Some $800 ln worth of products lked to popular televisn program Teletubbi were sold 1998, wh PBS gettg cut, even though program for prchoolers did not but until Apr and products until June; toy dtry publisher Jim Silver ridicul Rev Jerry Falwell's charge that program promot gay life style and se attentn further spurrg sal; photo (M)l
Contents:
- THE WHOLLY UNSURPRISG STORY BEHD TKY WKY’S ELEVATN AS A GAY IN
- THE TELETUBBI EMBRACE PRI, MORE THAN TWO S AFTER 'GAY' TKY WKY SNDAL
- YEP, THE PURPLE TELETUBBY WAS GAY
- THE GUY WHO PLAYED TKY WKY, THE ‘GAY’ PURPLE TELETUBBY, HAS DIED
- FORMER TELETUBBY: TKY WKY WAS NOT GAY
- LA VERDARA HISTORIA L TELETUBBIE GAY QUE NO NOCíAS
- LA VERDAD TRáS TKY WKY, EL ‘TELETUBBY GAY’
- REV. FALWELL SUGGTS TKY WKY IS GAY ON THIS DATE IN 1999
- IS TKY A GAY ROLE MOL FOR BOYS, OR A PURPLE TODDLER FULL PLAY?
- SIMON SHELTON, ‘TELETUBBI’ TKY WKY ACTOR, DI; FALWELL CALLED HIM THE GAY TELETUBBY
- NATNAL NEWS BRIEFS; FALWELL SE 'GAY' IN A TELETUBBY
- TWINKY WINKY GAY TELETUBBIES – FALWELL WARNS PARENTS OF TINKY WINKY ‘GAY’ MENACE
- SIMON SHELTON BARN, ACTOR WHO PLAYED TELETUBBI’ TKY WKY AMID ‘GAY’ CONTROVERSY, HAS DIED AT 52
THE WHOLLY UNSURPRISG STORY BEHD TKY WKY’S ELEVATN AS A GAY IN
An actrs who portrayed the Teletubby Laa-Laa has said the children's programme did not nta gay unrton. * tinky winky gay *
The time was ripe for a homophobic Teletubby nspiracy. That antenna stuck on s head was shaped a triangle – a gay pri symbol.
Falwell had ma a name for himself as an anti-gay csar: he preached that AIDS was God’s punishment for society’s tilt towards tolerance, and said thgs like “gay folks would jt as soon as kill you as look at you” (they’re all like Cyclops om X-Men, yeah? Oh and he would also go on to blame 9/11 on homosexuals “and the pagans, and the abortnists, and the femists”.
Wh an irony that now looks as evable as do sweet, progrsiv took his nmnatn as a cue and embraced TW as a gay in.
THE TELETUBBI EMBRACE PRI, MORE THAN TWO S AFTER 'GAY' TKY WKY SNDAL
Aunque no lo creas, hubo quien aseguraron que Tky Wky era gay y nutra fancia aba revivir solo por o * tinky winky gay *
“And at an Afterwords fe a gay area of the natn’s pal, you n eat ‘Tky Wky Ravli’, ” wrote the Dallas Morng News. Tky Wky Is Defely A Gay In.
Today, is Tky Wky still a gay in?
YEP, THE PURPLE TELETUBBY WAS GAY
Te ntamos la cursa historia cómo Tky Wky, los teletubbi, se ganó el título l 'teletubby gay'. ¿Lo en realidad? * tinky winky gay *
On gay and straight channels alike, too. If a producer announc a character is gay when this is never explic the ntent, do make so?
Even if Tky Wky did openly and explicly intify as gay, this don’t mean the character is fistg Dipsy Wipsy behd a grassy knoll. The thg is this though: even if Tky Wky did openly and explicly intify as gay, this don’t mean the character is fistg Dipsy Wipsy behd a grassy knoll.
The ‘TW is a gay propaganda symbol’ bate still hasn’t settled down entirely, eher. “Poland to probe whether Teletubbi are gay” ran the headl.
