January 25, 2005

NEXT WEEK--BINKY'S BOY TOY:

Education secretary condemns public show with gay characters (BEN FELLER, January 25, 2005, AP)

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.


Arthur is just about the best show on tv, do they really have to screw it up? And poor Buster--male only child being raised by an obsessive single mother--is going to have enough trouble later in life without dragging him to Vermont....

MORE:
Culture Wars Pull Buster Into the Fray (JULIE SALAMON, 1/27/05, NY Times)

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 25, 2005 10:37 PM
Comments

My kids have moved on from Arthur but it was a daily staple the past few years and a good show. Unfortunately PBS will probably ruin it with it educational messages on the environment, tolerance, etc.

When Arthur starts arguing about the evils of tax cuts and Francine starts arguing for woman power the show will have gone too far.

Posted by: AWW at January 26, 2005 9:28 AM

Buster's Postcards is a pretty good show because they have been showing different parts of the country and show kids doing kid's stuff; howeve, I have noticed/senses that they have been approaching the line with a few subjects.

It is unfortunate that they decided to pull a boneheaded move like this and try to pass this stuff off to little kids in pre-school to 3rd grade. Idiots.

Posted by: pchuck at January 26, 2005 10:02 AM

"'Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in the episode,' Spellings wrote in a letter..."

In a much earlier time, it might have been controversial to portray Buster being raised in a single parent household (divorced mother, in his case).

Next episode: Buster travels to California and interviews Satanists...

Posted by: Peter Caress at January 26, 2005 5:35 PM

Peter:

Yes, but his parents separation is shown as being damaging to him.

Posted by: oj at January 26, 2005 6:00 PM

Binky should go on a field trip to D.C. and kick some PBS elites in the shins.

Posted by: jim hamlen at January 26, 2005 7:36 PM
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