PBS under attack

soce,the elemental wizard · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2005 3:25 pm

I get really frustrated with conservatives trying to make it seem like gays and lesbians don't exist and framing it as though talking candidly about their existance is a bad thing. If we can do hundreds of TV shows with straight couples then I don't see the problem doing a show that includes a lesbian couple at some point.

Reading about this whole PBS thing makes me so angry:

"Conservatives have complained about Bill Moyers's news program (he has since retired from it) and about a recent children's program featuring a rabbit named Buster who visited a pair of lesbian parents.

"After Education Secretary Margaret Spellings threatened to retract financing for that program - a controversy that some called Bustergate - Ms. Mitchell decided not to distribute it.

"In an interview on Wednesday, Ms. Mitchell, 62, said she had felt no pressure, either from inside her board or outside of PBS, to step aside.

"...

"Referring to the recent programming incident, he said, 'The timing couldn't have been worse on the Buster thing. This is not a time you want to be in the cross hairs.'"

ramrod · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2005 3:38 pm

This has been way too overhyped. The conservatives are making a mountian out of a mole hill. Tell me, is it so bad to say that it's ok for people to be different, and it's ok to be tolerant? And the thing is, even though it was known that they were a lesbian couple, they never actually said that on the show if my memory serves me right. So it's not like a 5 year old would know who they are or what they're doing.

InterruptorJones · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2005 3:51 pm

ramrod wrote:

So it's not like a 5 year old would know who they are or what they're doing.

What would be so bad aout a five year old finding out that not every loving couple is like their mommy and daddy? (And for that matter, how many five year olds actually have a mommy and daddy who live together? 80%? 60%?)

ModestlyHotGirl · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:37 pm

InterruptorJones wrote:

What would be so bad aout a five year old finding out that not every loving couple is like their mommy and daddy? (And for that matter, how many five year olds actually have a mommy and daddy who live together? 80%? 60%?)

I agree. And what's wrong with letting kids who have two mommies (or two daddies) know that they're not alone? I'm sure that in gay or lesbian families, some kids get made fun of at school by their peers. In any situation like that, the knowledge that "you're not the only one" does a world of good for kids. At my bookstore, we have plenty of books for kids that feature homosexual families, and I think they're a great resource.

sticklyman · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:14 am

Yeah, I mean, I grew up while my sister was hooked on Friends, and all the stuff between Carol and Susan never fazed me at all. All it did was actually make me a bit more tolerant (unlike Will and Grace, Friends was actually able to pull off a more or less respectful homosexual relationship between two characters).

And I have a friend who's had six dads in his life, and kids have made fun of him his whole life. It's really unfair when "family values" people really actually screw kids like him up.

Didymus · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:31 am

socetew wrote:

and about a recent children's program featuring a rabbit named Buster who visited a pair of lesbian parents

This Buster?

I thought he was on Fox.

soce,the elemental wizard · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:40 am

Try here.

Didymus · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:49 am

Actually he looks like that rabbit in that one video where the guy made that megamix of 40's and 50's swing songs.

Dr. Zaius · **Joined:** Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:10 am **Posts:** 175

I find it hilarious that these neo-cons are reacting like PBS showed a hardcore lesbian porno or something. I could only imagine how it must have been 30 years ago when they had the first inter-racial kiss on TV (FYI, it was Star Trek! :mrgreen:

)

soce,the elemental wizard · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:03 am

Yeah, it was the similar fire and brimstone like when the Cheneys got all upset that Edwards mentioned their daughter's homosexuality.. like he had said "oh yeah, she's a murderer" or something to that degree of criminality. I just don't see how these particular conservatives can somehow get away with making homosexuality out to be this abomination-- there should be a huge backlash against them,... but currently there isn't.

Upsilon · **Posted:** Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:50 pm

Hey... that rabbit's from Arthur! Hmm... I watched that show a few times. I swear he had a single mother.

Prof. Tor Coolguy · **Posted:** Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:05 pm

I agree, Buster is a no go for gay parents.

Evin290 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:47 pm

Buster has a dad.

ModestlyHotGirl · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2005 10:22 pm

I think Buster visited a pair of lesbian parents, not necessarily his lesbian parents.

madefromthebeststuf · **Posted:** Mon Feb 21, 2005 3:14 am

Buster does have two biological parents. They are, however, divorced, and many shows are now being based on his travels with his ever-travelling dad. Henceforth, the meeting of the homosexual couple.

Didymus · **Posted:** Mon Feb 21, 2005 4:32 am

I really hate to say this, but that sounds like a really bad pr0n0.

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