A Child Learns a Harsh Lesson in Politics

For adults, the fuss over a PBS children's television show featuring an animated bunny - and real lesbian mothers - was nothing new. But for Emma Riesner, 11, who was supposed to be a star of the now-controversial episode of "Postcards From Buster," what began as a participatory social studies lesson has become a harsh lesson in exclusionary politics.

"I was pretty upset when the show was canceled, because I was very excited about it," Emma said in a telephone interview from her home in Vermont. "I know some people don't like gays and lesbians because they think they are bad people. That's just a stereotype and it's kind of hurtful. I don't think people should think of us as very different. We are just the same except we have two moms."

PBS decided last week not to distribute the program to about 350 stations amid objections from various quarters, including a strongly worded disapproval from the new education secretary, Margaret Spellings. Since then, 39 stations have acquired the rights to the episode from WGBH-TV in Boston, which produced the series.

The flap over "Buster" highlights what television schedules make apparent: while gays may be acceptable on television in the evening, children with same-sex parents are not very welcome in Mr. Rogers' old neighborhood.

"We don't want to violate the trust parents have with us," said Allan Pizzato, executive director of Alabama Public Television, explaining why he wouldn't have shown the program even if PBS had distributed it. "Parents can make the decision about when they want to talk about lesbian parents. If PBS sent a program down that said there was no Santa Claus, I wouldn't air that one either. Parents should make that decision, too."

Mr. Pizzato emphasized that the issue for him was about children, not gays. "We air programs that deal with gay lifestyles all the time on Alabama public television," he said, referring to recent programs like "The Congregation," a documentary in which a Methodist pastor revealed that she was gay.

But the lifestyles shown on such shows - or commercial fare like "Will & Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" - don't reflect the lives of Emma, her brothers and their parents, said one of her mothers, Gillian Pieper, who works for an insurance company. "There are no positive role model images of families like ours anywhere in mainstream media," Ms. Pieper said.

Emma's family, including her other mother, Karen Pike, was filmed about a year ago for an episode of "Postcards" meant to show things like where maple sugar and cheese come from. The episode, titled "Sugartime!," is one of 40 live-action episodes in which Buster, a cartoon character from the "Arthur" books and television series, visits real children around the country to show how they live.

The series's mandate from the Department of Education - which provided $5 million in financial support for the show, 63 percent of its budget - is to highlight diversity. Covering 24 states, Buster has visited Hmong children as well as Mormons, Muslims and evangelical Christians.

"One part of the culture we are exploring is family structures," Pierre Valette, an executive producer of the show, said, adding, "We had not done a same-sex household and had our eyes open to that when we came across Karen Pike and her family. We really liked the kids. They worked well on camera. They were really connected to their community."

Vermont, where civil unions are allowed, turned out to be one kind of community. Washington, where PBS raises money, and where Ms. Spellings just took office, is another. Ms. Spellings, who had been President Bush's domestic policy adviser, made her feelings about the episode clear in a letter to PBS, saying it was inappropriate for young children.

A few days earlier, the president, questioned in an interview with The New York Times about gay adoption, said, "Studies have shown that the ideal is where a child is raised in a married family with a man and a woman." Experts say there is no scientific evidence that children raised by gay couples fare any worse than those raised in more traditional households.

Still, with federal money at stake, and grumblings from conservative groups about the association of cartoon characters - including SpongeBob Square Pants - with possibly pro-homosexual attitudes, PBS pulled the show.

Commercial children's television hasn't been much more adventuresome. Nickelodeon, the cable network where SpongeBob makes his home, has no programs featuring same-sex parents. Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon Television president, said the subject was delicate.

"When is it O.K. to introduce topics to kids that parents may not be ready to introduce to kids?" Ms. Zarghami asked. "It's very personal. It's polarizing. It's probably different state by state, age by age, boomer parents versus Gen X."

