October 05, 2022 10:55 AM UTC

Ganahl Distributing Photos of "Furry" Kids to Media

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• by: Colorado Pols

The absolutely bonkers Furry-Lago conspiracy that Republican gubernatorial candidate Hiedi Heidi Ganahl won’t stop talking about is gaining national attention — and it’s about to get much, much worse because Ganahl is making horrifying (and probably illegal) decisions in pushing this widely-debunked story.

Ganahl has photos of children in Colorado schools — presumably taken without their knowledge — and claims to be sharing them through her own campaign for governor.

Ganahl told noted teacher doxxer George Brauchler today on his KNUS radio show that her campaign is literally distributing photos of children that she believes to be “furries.”

As Kyle Clark of 9News noted this morning:

Today, @heidiganahl confirmed to KNUS host @GeorgeBrauchler that her campaign is collecting and distributing photos of children they believe are identifying as animals. “We provided pictures but we blurred out the faces,” Ganahl said.

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) October 5, 2022

Here’s the audio clip from Brauchler’s show so that you can hear it for yourself:

BRAUCHLER: Now I never interpreted your comments to mean that this is taking place in every classroom, but what you’ve said that I think is really interesting to me — and it should be to everyone else out there — is that you guys have come forth and given to the media…when you say proof, and correct me if I’m wrong, I just assume you are giving examples, or names and numbers of parents who are like, this happened in my kids’ class. Is that what — and they’ve done nothing. I haven’t heard any stories that they’ve followed up on with those folks.

GANAHL: So, we provided a list of 30 schools [in which] parents and students have told us this is happening. We’ve provided pictures, but we’ve blurred out the faces. [Pols emphasis] We do not want kids and parents doxxed. That’s why I’m taking the heat, because the media will go after them. Three parents give their names and speak up in Matt Connelly’s Campfire articles — he already put that out.

BRAUCHLER: Yep.

GANAHL: And, honestly, it’s crazy that they’re trying to say it’s not happening. And parents and students are reaching out nonstop right now. We’re going to keep telling them to send their comments to the media. The media won’t cover it. They don’t want to. They want to distract from the nonsense that’s happening in the classrooms to keep kids from learning how to read, write, and do math.

Ganahl and Brauchler spend a lot of time blaming the “media” for making Furry-Lago into a bigger story…which makes absolutely no sense given that Ganahl herself keeps talking about it day after day after day AND is apparently proactively sending “proof” of her conspiracy theory to media outlets.

We wrote about this earlier, but here’s what Seth Klamann of The Denver Post reported today:

Officials for Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek Schools, Aurora Public Schools and Colorado Springs School District 11 all denied having any issues with students dressing up as cats or other animals. Two statewide organizations, representing teachers and administrators, criticized Ganahl’s claims and said they had never been made aware of such issues, either.

“Denver Public Schools has not had an issue with students identifying as cats or any other animals,” district spokesman Scott Pribble said in an email, “and we do not provide any accommodations for anyone identifying as cats or other animals.”

Randy Barber, spokesman for Boulder Valley School District, which is included on a list Ganahl’s campaign provided of schools where students dress like animals, said he was unaware of any such issues.

“The concerns being generated by the Republican gubernatorial candidate are baseless,” he said.

The list of schools allegedly affected by the issue does not describe the breadth of the alleged concern at the named school, nor does it provide any detail beyond the schools’ names, location and alleged action taken by administrators. Campaign spokeswoman Lexi Swearingen said it had been compiled by the campaign and by the founders of Jeffco Kids First, a group formed two years ago to advocate for in-person learning. The founders are also part of the campaign’s “parents coalition,” Swearingen said.

Ganahl’s interview with Brauchler is the first we had heard that her campaign was actually distributing PHOTOS of children to news outlets, which is beyond irresponsible and is downright disgusting.

We’re also curious to know more about how Ganahl’s campaign could have “proof” that kids are dressing up in furry costumes if her campaign is blurring the faces of the kids in the pictures. If you can see their faces, it follows that THEY ARE NOT WEARING FURRY ANIMAL COSTUMES like the one depicted in the photo above.