Representative Doug Lamborn, a
Republican from Colorado, has called for defunding PBS after the
network aired a gay wedding on the children's animated series Arthur.
The episode, titled “Mr. Ratburn and
the Special Someone,” aired in May to some controversy.
(Related: Arthur
episode featuring gay wedding won't air on Alabama public
television.)
“PBS writers deemed it appropriate to
preach their liberal views on same-sex marriage to America’s young
children,” Lamborn wrote in an op-ed for the right-wing publication
The Daily Signal.
“Taxpayers now know with complete
certainty that the goal of the PBS cartoon is to impart social
liberalism to children,” he said. “Enough is enough. It is time
to stop sending our hard-earned tax money to support programming that
is objectionable to many Americans. That’s why I’m reintroducing
a bill to cut off all federal funding for the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, which funds PBS.”
PBS is “becoming more antagonistic
toward conservative and religious viewpoints,” Lamborn added.
“Parents and churches should be the ones discussing marriage and
family with their children – not PBS. To target children in this
way is a complete affront to religious Americans.”
Lamborn scored zero on the Human Rights
Campaign's (HRC) latest Congressional Scorecard, a measure of a
lawmaker's support for LGBT rights.