Holistic Wisdom Corporation

Buster

No Lesbian Cartoons?

Education Secretary has condemned a PBS Show for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.

The not-yet-aired episode of ``Postcards From Buster'' shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont - a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions.

The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life. A PBS spokesman said that the nonprofit network has decided not to distribute the episode, called ``Sugartime!,'' to its 349 stations. She said the Education Department's objections were not a factor in that decision.

``Ultimately, our decision was based on the fact that we recognize this is a sensitive issue, and we wanted to make sure that parents had an opportunity to introduce this subject to their children in their own time,'' said Lea Sloan, vice president of media relations at PBS.

However, the Boston public television station that produces the show, WGBH, does plan to make the ``Sugartime!'' episode available to other stations. WGBH also plans to air the episode on March 23, Sloan said.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said she asked PBS to consider refunding the money it spent on the episode and has made criticism of the publicly funded program's depiction of the gay lifestyle one of her first acts as secretary.

In the show, Buster carries a digital video camera and explores regions, activities and people of different backgrounds and religions. On the episode in question, ``The fact that there is a family structure that is objectionable to the Department of Education is not at all the focus of the show, nor is it addressed in the show,'' said Sloan of PBS.