TULSA, Okla. — Under House Bill 3084, students who “purport to be an imaginary animal… commonly referred to as furries shall not be allowed to participate in school” activities or curriculum.
Representative Justin Humphrey said he authored the bill after hearing similar stories in other states. He also said a friend told him of one story here.
“Do you think that kind of behavior distracts from other students? I would say absolutely,” said Rep. Humphrey.
The bill said students would be required to be picked up by a parent, guardian or “animal control.” However, Humphrey tells 2News that part of the bill was meant to be sarcastic.
“We can always change the language in that; we should get these kids to some mental health experts,” he said.
House Bill 3133, also authored by Humphrey, would require labeling a known gang member a “terrorist,” if convicted of a gang-related offense and only if they are of Hispanic descent.
Humphrey said that bill was prompted because of the border and fentanyl crises, but now he wants to change the wording. He said after listening to concerns, he thinks the wording should be changed to an undocumented or illegal individual, rather than “of Hispanic descent.”
“Politicians never seem to want to say ‘I’m wrong’—I have no problem… I’m wrong quite a bit,” said Humphrey.
Representative Jacob Rosecrants, who was vocal about both bills on social media Wednesday, said the “furries” bill is nothing but pandering during an election year.
“It purports to fix a problem that was never a problem,” he said.
Rosecrants said he used to ignore bills he considered outrageous but now has concerns they could slip through the cracks.
While Humphrey indicated that the language in his two bills could change, Rosecrants said any draft of a bill targeting people of Hispanic descent can be damaging, whether it passes or not.
“It shouldn’t even be spoken, that bill is horrible,” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand the process. They don’t understand it has to go through the House and the Senate, they don’t understand—they see [the bill] and they’re scared instantly and that’s the problem with these fear-mongering bills,” he said.
Humphrey admitted the furries bill was more designed to make people aware of furries, rather than it being a problem in schools.
Rosecrants says he is focused on his own bill—requiring at least 30 minutes of recess at all Oklahoma schools.
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