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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... 1999
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| FEBRUARY
9, 1999 7:49 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Americans United for Separation of Church and State Joseph Conn Rob Boston |
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| Jerry Falwell Attacks 'Teletubbies': TV Preacher Jerry Falwell's newspaper has warned parents that the 'Tinky Winky' character on the 'Teletubbies' children show may be gay | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- February 9 - Television preacher and Religious Right
leader Jerry Falwell has warned parents that "Tinky Winky," a
character on the popular PBS children's show, "Teletubbies," may be
gay.
In a "Parents Alert" in the February issue of Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal, the Falwell newspaper says the "sexual preference of Tinky Winky" is the subject of debate and notes that the character sometimes carries a red purse. The newspaper article, headlined "Tinky Winky Comes Out Of The Closet," cites other evidence as well. "He is purple — the gay-pride color;" observes the alert, "and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol." Concludes the Lynchburg, Va.-based newspaper, "These subtle depictions are no doubt intentional and parents are warned to be alert to these elements of the series." Observed Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, "Who's Falwell going to out next, Winnie the Pooh? Or maybe, Barney; he's purple, you know. "If Falwell and his fundamentalist friends had their way," Lynn concluded, "there'd be nothing on the tube but TV preachers and the weather channel. I'd rather watch the 'Teletubbies' than televangelists." Americans United is a Washington, D.C.-based church-state watchdog group that monitors the Religious Right. AU released the information on the latest Falwell development to the Associated Press on Tuesday, Feb. 9. -30- |
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