Nickelodeon dealt with the issue two years ago, in a special edition of Linda Ellerbee's "Nick News," when a group of young teenagers from different backgrounds discussed what it meant for children to be raised by gay parents. A month before the special was taped, evangelical Christian groups denounced it.

Right now, a cautious attitude prevails. "We're seeing it boil down to the response of the community," said John Hesse, general manager of Houston Public Television. He said eight people wrote in urging the station to show the "Buster" episode and no one asked that it be banned. The station's solution is to broadcast the program at 8 p.m., on Feb. 18, then follow it with a panel discussion on "The Connection," a weekly talk show.

Ms. Spellings said in the letter to PBS that parents would not want their children exposed to households headed by lesbians. PBS's chief operating officer, Wayne Godwin, said in an interview that the decision not to distribute the episode was "in the better interest of the trust factor with parents and children of this country."

But Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a professor of education at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., who in the past has been a consultant for WGBH, said keeping Emma and her brothers out of sight was harmful. "Attitudes or ideas of stereotype and bias develop in kids' minds in part from images they see in books and media," she said. "There's a kind of stereotyping by omission that occurs. We form our categories about families by images we've seen. It is important for children to see their own lives and subcultures reflected to feel they are part of society."

For some conservative groups, having families with same-sex parents feel part of society is precisely the danger they want to combat.

"My big concern is there's an effort in the gay activist movement to indoctrinate kids under the banner of tolerance and diversity to give misleading and inaccurate information about homosexuality," said Bill Maier, child and family psychologist in residence at Focus on the Family, the Christian organization that recently criticized SpongeBob's creator for allowing the character to be used in a what it called a "pro-homosexual video." The video's creator said it was intended to teach children about multiculturalism.

Yet even in a liberal state like Vermont, the children of same-sex marriage can feel ostracized. "At school, kids say that people say having two moms is stupid and I'm stupid because of it," said Emma's brother James, who is 11.

Farah Siddique also knows what it means to feel marginalized, and she is grateful to "Postcards From Buster" for helping her feel less so. Farah, 12, lives in a Chicago suburb with Pakistani and Filipino parents who are Muslim. In a telephone interview, she explained why she was happy to appear on "Postcards From Buster," wearing her hijab (a head covering) and studying the Koran.

"It was important to tell people about my religion and everything," she said. "Some people think we're bad because of 9/11 or something, and I'm telling them we are not bad, we're not trying to hurt anyone or do anything wrong."

Asked what she thought about PBS's decision not to distribute the "Buster" episode about the children with two mothers, she said: "We don't believe in that stuff. My opinion is that it is bad or wrong. My sister is 7, and she watches PBS Kids shows. I wouldn't want her to watch that kind of thing."

What if people said they wouldn't want to watch the episode about her because they don't like Muslims?

Without hesitation Farah replied: "Wow, I hadn't thought about it like that. Can I change what I said? If people were judging me because of my religion I would get really sad. Now I think maybe they should show it."

What if people said they wouldn't want to watch the episode about her because they don't like Muslims?

Without hesitation Farah replied: "Wow, I hadn't thought about it like that.

NYT indoctrinates 12 year old Farah using moral relative argument...

What if people said they wouldn't want to watch the episode about her because they don't like treating homosexual activity as anything other than a chosen morally depraved sexual activity...

"Parents can make the decision about when they want to talk about lesbian parents. If PBS sent a program down that said there was no Santa Claus, I wouldn't air that one either. Parents should make that decision, too."

I totally agree. We don't do "santa claus" in our house, but we don't let our kids go around telling all their friends Santa isn't real. I got a huge telling off by my friends' parents when I was a kid for that. lol

Off the subject of this particular TV show, what do all you anti-gay people want little children to do or say when they have kids with gay parents in their classes, neighborhoods, among their friends?

I can see you've just about swallowed the left line about Christians. Just a little further and you'll be hooked.

