From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — Alabama Public Television will not run an episode of the PBS children’s show “Arthur” because it included a same-sex wedding.
The episode, “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone,” aired nationally on May 13, showing Arthur attending the wedding of his teacher, Mr. Ratburn, marrying his partner, Patrick.
But APT instead ran an old episode and announced it had no plans to show the premiere.
Programming director Mike McKenzie said broadcasting it would break parents’ trust in the network.
In a statement, McKenzie said, “parents trust that their children can watch APT without their supervision,” and that children “younger than the ‘target’ audience” might watch without parental knowledge.
Show creator WGBH and broadcaster PBS reportedly alerted local stations in April about the episode, and McKenzie said this was when they decided not to air the show.