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the purple teletubby had been adopted as a gay mascot long before J. Falwell got in the game

Not by the pre-schoolers who are the show's intended audience, and who Falwell's newsletter claimed were being corrupted by it. They're STUFFED ANIMALS for crying out loud! None of them ever had their gender indicated by the show, much less their sexual orientation. If any little kid ever got the idea that one of these stuffed animals was homosexual, they could only have gotten it from a nutty parent who'd been reading Falwell's newsletter -- not from the show.

FWIW, all these articles preceded the publication of Falwells (National Liberty Journal) TT critiques:

On the 24th of December, 1997 CNN reported that Tinky Winky was gay.

"The Teletubbies also have a following among the gay community. Tinky Winky, who carts around a red handbag but speaks with a male voice, has become something of a gay icon." CNN, 12/24/97

On April 17, 1998, the Village Voice praised the Teletubbies series for their gay Tinky Winky character.

On January 1, 1999, in its New Year's IN/OUT list, The Washington Post anointed "Tinky Winky, the gay Teletubby," as next year's Ellen DeGeneres.

In 1997, when the BBC, which produces the show, wanted to fire the human who plays Tinky for dancing in the streets wearing only a balloon, gay groups protested. It has also been reported that some gay groups have "claimed Tinky Winky as their own". (Washington Post, February 11, 1999, Page C01)

Falwell was, in fact, responding to these media pronouncements. I think he thought it was "on purpose" - and possibly that's not completely false. The gay guy *was* fired for putting a littel too much swish into the role.

I don't give a hang about the purple teletubby and never did
But Falwells pronouncements , though absurd on first impression, aren't THAT outlandish.

If the purple teletubby is delaimed to be gay by folks who ought to know, and one accepts that TV images make an impression on children, and that homosexuality is immoral and sinful, perhaps parents should be aware that the teletubby is percieved as "gay" in certain circles.