Emails Show Colorado District Lying About ‘Furries’ In Schools To Smear Parents, GOP Gubernatorial Candidate

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A Colorado school district in the wealthy western suburbs of Denver gave a blanket statement to the local press dismissing parental concerns about an issue that’s galvanized the state’s contest for governor.

In September, Heidi Ganahl, the Republican candidate for governor, gave an interview to a local radio host in which she described a new phenomenon hitting Colorado classrooms.

“Not many people know that we have ‘furries’ in Colorado schools,” Ganahl told 710KNUS. “Have you heard about this? Yeah, kids identifying as cats. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it’s happening all over Colorado and the schools are tolerating it.”

Without any evidence, either from school officials or interviews with parents, the left-wing Colorado Times Recorder wrote off the comments as a conspiracy.

“Ganahl Falsely Claims that Kids Are ‘Identifying as Cats … All Over Colorado & Schools Are Tolerating It,” headlined the article from Heidi Beedle.

The article was picked up by Democrats and the press, both local and national, amplifying Ganahl’s remarks as evidence of a supposed extremist fabricating tales while running for the governor’s mansion. While Ganahl never said anything about “litter boxes,” Beedle connected the remarks to GOP claims in other states that students go as far as to demand these boxes be available at school.

“The outrage over students who are part of niche subculture that embraces anthropomorphic art and cosplay — and is predominantly LGBTQ,” Beedle wrote, “stems from remarks made by Nebraska Sen. Bruce Bostelman, a conservative Republican, who repeated false claims about furries using litter boxes in schools.”

Beedle linked “niche subculture” to another article she wrote in the Colorado Springs Independent. It outlines how individuals, including children, are increasingly dressing up in costumes and acting like animals to create “fursonas,” vindicating Ganahl’s claims.

Jefferson Schools Jump in with False Statement

The controversy made its way to the Jefferson County School District in the western suburbs of Denver. On Sept. 30, four days after Beedle’s story ran, a local Fox affiliate published an article claiming to discredit Ganahl’s remarks.

“School district disputes Ganahl’s claim about students identifying as furries,” headlined Fox31 News, which included a blanket statement from the administration insisting Ganahl was a liar.

“There is absolutely no truth to this claim. There are no litter boxes in our buildings and students are not allowed to come to school in costume,” the district’s statement said, despite Ganahl making no reference to “litter boxes.” “There are no furries or students identifying as such during the school day.”

The statement was made despite emails pouring into the district from concerned parents raising the issue as a classroom disruption as early as March of this year.

“This is an unsettling situation to many parents and students,” wrote one parent demanding clarification from district Superintendent Tracy Dorland about what was happening in the classroom this spring.

The parental rights group Jeffco Kids First shared with The Federalist a trove of the district’s internal emails obtained through Colorado

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