Kids Show With Two-Mommy Family Delayed

PBS is planning to introduce a lesbian couple to one of their kids' programs. But the debut of the show has been postponed till March, to give station managers and others a chance to see it first. The Boston Globe reports:

The episode was originally scheduled to air Feb. 2 but is now slated for March 23. WGBH, which produces the children's show, said it wants to give other PBS member stations around the country a chance to review the contents. Those stations can then decide whether to air it.

WGBH's decision comes the same week as complaints by some Christian conservative groups that a video about diversity due to be sent to 61,000 US schools in March promotes the acceptance of homosexuality. The video features Barney and a host of cartoon characters including SpongeBob SquarePants.

The episode of "Postcards From Buster" is not about homosexuality, said Jeanne Hopkins, a spokeswoman for WGBH. Still the station acknowledged that it had heard "concerns" from other stations recently. Hopkins declined to identify the stations because conversations about programming go on constantly, she said. WGBH said it plans to send the episode to member stations next week.
...
"Postcards From Buster" airs weekdays at 5:30 p.m. The series -- which is part animated and part live-action -- focuses on an 8-year-old rabbit who travels around the country with his father, an airplane pilot. In each episode, Buster visits with children and asks questions about their way of life. Real-life children are featured in the live-action segments while Buster's voice is heard in the background.

Since it launched last year, "Postcards From Buster" has profiled several different types of families, including children who live with their grandparents. The show has also focused on children from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Mormons, and evangelical Christians.

"The show's goal is to reflect the lives of American kids," said Hopkins. "It's not meant to be political."
WGBH delays show featuring lesbians

Uh, yeah, good luck with that one, guys.

Didn't Sesame Street or somebody do that already? Is it possible that this is the first time there have been obviously gay characters on a kids' TV show?

The episode in question, called ''Sugartime!," features a family in Vermont. Buster accompanies the kids when they visit a sugar house, where maple syrup is made, and a dairy farm, where a cow is milked. The lesbian couple, said Hopkins, are in the background.

"The program is not about these moms or gay couples. The family is the backdrop," Hopkins said. "One mom is in the kitchen, making a grocery list. Another mom says, 'Hi.' Later they have a meal together with some friends. Most of the time, Buster is off with the kids," she said.

Yeah, big controversy. It's hard to believe, in twenty-first century America, that this is progress.

The recall group is shocked, shocked I tell you, that our school district would teach kids that there can be families with two mommies or two daddies.

It's time to admit the truth. There really are families with two mommies and ones with two daddies, and they really are families. The love each other, they raise their kids, they fight over the remote control just like the rest of us. Get over it, and let our kids learn the facts.