Alabama Public Television is refusing to show an episode of the beloved show Arthur on PBS Kids because it depicts two male characters getting married. Contact them to let them know how you feel!
The episode, “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone,” aired nationwide May 13, but Alabama Public Television’s (APT) Director of Programming Mike Mckenzie decided to show a re-run. Mckenzie said APT has no plans to air the episode at any time. He said in a statement, “Although we strongly encourage parents to watch television with their children and talk about what they have learned afterwards—parents trust that their children can watch APT without their supervision. We also know that children who are younger than the ‘target’ audience for ‘Arthur’ also watch the program.” He added, “The vast majority of parents will not have heard about the content, whether they agree with it or not. Because of this, we felt it would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode.”
This echoes a 2005 uproar over the “Sugartime
Sigh. Have we not made any progress in the past decade and a half? I’m not sure what horrors McKenzie thinks the episode will expose children to. Even Sesame Street has started showing children with same-sex parents. Luckily, “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” is available to watch free online, even for folks in Alabama.
I’m all for parental involvement in what our children watch, especially when they’re younger. But McKenzie can’t pretend that he’s violating parents’ trust when those parents who want their children to see television that reflects their families and the real world (including same-sex couples) can’t trust APT to do that.
Give him a call or e-mail and let him know what you think:
(800) 239-5233 Ext. 0123
