Continuing its campaign for most draconian, antiquated state in the union, Alabama Public Television has refused to run an episode of the children’s show Arthur that depicts the title character’s teacher marrying another man.
The news came this week, just after Alabama passed a complete ban on abortion rights in the state. Mike McKenzie, a spokesperson for APT, told NBC “Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television for more than 50 years to provide children’s programs that entertain, educate, and inspire. More importantly—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.”
Related: Delicate right-wing radio host Sebastian Gorka having trouble coping with ‘Arthur’
The episode of the long-running children’s cartoon Arthur has earned wide acclaim for depicting Arthur’s teacher Mr. Ratburn marrying another man. Previously, the show had run an episode which featured a lesbian couple. Unsurprisingly, that episode also got banned in Alabama.
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Residents of Alabama wishing to watch the episode “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” can find it streaming at PBS.com.
Cam
That is why all of the people wringing their hands about calling bigots Bigots need to stop. Alabama is saying that even mentioning that LGBT people EXIST is somehow disgusting. They want a complete erasure of LGBT people.
Kangol2
Alabama…just consider the history. This also is the same state that wanted to and still wants to send that homophobic pedo Judge Roy Moore to Congress, and would have had it not been for Black women voters coming out in droves to elect Roy Moore. (He’s running for reelection and could use your support!). I hope this “ban” is challenged, though, and that people call out these homophobic snowflakes for their fragility over this TV show.
Jared MacBride
Try getting your facts straight. If the voters of Alabama wanted to send Roy Moore to Congress they would have. And black women voters did not turn out in droves to elect Moore.
Kangol2
@JaredMacBride, yes they did. From Politico:
“In becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide federal election in Alabama since 1992, Jones proved that Democratic fears of low turnout among African-American voters — a reliable Democratic constituency in the racially polarized state — were unfounded. According to exit polls conducted by the National Election Pool, blacks made up about 29 percent of the electorate on Tuesday and voted for Jones almost unanimously, 96 percent to 4 percent — results that match turnout patterns showing greater than expected vote counts in many of the Black Belt counties and the state’s urban centers.
Jones also made some inroads among white voters — particularly women and those with college degrees. While Moore still won white voters by more than 2 to 1 margin, 68 percent to 30 percent, that is closer than other recent elections in which Republicans won nearly 4 out of 5 white voters.”
White voters voted for Roy Moore by a 2-1 margin. Own it!