Education chief rips PBS for gay character
"WASHINGTON - The nation’s new education secretary denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.
The not-yet-aired episode of “Postcards From Buster” shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont — a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions. The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring.
A PBS spokesman said late Tuesday that the nonprofit network has decided not to distribute the episode, called “Sugartime!,” to its 349 stations. She said the Education Department’s objections were not a factor in that decision.
“Ultimately, our decision was based on the fact that we recognize this is a sensitive issue, and we wanted to make sure that parents had an opportunity to introduce this subject to their children in their own time,” said Lea Sloan, vice president of media relations at PBS..."
Ahh. The lesson Plan:
(You cant have a gay cartoon without a school lesson plan)
(From PBSKIDS.ORG)
PDF: Lesson Plans 33 & 34 (113K) Sugartime! (Hinesburg, Vermont) Spring in rural Vermont means mud, maple syrup, and bonfires.
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PBS Cartoon Features Alternative Lifestyle
Seven years after ABC aired its controversial "coming out" episode of Ellen, homosexuality appears to be breaking new ground again—this time in cartoons.
The producers of the PBS children's show Postcards from Buster have filmed an episode in which Buster—a cartoon bunny who travels the U.S. meeting real people—visits a lesbian couple in Vermont. A little girl introduces Buster to "my mom and Gillian" before everyone sits down for dinner, USA Today reported. Although PBS has since said it will not air the episode, the producer—WGBH in Boston—says it will provide the episode to stations that want it.
In February, a regular character on The Simpsons is scheduled to come out in an episode that reportedly will feature a same-sex "marriage." Homer "marries" the couple, and his daughter, Lisa, supports the couple's relationship. The episode will air in the midst of a nationwide culture battle over the definition of marriage...
Pro-family leaders say both cartoons are another indication that homosexuality is moving further into the mainstream of society. "As any parent knows, kids are riveted to cartoons," Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, told Baptist Press. "…You're taking a kid and what he loves to do most—which is watch cartoons—and you're introducing an adult topic which is inappropriate..."
"It's extremely offensive that they would even consider doing this issue," he said. "…They're teaching the acceptance of homosexuality to toddlers..."
Simpsons' staffers began working on the episode after San Francisco issued marriage licenses to homosexual couples in early part of 2004, the Baltimore Sun reported. The California Supreme Court subsequently invalided the licenses.
"We thought it would be an interesting thing for Springfield to do," Simpsons executive editor Al Jean told the newspaper. "Lisa thinks it's good for civil rights. The reverend of the local Protestant church is opposed to it. Other people think tourists will come to town. Mayor Quimby wants the money. We don't take a position as much as explore everybody's positions."
For months, the homosexual community has been abuzz, trying to guess which Simpsons character comes out. The current favorite is Patty, Marge's sister...
"They're trying to get kids used to the idea that having two moms or having two dads is normal, when actually it's very abnormal and it's very harmful to children," he said. "This is the liberals' way of indoctrinating our children—all the while they lecture us about being intolerant and respecting diversity..."
"Despite a rebuke from the new education secretary and an official cancellation by PBS, several large affiliates of the public TV network say they will air today a controversial episode of "Postcards from Buster," a cartoon series for pre-schoolers, that portrays homosexuality.
Shortly after taking office last week, Secretary Margaret Spellings denounced PBS for using public dollars to promote the homosexual lifestyle.
In a letter to the president of PBS, Spellings said: "Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in this episode. Congress' and the Department's purpose in funding this kind of programming certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to children, particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of television."
PBS subsequently canceled the episode, entitled "Sugartime!" In the episode, Buster the rabbit visits a Vermont home headed by two lesbians.
According to a report in New York Newsday, WGBH, the powerful Boston public television station that makes the series, said it will air the program today and has offered it to other PBS stations. The paper says 18 stations plan to air it, including New York's WNET and KQED in San Francisco..."