Students at a middle school in Utah walked out of class Wednesday in protest of a policy allowing peers to attend classes dressed in cartoonish animal costumes, otherwise known as “furries.”
Mt. Nebo Middle School students report furries have been causing disruptions by biting, scratching, spraying air freshener on, barking at, and chasing other students . . .
Wednesday’s hours-long protest was evidently an effort by students to demand the district enforce its dress code policy, as put forth in a Change.org petition that’s received over 1,400 signatures.
Students reportedly carried signs reading, “Compelled speech is not free speech,” “I will not comply,” and “We just wanted to learn.”
“We’re standing up for what we believe is right,” one student told the media outlet.
Speaking to ABC4.com, a furry named Strudel explained, “Furry is a fandom,” and claimed, “We don’t think that we’re animals.”
“I really like the idea of animals that walk and talk, so I’m going to dress up as one, as kind of a fun sort of cosplay thing,” described Strudel.
“There was some kids dressed up as animals and I heard that another kid got bit by one of them,” one parent told ABC4.