THE GUY WHO PLAYED TKY WKY, THE ‘GAY’ PURPLE TELETUBBY, HAS DIED
Internatnal stardom has not been easy for Tky Wky, the Teletubby recently “outed” by the Rev. Jerry Falwell as a gay role-mol for children. First there was a big flap England, shortly after the show’s 1997 but, over the dismissal of the actor playg Tky Wky. Producers said he had been too rambunct on […] * tinky winky gay *
(Photo urty Teletubbi Pri Collectn)When to pearl-clutchg gay sndals volvg children's TV characters, the story of the Teletubbi — particularly of the handbag-holdg Tky Wky — is right up there wh that of Bert and now looks like the seri is embracg the 22-year-old ntroversy a most rabow-hued way: by lnchg the official Teletubbi Pri Collectn, jt ahead of June. Om 1998 to 2008 and had a reboot 2015 — all started 22 years ago, when Baptist televangelist and noted homophobe Jerry Falwell penned "Parents Alert: Tky Wky Com Out of the Closet, " the Natnal Liberty Journal, a promotnal publitn for his evangelil Liberty Universy, notg, "He is purple — the gay pri lor, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pri symbol.
(GIF: YouTube/Teletubbi)A ltle ntext: This was jt two years after Ellen DeGener me out as gay and three years after Print Bill Clton signed the Defense of Marriage Act to law, effectively banng same-sex marriage. Anti-sodomy laws are unnstutnal, and five years before Massachetts would bee the first state to legalize gay marriage (while feral legalizatn would not e until 2015) so, for those who haven’t been followg along om the begng — or anyone need of a reher — here's a brief timele of the Teletubbi' journey om nial to acceptance to full-on pri. 1999Jerry Falwell panics, cg "evince" about Tky Wky's gay role mol stat.
FORMER TELETUBBY: TKY WKY WAS NOT GAY
Jerry Falwell warns Tky Wky, one of characters on children's televisn show Teletubbi, is gay and therefore moral menace to Amerin youth, article Natnal Liberty Journal; Itsy Bsy Entertament Co has nied character was nceived as gay role mol (S) * tinky winky gay *
"The character, whose voice is obvly that of a boy, has been found rryg a red purse, and has bee a favore character among gay groups worldwi, " Falwell (who would die 2007) famoly wr his magaze, along wh tails about character's hue and triangle antenna. He adds, "As a Christian, I feel that role-molg the gay liftyle is damagg the moral liv of children. (Photo: REUTERS/Trevor Samson)Falwell giv some cred for the tip-off to Washgton Post wrer Michael Colton, who had recently (and jokgly) clared, his annual "In/Out" lumn, that Tky Wky would be replacg the jt-out Ellen Degener as the new gay ambassador (somethg Colton amgly apologiz for after the Falwell fallout) others had beaten him to the punch, wh Tky Wky already proudly claimed by the gay prs — cludg the Advote, Out magaze and the Village Voice, which lumnist Michael Mto clared that Tky Wky is "out and proud" and sends "a great msage to kids — not only that 's OK to be gay, but the importance of beg well-accsorized.
" Lookg back years later, Mto would rell, "As I land the middle of this hilar ntretemps, I had to chuckle over the fact that Falwell and I actually agreed on somethg—that Tky was gay. "After penng his divisive piece, Falwell doubl down on the Today show, tellg then-host Katie Couric that to have "ltle boys nng around wh purs and actg effemate and leavg the ia that the mascule male, the feme female is out, and gay is OK" is somethg "Christians do not agree wh.
LA VERDARA HISTORIA L TELETUBBIE GAY QUE NO NOCíAS
Tky Wky is the tallt (and most notible) Telletubby. He is purple, wh a purple triangle-shaped stem on his head. He enjoys sgg, dancg, totg his pk purse, and most likely equentg gay clubs after a hard day Telletubby land." name="Dcriptn" property="og:scriptn * tinky winky gay *
" Teletubbi spokperson Kenn Viselman, meanwhile, holds a prs Falwell rilg folks up wh homophobic rhetoric was nothg new, as evinced by this photo of gay prottors at the 1992 Republin Natnal Conventn, outsi of Falwell luncheon, Hoton, Tex. " He adds, "If gay people thk Tky Wky is gay, ’s bee there aren’t enough gay role mols on TV. Later I learned that this may have a homosexual unrtone.
"Whether Tky Wky is gay or not is still the most equently asked qutn that we get. Obuari note that Barn, who replaced origal Tky Wky Dave Thompson, had at one pot addrsed the ntroversy, sayg, "People always ask me if Tky Wky is gay, but the character is supposed to be a 3-year-old, so the qutn is really que silly. Jerry Falwell ma his livg fdg gay people where they didn’t belong.
