How Dare You Present Homosexuality To My Children Before I Could Teach Them to Hate and Fear Them!



Margaret Spellings, the incoming Secretary of Education, has decided that her first act as chief educator should be to censor an animated kid's show that presents homosexual characters. The lede from 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.

Well, many parents would object to their children being exposed to toxic waste, but the Bush administration doesn't seem shy about allowing industry to dump that on them. Okay, cheap shot. Here's a more expensive one. By omitting homosexuality from kid's programs (not the presentation of sexual acts, but the mere fact of its existence), Ms. Spellings endorses a description of homosexuality as alien, a thing not to be discussed among nice people. This perpetuates homophobia among young people and deprives those kids who will grow up gay a chance to see themselves reflected in culture, thus alienating them.

It's easy to overlook how important it is for minority groups to see themselves portrayed positively on TV. Whoopi Goldberg once called Star Trek one of her favorite shows because Nichelle Nichols's presence assured her that there would be black people in the future. (Nichols was the first African American woman in science fiction television--and her role was one of a professional woman). "Will and Grace" doesn't mean a lot to me, but apparently it carries considerable significance among gay people, because it's the first sitcom with openly gay characters in lead roles. These things matter. And while I'm sure that executives at NBC worried in both 1966 and 199--well, whenever "Will and Grace" started--about how middle America would take these characters, viewers ended up watching just the same.

Those who object to having gay characters on children's shows will either adjust and get over it, or they'll change the station. I don't give a damn what they do, because to me it's more important that homosexuals, both young and old, see people like them on television and feel welcome in society as a result, than it is for a few narrow minded zealots to keep strict control over channels they'd just as soon defund in any case.

Posted: Tue - January 25, 2005 at 09:53 PM        

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