The Outsiders program on Sky News has shared the story of a Brisbane school allegedly having an outbreak of students who identify as cats and foxes.
The story originated in the Courier Mail with Associate Editor Kylie Lang sharing that she’d heard of the cat-identifying students via it being discussed at a recent dinner party.
Claims of students identifying as cats have been popping up with increasing frequency in the USA, with claims being made in Michigan, Idaho, Iowa, Utah, Texas, and Arkansas. On each occasion local school authorities have had to put out statements denying the existence of the cat-identifying students.
Folklore experts have traced the urban myth reappearing across America over the last twenty years. Like most urban myths the story has slight variations as it’s retold, usually taking the form of there are cat-students and special consideration has been made for them.
The story from Brisbane is there are cat identifying students and they’re being allowed to alter their uniforms for their tails.
In the USA there are multiple instances of the story where it’s claimed that kitty litter trays are being installed in unisex bathrooms.
While in Idaho there were claims that cat-identifying students were being excused from doing homework because they couldn’t pick up pens with their paws.
In January this year in Texas, Michelle Evans, a Republican candidate for the state legislature, claimed cafeteria tables were being lowered so students could eat like dogs and cats. As in all the other cases school authorities denied the claim. Evans later said that she’d heard about the situation from another parent, but had no first hand knowledge of the situation.
The Courier Mail and Kylie Lang are adamant that their report is accurate, despite Brisbane Girls Grammar stating they have no knowledge of any cat, or fox, identifying students being at the school.
On Sunday Sky News presenter Daisy Cousens shared the Courier Mail‘s story on the Outsiders program and played footage of one of the debunked claims from the USA – however the Outsiders team failed to disclose the claims in the clip have already been debunked.
Cousens also omitted the denial from Brisbane Girls Grammar.
Co-host James Morrow suggested that the alleged cat-students might be taking part in a deliberate trolling prank in response to the current education curriculum.
“These students could actually be engaging in a fantastic prank here,” said Morrow, who is also the federal political editor at Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“All of the establishment has told them that you can be a boy if you’re a girl, whatever you want to be, and therefore I suspect what is happening here is these kids are absolutely trying to find limits and pushing them.
“The hilarious thing here is the authorities are just saying, ‘oh well this is perfectly fine, if you want to identify as a cat and have a tail sticking out your uniform.'” Morrow said, before launching into acting as cat preening itself and making dog barking noises.
“They’re just having fun pushing how far they can go and push the woke idiots who run they school. It’s barking mad.” Morrow said.
Outsiders is not alone is spreading the story from the Courier Mail, Daily Mail Australia has also published a version of the tale.
It’s not the first time Sky News have claimed there are cat-identifying students. Last year Sky News commentator Leisa Goddard shared that she’d heard of a school where it was occurring, saying there were cat identifying students across a range of ages.
Goddard said people should be concerned about how students identifying as cats would affect the next Australian census.
OUTinPerth asked Goddard if she could share more information on the school with all the cat students, but she never replied. Her comments were however embraced by Binary, the organisation that campaigns against transgender people.
Graeme Watson
OUTinPerth reached out to the Sky News and Daisy Cousens for comment.
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