Ask Papabear: The First Advice Column for Furries!
  • Home
  • Letters
  • Write Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Fan Art
  • Good Furry Award
  • Home
  • Letters
  • Write Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Fan Art
  • Good Furry Award

Furry Attire and School Dress Codes

9/28/2018

13 Comments

 
Dear Papabear,

​I go to school at Bastrop but they don't allow me to wear a tail is there a law that could help me be allowed to wear a tail at school?
 
Twilight Wolf (age 15, Texas)

* * *

Dear Twilight Wolf,

​Schools are allowed to establish and enforce dress codes—up to a point. Under U.S. law, they cannot have dress codes that discriminate against people’s religion, race, sex, or gender. For example, a school cannot ban someone from wearing a yarmulke (kippah) or a hijab (niqab or burka). If you are transgender and wish to wear a dress, they cannot forbid that. If you are a Rastafarian, they cannot prohibit your hair being in dreadlocks because that is part of your faith. If you are a liberal in a conservative county, they can’t tell you that you can’t wear a pro-Democrat shirt.
 
They can require clothing that promotes modesty and cleanliness. For example, they can prohibit short shorts and immodest skirts; they can prohibit the wearing of dirty and torn clothing; they can prohibit T-shirts with rude, hateful, racist, and disgusting words and images. Some schools go a little too far in the dress codes. For example, some schools in Texas forbid you to wear clothing that has the logo of a rival sports team. Such rules may exist simply because they have not yet been challenged, and if a student and their family did challenge them, they could very well win in court, but such challenges cost money. I noticed that, in Texas, some schools are okay with your coloring your hair an unconventional color, while others forbid it (one school district amusingly is okay with blue or green, but NO neon! LOL).
 
Let’s talk about wearing tails and ears and such. These are not protected by laws regarding religion, race, politics, gender, etc. Some schools prohibit clothing that can serve as a distraction to other students, and furry stuff could definitely qualify in that category even if ears and tails are not explicitly forbidden in the dress code.
 
Some school districts are more lenient than others. You’re in Texas, which is a notoriously conservative state. California—on the other end of the spectrum—is more lenient. There was a Fox News story a little while ago in which they were all upset that California schools allow ripped jeans, pajamas, and tube tops. I’m not sure how schools in this state feel about furry attire, but I bet they would be a bit more permissive. Even so, the stigma still exists even among California student bodies that furries are perverted and weird, and you will still get teased.
 
Unfortunately, Twilight, the wearing of ears and tails at your school is not a right and not protected under the law, so you will have to leave your fun accessories at home. This is a lesson for you that schools in America are not about expressing your individuality; they are about conforming. If you think about it, being a nonconformist is one reason there are furries today :-3
 
Papabear
13 Comments
Elijah
11/10/2022 12:18:56 am

If I wear my tail to school, what are the risk factors of others? Like what might I go through?

Reply
Papabear
11/10/2022 05:15:15 pm

Hi, Elijah,

Most people who wear furry stuff at school get mocked and have a bad time. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it except maybe on Halloween if your school allows costumes in class. If you really really must wear your tail for some reason, first check with your school's admin office to see if it violates any clothing rules. Next, get ready to be mocked because it WILL happen. Seriously, though, don't do it.

Reply
Kyla link
11/8/2024 08:10:43 pm

Bullying. A lot of it. Unless many others are also furries or Therians, you’ll be singled out and taunted.

Reply
Libby
12/22/2024 05:39:02 pm

Hi, I also wear my tail to school. I am in the middle school but I don't get bullied because some people respect that i'm a Therian. You may get bullied depending on how judgmental some kids can be but I would not worry. People that are older respect you more than younger kids. I hope this helped and feel free to wear whatever you want to.

Reply
Moss
2/16/2024 09:12:05 pm

My vice principle banned tails and when I wear them she takes them into her office I wanna get them unbanned

Reply
Miina
2/27/2024 11:28:00 am

What should I wear to school as a furry?

Reply
Papabear
3/3/2024 09:42:28 am

Sadly, unless you can find some furry friends at your school, if you wear a tail, ears, or other furry stuff, you stand a good chance of being made fun of, so I would suggest you don't do that. You could, however, get away with society-approved shirts, such as wearing a Zootopia or Turning Red shirt from Disney.

Reply
Zekie link
9/3/2024 05:21:34 pm

Hi Zekie here! RUFF!
I wear a tail at home + ears, and I wear my collar at school

Reply
Papabear
11/10/2024 01:50:25 pm

Hi, Zekie. Do you get any bullying or taunts about wearing a collar at school?

Libby
12/22/2024 05:41:28 pm

Hey, Its Libby. HOWL! I wear my tail and collar AT SCHOOL! I don't give a crap on if anyone bully's me.

Abernykitty
4/18/2024 01:45:10 pm

Hi, I'm worried about what the head teacher will think of my tail, she has not made a rule about therian tails since I am the first person to consider it, I like in Newcastle, England and Im in a first school, next year going to middle school. Thanks

Reply
madilyn link
8/5/2024 10:05:50 pm

I'm going to my first day of 6th grade soon and I'm a therian, I want to wear my tail and mask and don't care of being made fun of. I'm just scared that they'll take it away since that's my only therian gear at the moment, can they do that?

Reply
Zekie link
9/3/2024 05:19:56 pm

Hi Zekie here. ruff!
I am scared to wear my tail and ears to school because I am scared of what the girls might think of me. I don't know what to do...
And I am even afraid to tell my parents I am a furry, And no one I know is a furry... :( please help me papa-bear

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Go to Papabear's Facebook page

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Addiction
    Art And Literature
    Careers
    Coming Out Furry
    Crime And The Law
    Editorial
    Family Issues
    Friends Issues
    Furcons And Furmeets
    Furry Definition
    Furry Issues (other)
    Fursonas
    Fursuiting
    Health
    Illness And Death Issues
    LGBT And Gender Issues
    Loneliness Depression Anger
    Love And Relationships
    Money
    Odd And Ends
    Politics
    Religion And Spirituality
    Roommates
    School Life
    Self Improvement
    Sexuality And Sex
    Social Networking
    Work And The Workplace

    Picture
    Picture
    An excellent article on coming out LGBT to Christian parents.
    Picture
    My Rainbow Ark is a site for and about LGBT furries and religion and how they are not incompatible.

    Picture
    A note on comments: Comments on letters to Papabear are welcome, especially those that offer extra helpful advice and add something to the conversation that is of use to the letter writer and those reading this column. Also welcome are constructive criticisms and opposing views. What is NOT welcome are hateful, hurtful comments, flaming, and trolling. Such comments will be deleted from this site. Thank you.

Home

Letters

Write Me

Disclaimer

About

Copyright © 2012-2024