In a video from a campaign event last week, Republican candidate for Governor Dr. Scott Jensen repeats a widely debunked claim that schools are giving LGBTQ+ students litter boxes to urinate in.
In the video, Jensen says, “Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry? We've lost our minds. We've lost our minds."
Kat Rohn is the executive director of Outfront Minnesota, an LGBTQ advocacy group, and she says spreading false rumors like this is harmful to that community.
“It continues to reinforce some false narratives, that what LGBTQ students need is somehow absurd or bizarre or strange, when really what we know our LGBTQ youth need is simply a welcoming and inclusive environment,” says Rhone.
Kevin Burns, communications director for the Minnesota Department of Education says the MDE is not aware of any school that has such a thing.
While “Furries” are a subculture that sometimes involves people dressing up as anthropomorphic animal characters and attending conventions, school administrators across the country have had to continuously dispute the false claims that students are using litter boxes.
WCCO Political Analyst Blois Olson says this is once again a misstep by the Jensen campaign. Speaking to Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News, Olson said Jensen should know better.
“It took me five minutes to figure out this isn’t real. Scott Jensen didn’t do that,” Olson says. “It is the latest example of what I believe is an internal instinct he has to say things just for the crowd’s approval. I witnessed this first hand at FarmFest, I’ve seen it in some of his videos. He loves affirmation for statements that contrast reality with things he is told or hears from the some of the most marginal voices in the Republican Party.”
While he says this is unlikely to become a major issue for most voters, Olson says it is a distraction in a race that has much more serious issues such as crime, inflation, a women’s right to choose, and says it is something the Democrats will use against him.
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