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Last week, classic kids series Arthur made waves when it featured the wedding of teacher Mr. Ratburn and his male partner. Many social media users applauded the PBS series for its commitment to diversity, but Alabama Public Television did not feel the same. According to AL.com‘s Abbey Crain, the network refused to air the gay wedding episode — which also served as the Season 22 premiere — citing concerns that “parents trust that their children can watch APT without their supervision.” APT’s decision has been met with widespread criticism, both throughout the state and online. AL.com reports that one Alabama resident, Misty Souder, has reached out to the network about their refusal to air the inclusive episode. “I never thought I’d be going to battle for a gay rat wedding, but here we are,” said Souder, inadvertently kicking off a “gay rat wedding” Twitter trend.
“Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” follows the kids of Arthur as they prepare for Mr. Ratburn’s wedding. Initially, Arthur believes that their teacher is marrying a woman named Patty (voiced by Jane Lynch), but when they arrive, they learn that Mr. Ratburn is marrying his male partner. The group celebrates, and in the process, the kids learn about the importance of inclusion and diversity.
“Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television for more than 50 years to provide children’s programs that entertain, educate and inspire,” Mike Mckenzie, APT’s director of programming, told AL.com about the decision to pull the episode. “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.”
Crain reports that APT was first notified about the Arthur episode in mid-April. Rather than air “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” on Monday, May 13, when it was scheduled to run nationwide, the network opted to show a re-run. Mckenzie told AL.com that there are no plans to air “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” at a later date.
Souder, a resident of McCalla, Alabama, told AL.com that she was excited to watch the Arthur episode with her 9-year-old daughter, but was disappointed when a re-run aired in its place. She has since reached out to APT about the episode and is currently using the situation as an opportunity to discuss diversity with her daughter. “I just want her to be aware. There’s too much going on not to stand up for stuff, even if it’s Arthur,” Souder told AL.com. “I never thought I’d be going to battle for a gay rat wedding, but here we are.”
