How a Gay Character on Arthur Reflects Changing Norms in the U.S.
The Arthur premiere made headlines on Tuesday, and most of the attention focused on its positive, normalizing portrayal of same-sex marriage.
Portrayals of LGBTQ characters and same-sex relationships havent always been so welcome on TV programs for kids. But the 2019 Arthur premiere marks a poignant moment in childrens TV history: In an episode where a male teacher gets married to another man, the behavior that the other characters consider most worrisome is his dorky dancing, and the apparent moral of the episode is that kids neednt meddle in the affairs of the adults in their lives, because the adults have it under control. That Mr. Ratburn is marrying a person (an aardvark?) of the same sex feels, for all intents and purposes, unremarkable. It attracts no quizzical glances from the other characters, nor is it used as an opportunity for a proverbial Very Special Episode that teaches viewers about same-sex relationships.
Kind of crazy how so much has changed. This would have been taboo 10 years ago. ---