Oklahoma lawmaker targeting 'furries' in schools: Who is Justin Humphrey?

Talks about Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, and “furries” in Oklahoma are on the rise after the legislator authored a bill targeting students in Oklahoma schools who purport to be imaginary animals.

But, why did Humphrey, 57, write this bill? And, does he usually author bills like this one?

Oklahoma's House Bill 3084

Ahead of the 2024 Oklahoma legislative session, Humphrey filed a bill targeting "furries," or people in a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters, in Oklahoma schools.

Humphrey's bill, House Bill 3084, would ban "students who purport to be an imaginary animal or animal species, or who engage in anthropomorphic behavior commonly referred to as furries at school" from participating in class and school activities.

The bill would require parents or guardians to pick the student up from school. But, if parents are unable to pick the student up, the bill says "animal control services shall be contacted to remove the student."

In a video talking about the bill, Humphrey said he doesn’t wanna see kids using litter boxes, and that people have “lost their minds” by allowing students to “pretend to be animals” at school.

“If you’ve got an animal coming to school, how about we vaccinate them? How about we get them neutered? How about we sent them to the pound?” Humphrey said in a video talking about the bill.

The false claim that students use litter boxes has been widely reported as a hoax, reports the Associated Press, though it is still used as fuel for political candidates amid culture debates and issues of gender identification in schools.

Who is Justin Humphrey?

Humphrey was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2017, serving Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw and Pushmataha counties.

According to the Oklahoma House of Representatives website, Humphrey is an Atoka High School graduate, and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from East Central University.

In 2010, Humphrey was the owner and operator of Last Chance Supervision Services, a private company that contracted drug court supervision and private probation, according to the website. From 2010 to 2016, Humphrey was the administrator of Atoka and Coal County drug court. He also operates a cattle ranch.

What other bills has Justin Humphrey authored?

In previous years as a representative, Humphrey authored several bills related to law enforcement, crimes and punishment and prison reform.

This year, along with the bill seeking to ban furries from public schools, Humphrey authored a bill, HB 3133, that would classify anyone of Hispanic descent, who is a member of a criminal street gang and has been convicted of gang-related offenses, as having committed an act of terrorism.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Justin Humphrey? Oklahoma furry bill departure from lawmaker's history