While I am sure that Jesus would be full of compassion for these people, I am also sure that he would tell these lesbian women to sin no more. They are engaged in acts that the Bible call abominations. They are living together without the benefit of marriage and they are raising illegitimate children. If we are to extend that principle of sin no more to these folks, Jesus would tell them to stop living together and renounce their lesbian lifestyle.

Yeah and they crucified him. I get the feeling Yaelle and others like that think he never said anything controversial.

I love the way liberals seek the advice of those of us who aren't even old enough to have pubic hair.

I guess it's a matter of searching for reaffirmation in the comfort of their intellectual peers.

Off the subject of this particular TV show, what do all you anti-gay people want little children to do or say when they have kids with gay parents in their classes, neighborhoods, among their friends? If you are Christian, do you think Jesus would have avoided, insulted, or denigrated these kids or their parents?
My 2nd grader has kids like this in his class and in his circle of friends. It's one thing to say you wish there were no gay people or "Heather has Two Mommies." But what if your child and Heather are good friends? I treat people the way I wish to be treated. Interesting comments. However, I don't think it belongs on a children's show. Now yes, I am well aware of the PC conservatives who look for something to be offended by (i.e. gay) in almost everything, but this blatant example did not belong there. I would agree that we should treat people as we wish to be treated, and those who have sat by gay murders and chanted, "Burn....in hell" don't really strike me as the best people either. I just don't think that gay issues belong in a classroom or are appropriate for a school-age child. And yes, I would know, I am a public school teacher.

We must not promote violence against gays and should treat them as people. But I don't believe they should be treated as a "special" group or bring their issues to the forefront of society.

Good post. I agree with it not being pushed on TV or other media. However, when forced to interact with gay families, I still wish to treat them as individuals and make them feel comfortable. That's just me.

Decent point. As long as they don't try to push across some agenda though or bring up the subject.

In the old TV show, "Family Affair", Mr. French could have been Uncle Bill's bi-sexual lover on the side for all we know. Our kids don't need to know that part. (Frankly, neither do we.) Unless an adult brings up the subject, kid's don't even think about such things.

Yes, we must not allow the PC stuff to get out of hand. I wonder what people now would say about the old Olsen Twins show or Mr. Belvedere or Perfect Strangers or Laverne and Shirley or Mork's character or Gilligan's Island or the Lone Ranger or Scooby Doo or whatever. All of these shows and more could have hs overtones if we let them.

There are plenty of straight people who are "sinning" and we need to teach our children to basically respect others.

All people should NOT be respected. We need to be judgmental about behavior......Certain behavior has to be condemned (in a moral absolute society, anyway--especially to children).

I do not want to live in a morally relativistic society, which is what homosexuals advocate. I also want children to have a childhood and NOT have to deal with adult pathologies. Homosexual activists are sick and are trying to sexualize young children, not only to proselytize to them, but to indoctrinate them into their Marxist philosophy.

I can see you've just about swallowed the left line about Christians. Just a little further and you'll be hooked.

Oh no. Don't worry. I am very offended by Christian-bashing. And it goes on here (Hollywood) constantly. I despise it and speak up about it. But you won't find me gay-bashing either.

No, all people should NOT be respected if we know for sure that they do bad things. But children do not know that. If one teacher, say, at my child's school, were involved in something wicked (seducing a student or something), the day before I found out the truth I would be making my son treat that person with respect, because how would one know which people are evildoers? After the absolute truth (NOT just a rumor!) were out, I would tell my child to avert his eyes and indeed to shun such an evildoer.

The homosexual lifestyle is nihilistic and destructive.
The behavior should not be condoned or respected. People who glorify that behavior or promote it to children, are evil in my estimation. They are condoning acts which are reviled in the Bible and trying to brainwash children into thinking it is fine. They are teaching moral relativism.....their world view is in direct contradiction to mine, and when they take advantage of children, it is nothing but evil.

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