Australian Senator Ralph Babet criticized a private school in Melbourne for reportedly allowing a student who identifies as a cat to remain nonverbal in class and act like a feline, according to a Herald Sun report Sunday.
The school where the student reportedly studies told the Herald Sun their students “present with a range of issues, from mental health, anxiety or identity issues.
Babet, a member of the right-wing United Australia Party, wrote on social media that the school’s policy “is a symptom of allowing the woke radical left in society to run rampant, unchecked.” Babet wrote on social media. (RELATED: ‘Safer Tucking’: Boston Children’s Hospital Says Teens Can Use Tape To Hide Genitals)
“Can we just put a stop to this garbage right now?” Babet continued. “You go to school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. You are not a cat. You are a little girl. The end.”
Australian teen who identifies as feline will be allowed to dress like a cat at school https://t.co/QG2tvpZh7g
— 98.7 KLUV (@KLUV987) August 24, 2022
“No one seems to have a protocol for students identifying as animals, but the approach has been that if it doesn’t disrupt the school, everyone is being supportive,” a source close to the family of the student told the Herald Sun.
The outlet’s description of the girl suggests that she is likely a “furry,” which British educational resource Safer Schools defines as a person with “an active interest in animal characters with human characteristics.” The furry community has grown in popularity on social media, and involves individuals taking on “fursonas” and role-playing as animals with other furries. Safer Schools warns that furry culture “can be sexualised, and some forums and conventions (real life meetings) can include adult content.”