Special to Catholic Exchange
As it said it would, Nickelodeon this week broadcast a controversial “news” special, despite the protest of thousands of parents and advocates of traditional values. And as they warned, pro-family groups across America are claiming the special was nothing more than a promotion of homosexual adoption and homosexuality itself.
On Tuesday night, Nickelodeon — the children's cable TV network — aired a special Nick News segment on being raised in a homosexual family. The special, titled My Family Is Different, was hosted by journalist Linda Ellerbee, a long-time champion of homosexual rights. She introduced the program by stating it was about “tolerance,” and quizzed participating adults and children about their views on homosexuality and adoption by same-sex parents.
Pro-family groups are saying Nickelodeon, by airing the program, has betrayed parents, joined forces with the pro-homosexual media — and in the process, mislead some of the participants in the program.
Peter LaBarbera of the Culture and Family Institute was one of the pro-family advocates interviewed for the program, which he says turned out to be very one-sided in its presentation of the issue. The participants in the program included three kids from homosexual families and three adult homosexuals, balanced by three Christian kids among the remaining group of children.
LaBarbera analyzed the reason for the show. “What the [progressives] are all about is desensitizing kids to the idea of homosexuality, and to disabuse them of the traditional ideas about homosexuality — that is, those informed by Christianity and other religions which say that it's a sin,” LaBarbera says. “They want to change that attitude in the minds of children.”
LaBarbera took part in the program, but clearly was disturbed about how the issue was presented. “We agreed to participate because we thought … we should have both sides represented. [But] we feel that the producers misrepresented themselves,” he says. “We had no idea that Rosie [O'Donnell] was going to be brought on the show.”
“Obviously Rosie can manipulate the kids — she's a popular comedienne, now she's an 'out' lesbian. We had no idea they were going to bring on a gay firefighter. Of course, all the children love firefighters after the September 11 tragedy, and for them to do that is manipulative on its own,” LaBarbera says.
According to LaBarbera, this is just another reason why pro-family groups are finding it more and more difficult to trust the media.
Skewed Presentation
Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition says the Nick News special confirmed her worst fears about Nickelodeon's efforts to normalize homosexuality for children. “Nickelodeon has come down on the side of homosexuality,” Lafferty says, “and millions of children were exposed to this abnormal lifestyle, thanks to Linda Ellerbee and homosexual activist Rosie O'Donnell.”
Lafferty says the program was skewed to the pro-homosexual side of the issue, despite claims by network publicists it would be a balanced discussion. “Out of the ten people on the show, only three were vocally opposed to homosexuality,” she says. “Ellerbee did not invite even one non-homosexual adult on the set to present a clear case against homosexuality.”
She adds that Ellerbee also allowed the pro-homosexual participants to “subtly insult” the young people who came at the issue from a Christian perspective “by saying they just didn't know any better because of their upbringing — and that they were closed-minded.”
Family Definition
The American Family Association, which like TVC had launched a massive e-mail protest at Nickelodeon regarding the special, describes the broadcast as “a slickly-produced program that pretended to be about tolerance, but in the end redefined the concept of family to include same-sex couples.”
“Kids who were watching would have been strongly persuaded to accept that premise,” AFA president Tim Wildmon says, “and I think that was Nickelodeon's intention.”
Wildmon says in trying to answer the question: “Who defines what a good family is?” Nickelodeon implied that no one has a right to define a family — and therefore people should accept same-sex “couples.”
“The network and Ms. Ellerbee are wrong,” Wildmon says. “God has already clearly defined the family — and no one in this country has the right to thumb their noses at that.”
He adds that research shows clearly that kids do best in a home with both the biological mother and father.
AFA executive assistant Buddy Smith says parents cannot trust Nickelodeon any longer. He also notes the show ran commercial-free. That, he says, shows Nickelodeon has an agenda. “Parents for many years have trusted [Nickelodeon], and I think its says that we can no longer trust Nickelodeon with our children,” Smith says. “Many parents have felt safe and secure in leaving that channel on unattended with their children — but we cannot afford to do that anymore.”
“If I was a parent of young children, that would be it for me and Nickelodeon,” Smith says. “I‘d call the cable company and have them to come and block the channel.”
The Family Research Council seems to concur with Smith. The Washington, D.C.-based pro-family group says the fact Nickelodeon allowed the program to forgo commercial breaks indicates one of two things: “either few companies were willing to sponsor the program, or the network wanted an uninterrupted vehicle for promoting homosexuality.”
And FRC asks what perhaps is an even bigger question: “Why is this subject even deemed appropriate for kids?”
Here Comes Another One
Meanwhile, the Culture and Family Institute is raising concerns about an upcoming feature on the Hallmark cable channel featuring homosexual adoption. The series follows families that are adopting. Leslie Block, the producer of that special, says Hallmark as a brand “certainly represents … the American family, and I think [the upcoming special is] perfectly appropriate.”
But not everyone agrees. Peter LaBarbera is with the Culture and Family Institute. “That's the whole thinking behind this propaganda,” he says. “To show them again and again and again — and pretty soon, Americans will be humdrum at the idea of two homosexual dads raising an adopted kid.”
The series is backed by Wendy's Restaurants and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
