A bill has been introduced to the Texas House of Representatives that would ban “any non-human behavior by a student,” except in very limited circumstances, in a bid to prohibit “the so-called ‘furry’ subculture.”
Texas House Bill 4814, the Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education (or F.U.R.R.I.E.S.) Act, was submitted by state Representative Stan Gerdes on March 13.
Newsweek contacted Gerdes for comment on Tuesday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
The bill comes amidst a wave of legislation, at both the national and state level, concerning the transgender community. Since assuming office for the second time on January 20, President Donald Trump has signed executive orders stating the American government only recognizes male and female as genders and withholding federal funding from educational institutions that allow transgender people to compete in women’s or girls’ sports.
Abbott is also seeking to carry out a major overhaul of the Texas education system with a private school voucher-style program, which he argues will boost school choice for parents.
What To Know
If passed into law, Texas House Bill 4814 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.”
Examples of “non-human behavior” given include using a litter box, wearing leashes, collars or false tails, “barking, meowing, hissing, or other animal noises that are not human speech” and “licking oneself or others for the purpose of grooming.”
Exemptions are provided for school mascots, school dress-up days and Halloween.
Furries are a subculture who like to dress up as and impersonate various non-human animals, and in rare cases choose to self-identify as belonging to a non-human species.
Furries attend Anthrocon 2023, one of the world’s largest anthropomorphic conventions celebrating the furry subculture, in which people dress up or roleplay as animal characters, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 2023.
AGNES BUN/AFP/GETTY
In a press release, Gerdes said he “filed this legislation in response to neighborhood concerns about a furry-related incident in Smithville ISD [Independent School District] that was confirmed by the Superintendent.” No further details of this incident were provided. Newsweek contacted the Smithville ISD for comment via email.
There is very little evidence that furries have any notable presence within the Texas schooling system. In 2022, the Republican Party chair in Williamson County claimed tables were being lowered at Round Rock Independent School District institutions due to children identifying as animals and wanting to eat with their hands, but this was strongly denied by the district.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Newsweek Governor Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris said: “Traveling across Texas, Governor Abbott has heard from countless parents growing frustrated at the quality of schools, the substance of what is taught, and failures of ISDs leading to an unwelcoming learning environment for their children. The Governor recommends concerned parents report any potential issues to the Texas Education Agency for investigation.”
In a statement, Representative Stan Gerdes said: “I can’t believe we have to do this, but we cannot allow these types of roleplaying distractions to affect our students who are trying to learn or our teachers and administrators who are trying to teach. We just have to keep this nonsense out of our schools.”
He continued: “I fully expect the subculture to show up in full furry vengeance at the committee hearing. But just to be clear—they won’t be getting any litter boxes in the Texas Capitol. They’ll have to use the regular restrooms like the humans they are.”
Speaking to a group of pastors in Austin last week, according to the Houston Chronicle, Governor Greg Abbott said: “In some small rural sections of school districts in the state of Texas, they have in their schools, what are called furries. Y’all know what this is. Kids go to school dressed up as cats with litter boxes in their classrooms.”
Texas Representative Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat, described the bill as “so ridiculous.” She added: “The irony. A taxpayer-funded voucher w/no strings attached opens the door to the ‘St. Francis School of Furries.'”
What Happens Next
According to The Dallas Morning News, Abbott has indicated he will support the legislation, significantly improving its chances of being passed into law. Before the governor could approve it the bill would first need to be approved by the Texas Senate and House, both of which are Republican-controlled.
Update 3/18/25, 5:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Governor Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris.
