WGBH delays show featuring lesbians
WGBH-TV (Channel 2) has pushed back airing an episode of its new ''Arthur" spinoff ''Postcards From Buster" because the episode features a lesbian couple and their three children.
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.
''PBS wants to make sure we are sensitive to local concerns. We wanted to make sure stations had time to see it," she said.
''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."
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.
Lea Sloan, a spokeswoman for PBS, said that Pat Mitchell, PBS's president, did ask to review the tape this week and is satisfied with its contents. ''We are aware that this is sensitive subject matter," Sloan said. ''Pat wanted to make sure that the episode was handled in a way that is appropriate. She's seen it. We now feel comfortable."
At least one member station, WNET in New York, plans to air the show. Stella Giammasi, a spokeswoman for the station, said that management there has ''no problem" with the concept. Representatives for other PBS stations around the country could not be reached.
''We never withdraw programming from the air simply because someone may not agree with the ideas portrayed," she said. ''We simply present programming that fairly represents reality, and we leave it up to our viewers to make their own decisions about the content."
