Community members seem to be outraged about the practices of the Bloomington-Normal high schools. Practices including: furries barking in the lunch rooms, furries hosting school clubs and the “Pride Week” being hosted by Normal Community West High School.
Furries At Bloomington High School
When someone today uses the word furry they may not mean what you think they mean. The word mostly used as an adjective meaning “covered in fur” is now informally used as a noun meaning “an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online.”
Fur suits, the outfit furries wear, can cost the buyer upwards of $3,000.
According to a March 27, 2015 article that appeared in Vox, a 2007 survey at a furry convention found that 26% of furries own a fur suit. A 2014 survey found 48% own a tail. A 2013 survey at Furry Fiesta reported men spent 34% of their online playing time on sexual content and women 21%. Furries are typically white males in their twenties and either gay, bisexual or transexual.
Sexual activity with other furries (known as “yiffing,” after the sound foxes make during sex) is part of the subculture for some.
Last month a Wisconsin story was widely circulated that a Waunakee School District had a furry protocol.
Cities 92.9 sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to School District District 87 and learned that a Bloomington High School Student had requested permission to start a Furry Club on March 31. The student wrote an email stating, ” … I wanna set up a club for furries, furries are people who dress up as characters they made almost like cosplays, some furries do animation, some draw their characters, it’s a way people express themselves and their creativity no not like lgtbq+ but lgtbq+ members are welcome, …”
Courtney Marks, the Assistant Principal, responded to the student, “I will come and talk to you about this tomorrow.”
FOIA obtained by Cities
Cities has reached out to both Marks and principal Timothy Moore regarding the school club…there was no comment made.
Also, Cities 92.9 received a photo of furries walking in a city park providing evidence that there is a suited segment of furries in our community. The photo was taken by the trail by State Farm on Lincoln Street. In the photo, people suspected to be children are enclosed in full “Furry” costumes. Complete with ears and tails.
A student from Normal Community said usually furry students are most active in lunch hours.
“They’ll put their tails on. There’s lots of kids in one lunch hour so it’s pretty loud and that’s how they get away with it,” said the student.
The student said teachers reactions are mostly of a confused nature, and only a handful of teacher (maybe 3 or 5) think that the kids are doing something good.
Rumors circulated that Normal Community was going to put litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate the furry students. Unit 5 Communications Director Dayna Brown said that they were in fact rumors and custodial staff were going to check the bathrooms.
Pride Week At NCWHS
Community members and parents have concerns about an email that appears to have been sent out to students and staff, not parents. In NCWHS Announcements, there was the description of “Pride Week” apparel.
May 2-6 is Pride week, and in the announcement allegedly sent to only staff and students…there’s encouragement to stop at a table in the atrium during lunch and to participate in spirit days. It appears the email of the announcement was sent by Lisa Nichols, a staff member in the Instructional Media Center.
Tuesday, May 3 is “Trans Tuesday,” and this is a day where students are encouraged to dress in the colors of pink, blue and white for the trans flag. Wednesday is ‘Queer Characters Day,’ Thursday is ‘Positive Post Its’ to help with mental health, students are being encouraged to write positive messages on Post Its and leave them around or hand them to fellow peers. Friday, the emailed announcement encourages students to dress in as much pride gear as possible. This follows a pride party at Anderson Park.
Here is a statement from Superintendent Kristen Weikle
“The Pride group, like a number of other student organizations throughout the year, are holding a spirit week. The screenshot you shared was part of the Monday announcements which are posted for students as well as viewable by parents in Infinite Campus. No one is required to participate and doing so is completely voluntary. Normal West and Unit 5 recognizes that our schools consist of a diverse student body and we support all of our students.”
Cities obtained some community members comments about the “Pride Week”
“This Unit 5 email is very concerning my kids are in 87… I’m about to get a second job and send them to private school it’s disgusting how they are forcing this on children we have to get these people out of power,” said a community member.
“Personally I don’t care what colors any kid wears to support whoever. That’s fine. By all means, spread support and love to others. But only sending this to the students is clearly covert, intentional, and agenda driven,” said another community member.
“Normal West ‘Pride’ Week…absolutely crazy that students and teachers were told to participate in this but parents were kept in the dark until way after the fact. If tables were turned and it was a Christian club (which are few and far between in the schools these days) wanting to wear scripture or Christian apparel, it would have been shutdown immediately. My son goes to public school out in Olympia district and I’m grateful that the leaders within are very much in communication with parents,” said a community member.
“What is the admin at Unit 5 thinking? I would yank my kids out of there so fast… Central Catholic, Calvert, Cornerstone….there are choices people. Vote them out,” said another.
