BREAKERS
A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban “non-human behavior” in public schools.(Getty Images)
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Allegations of litter boxes being set up in school bathrooms have repeatedly been debunked by schools across the country in recent years following false claims that circulated online.
Students would also be barred from wearing items that were not designed for human use, including animal ears, whiskers, tails, collars, leashes or other accessories typically used for pets. Fur is also prohibited, but the bill specifies that natural human hair and wigs are not included in the ban on fur.
The legislation would require students to present themselves as humans. They also would not be allowed to start organizations or clubs related to non-human behavior and would be prohibited from promoting the idea that non-human behaviors are socially acceptable.
There are some exceptions to the ban on animal accessories and non-human behaviors, including dressing up for Halloween or other school dress-up events related to human history, although this would be limited to five days per school year, as well as theater performances and dressing up as a school mascot.
TEXAS LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILL TO BAN GENDER CHANGES ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES
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Under the proposal, students would be prohibited from engaging in various animal behaviors, including using a litter box, licking themselves or making animal noises.(Getty Images)
Students who fail to comply could be removed from class, suspended or expelled. The measure also allows for students to be transferred to a juvenile justice alternative education program.
Teachers would be required to report violations to the Texas attorney general, and school districts that do not enforce the restrictions could face fines starting at $10,000 for the first offense and $25,000 for additional violations.
The proposal has the backing of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state’s House Speaker, Dustin Burrows, both of whom are Republicans.
“If you have a child in a public school, you have one expectation: your children’s going to be learning the fundamentals of education — reading and writing and math and science,” Abbott said during a recent meeting with pastors in Austin, citing the furry issue as a motivating factor to allow private school choice vouchers.
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The proposal has the backing of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.(Getty Images)
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“If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to a school of their choice,” he continued.
Gerdes called his bill “common sense” as he thanked Abbott and Burrows for backing the proposal.
“I’m grateful that our leadership is taking this issue seriously and ensuring that Texas schools remain places of learning, not roleplaying,” Gerdes said on X. “This is common sense. Let’s get it passed.”
Netflix was sued Monday (May 11) by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent, and designing its platform to be addictive. Ram Nabong reports.
Evercore ISI senior managing director Mark Mahaney joins Varney & Co. to discuss the departure of Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings and to address questions about the company’s future leadership and strategy.
The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday, accusing the company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing the platform to be addictive.
Texas claims that Netflix has falsely represented to consumers that it didn’t collect or share user data while it actually tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.
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The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that “Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit.”
The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday. (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watched you,” Texas added in the lawsuit.
NETFLIX CO-FOUNDER REED HASTINGS TO STEP DOWN, DEPARTURE IS ‘SPOOKING INVESTORS’
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The complaint quotes comments made by former CEO Reed Hastings who said in 2020, while he was still leading the streaming company, that “we don’t collect anything,” amid questions over Big Tech companies’ data collection practices.
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Netflix was also accused of quietly using “dark patterns” to keep users watching on its platform, such as an autoplay feature that starts a new show after a different show ends.
NETFLIX RAISES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES ACROSS ALL PLANS
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)
Paxton said in a press release that Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”
The attorney general said he’s charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Netflix to stop the unlawful collection and disclosure of user data, require Netflix to disable autoplay by default on kid’s profiles, and to secure injunctive relief and civil penalties.
Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in a Texas city along the southern border on Sunday, officials said.
The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p.m. local time, said Jose Espinoza, a public information officer with the Laredo Police Department.
The circumstances of their deaths are unknown, said Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza, according to CNN affiliate KGNS, and an investigation is underway.
Union Pacific operates across the border and is the only railroad that services all access points into Mexico, according to the freight company’s website.
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Temperatures on Sunday afternoon in Laredo were in the low-mid 90s, though it’s unclear whether heat was a factor.
Union Pacific said it was saddened by the incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.
Laredo police said they received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, KGNS reported. The bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection, police said. No survivors were found.
CNN has reached out to Laredo police for more information.
“It’s a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now,” Baeza said, KGNS reported.
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The immigration status and ages of the deceased are not yet known, Espinoza said.
US Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to the Laredo Police Department, saying “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”
CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“It’s a very unfortunate event,” Espinoza told CNN. “It was too many lives that were lost.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
