Arthur cartoon slammed by Phil Vischer for its portrayal of gay marriage
A recent portrayal of gay marriage in the children’s show Arthur has led to VeggieTales‘ co-creator Phil Vischer speaking against what he perceives as LGBT representation being forced into modern cartoons. Vischer, the co-creator of the Christian cartoon, lamented the state of today’s cartoons while discussing a recent episode of Arthur. In the episode, one of the titular character’s teachers is married to another man, something that Vischer says is “concerning.”
VeggieTales Creator Says LGBT Representation in Cartoons is ‘Concerning’[/tweetthis]
In an interview with The Christian Post, he said “It’s going to show up more and more as the world has decided that LGBT issues are in the same categories as race and civil rights issues. So, to say you shouldn’t have a same-sex couple on Sesame Street is the equivalent of saying you shouldn’t have a black couple on Sesame Street.”
While it’s possible to interpret his comments as being positive towards LGBT issues being viewed as civil rights issues, Vischer made it clear he did not agree with the sentiment that they were similar. He referred to the marriage as the “shot heard through the Christian parenting world” and said he found the whole thing “concerning” because the kids on Arthur didn’t question it.
Vischer is aware shows like VeggieTales are going to have to address LGBT issues at some point. However, Vischer’s statement didn’t provide many clues that it would be handled very well. He said: “If I get pressure from Hollywood to show two men getting married because we’ve all decided it’s right and correct, my pushback is: ‘No, I won’t. Because that’s not what I believe is best for kids.”
apparently the Veggietales creator recently said he doesn't want to show LGBT+ in the show.
i mean
i don't agree with how he feels about LGBT+ but are you really that surprised that the creator of a Christian cartoon would say that?
it's not like he's saying we're bad people.
— (^ó ᴥ ò^) ???'? ? ???'? ????? (@ChelleDoggo) August 21, 2019
The interview with Vischer proves his show is not prepared to approach the topic of gay marriage. Moreover, if the topic does come up at some point, it doesn’t appear as though it will have a positive sentiment. Vischer seems more than content to approach LGBT topics from a negative standpoint or at least one that will not ruffle the feathers of Christians.
Perhaps the marriage on Arthur was the “shot heard through the Christian parenting world.” But that means there will be an open discussion about it in the future, and everyone could benefit from listening to it.