Postcards from Buster (tv)
Artist: PBS
Year: 2005
Date of Action: January 2005
Region: North America
Location: Washington D.C.
Subject: Sexual/Gender Orientation
Medium: Television
Confronting Bodies: Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
Description of Artwork: "Postcards from Buster" is a spin-off show from PBS's popular "Arthur" series. Every episode, the animated character Buster visits different areas of the world and non-animated, non-actor families that lived there. The show was intended to showcase different cultures and areas of the world.
In the episode in question, titled "Sugartime!", Buster goes to a small town in Vermont to learn how maple syrup and cheese are made, where he meets a family headed by two women. Sexual orientation is never mentioned, nor is the relationship between the two women ever defined.
The Incident: On her second day of office, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings sent a letter to PBS requesting that the episode not be aired, and that the public money used to film it be refunded.
Results of Incident: PBS agreed, and pulled the episode before it aired.
Source:
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40188-2005Jan26.html