Although there was no truth to a recent rumor about cat litter boxes in Sky View High School bathrooms, a local folklorist says the existence of the rumor reveals a different truth: how local conservatives feel about “identity politics” and public accommodations for individuals claiming special status.
USU folklore department head Lynne McNeill described the litter box rumor — forms of which date back to the early 2000s in some parts of the country — as an example of an “urban legend” that spreads via the internet and word of mouth and keeps popping back up year after year.
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