In its race to be the most draconian, antiquated state in the union, Alabama Public Television refused this week to air an episode of the beloved PBS children’s show Arthur because it depicts the title character’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn, marrying another male.
“Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television for more than 50 years to provide children’s programs that entertain, educate, and inspire,” Mike McKenzie, a spokesperson for APT, said in a statement. “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.”
Related: Alabama bans episode of children’s cartoon ‘Arthur’ for featuring gay wedding
And so, McKenzie said, APT could not, in good conscience, air “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone.” Instead, Alabama residents can only view the episode by going to PBS.org.
Clearly, and also not surprisingly, the censors at Alabama Public Television have never heard of the “Streisand effect.” That said, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Season 22 premiere of Arthur ends up being its highest rated yet.
While we wait to find out, here’s what people on Twitter are saying about Alabama’s response to the gay cartoon rat wedding scandal…
Related: Delicate right-wing radio host Sebastian Gorka having trouble coping with ‘Arthur’
