NEW: @heidiganahl again reinforces her claim that “kids are identifying as cats… it’s happening all over Colorado and schools are tolerating it.” Ganahl told KOA’s @MandyConnell that it’s happening at 30 Colo. schools and “it’s such a huge distraction to teaching kids.” #cogov
“This is another example of how the Governor and many in the media are living in a bubble,” Ganahl said. “Parents are ticked off,” Ganahl told @KOAColorado today. “There’s gonna be some backlash for this.”
Ganahl’s claim, while seeming to reference furry subculture which exists outside and inside schools, is actually more specific. Ganahl claimed the kids in costume 1) identify as animals 2) it’s happening all over Colorado 3) schools are tolerating it.
I should note, Ganahl’s claim made on conservative talk radio station KNUS was first reported by @HeidiBeedle. coloradotimesrecorder.com/2022/09/ganahl…
School districts in the Denver metro area strongly disputed @heidiganahl claim that kids in schools across Colorado are identifying as animals. Here are their statement to 9NEWS last week: 
Last week, we asked the Ganahl campaign for evidence of the claim. The campaign directed us to @ldatko, the leader of the conservative parents group Jeffco Kids First, who blocked me after I asked.
Datko later emailed instructing me to contact school districts for information (information that wouldn’t actually confirm Ganahl’s claim).
Ganahl then doubled down on the claim in an interview with @KRDONC13’s @spencersoicher before referencing the claim publicly several more times.
https://twitter.com/spencersoicher/status/1576309201064054785
How did this claim, a thinly-veiled long-running anti-trans slippery slope fallacy, become included in Ganahl’s closing pitch to voters? Earlier this year, a Nebraska State Senator quickly apologized for a similar false claim. apnews.com/article/nebras…
In recent weeks, a flurry of Republican candidates including Ganahl have made some variation of a similar claim. Here it is in Minnesota. cnn.com/2022/10/03/pol…
Here’s a story from Tennessee last week: newschannel5.com/news/tennessee…
South Carolina, too: foxcarolina.com/2022/09/28/sch…
From Wyoming last week: cowboystatedaily.com/2022/09/28/no-…
Rhode Island: independentri.com/news/article_4…
Pennsylvania: morning-times.com/news/article_3…
New York: wellsvillesun.com/blog/2022/09/0…
Illinois: khqa.com/news/local/des…
Oregon: nrtoday.com/news/education…
GOP Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene pushed the claim: salon.com/2022/09/03/mar…
It even turned up in Canada: vocm.com/2022/09/29/nle…
It’s clear that this theory has spread like wildfire in conservative circles and a few politicians have decided to echo the claims. Hope this additional context is useful.
There *are* bins with kitty litter in Jeffco Schools classrooms. They're for students to relieve themselves if kids are trapped in the classroom during a mass shooting or lockdown. Our report from 2017: 9news.com/article/news/e…
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