LA VERDAD TRáS TKY WKY, EL ‘TELETUBBY GAY’
Tky Wky gay ntroversy: Simon Barn, the actor who played Teletubbi' Tky Wky amid 'gay' ntroversy, has died at 52 * tinky winky gay *
“Remember … homosexuals do not reproduce, ” the televangelist and activist warned his followers 1981. ” He claimed to have nonted Print Carter about why he employed “practicg homosexuals” the Whe Hoe 1980.
REV. FALWELL SUGGTS TKY WKY IS GAY ON THIS DATE IN 1999
So when Falwell claimed 1999 to have disvered that one of the Teletubbi was gay, seemed like yet another example of his proprietary blend of vicns and absurdy.
IS TKY A GAY ROLE MOL FOR BOYS, OR A PURPLE TODDLER FULL PLAY?
“He is purple—the gay pri lor, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle—the gay pri symbol, ” Falwell wrote an issue of his own magaze. To have “ltle boys nng around wh purs and actg effemate and leavg the ia that the mascule male, the feme female is out, and gay is OK” is somethg “Christians do not agree wh, ” he told Katie Couric. In the years precedg his supposed exposé, many publitns had wrten about the gay muny’s adoptn of Tky Wky as one of their own.
When the show buted England 1997, s hypnotic, wkg weirdns had almost immediately bee popular wh club kids and the gay muny. The Inpennt referred to his “mp, handbag-rryg antics, ” and the Guardian lled him a “gay in” who “pranc around.
Proment gay gossip lumnist Michael Mto told Entertament Weekly (“only half tongue--cheek”) that the character offered a great msage: “not only that ’s okay to be gay, but the importance of beg well-accsorized. At the time, many enlightened mastream crics took the attu that Falwell and the gay prs were equally perverse for foistg sexual preferenc on bunch of preverbal stuffed animals.
SIMON SHELTON, ‘TELETUBBI’ TKY WKY ACTOR, DI; FALWELL CALLED HIM THE GAY TELETUBBY
For one thg, to ll Tky Wky “gay” do not mean that Tky Wky has sex, and the mere prence of queer characters is not self “sexual nuendo. In the years sce then, subtext has bee text, and children’s televisn producers have gone om wkg at their characters’ private liv to creatg openly gay adult and kid characters. Four days ago, Simon Barn, the 52-year-old actor bt known for playg Tky Wky, the purple creature the BBC prchool children’s seri Teletubbi, passed away, givg pse to remember Wky’s legacy as the “the gay Teletubby.
In a 1999 article by homophobic televangelist Jerry Falwell published his magaze Natnal Liberty Journal, Falwell clared that Tky Wky was gay. “He is purple, the gay pri lor, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle, the gay pri symbol.
First off, purple isn’t the gay pri lor — ’s lavenr or rabow. Outspoken gay gossip lumnist Michael Mt clared, “Tky Wky is … a great msage to kids: not only that ’s okay to be gay, but the importance of beg well-accsorized. ” But even before Falwell’s article, The Advote had lled Tky Wky, a “big, fabulo fag, ” a Brish media rearcher lled him, “the first queer role mol for toddlers” and The Inpennt labeled him “a gay in.
NATNAL NEWS BRIEFS; FALWELL SE 'GAY' IN A TELETUBBY
In an emergency prs nference about Falwell’s claim, Teletubbi spokman Kenn Viselman said, “If gay people thk Tky Wky is gay, ’s bee there aren’t enough gay role mols on TV. Barn, who had taken over the role of “the gay Teletubby” 1997 om Dave Thompson who was unexpectedly fired om the show. “People always ask me if Tky Wky is gay, ” Barn said.
Some viewers were unhappy and claimed that the character was gay bee he rried a red handbag.
US evangelist parents warned that the cute character was 'the gay pri lour' while his triangle antenna was a 'gay pri symbol.
TWINKY WINKY GAY TELETUBBIES – FALWELL WARNS PARENTS OF TINKY WINKY ‘GAY’ MENACE
The origal actor, Dave Thompson left the show after jt a few episos followg 'creative differenc' and was later reported that the show 'implied' the character was gay. An actrs who portrayed the Teletubby Laa-Laa has said the children’s programme did not nta gay unrton.
SIMON SHELTON BARN, ACTOR WHO PLAYED TELETUBBI’ TKY WKY AMID ‘GAY’ CONTROVERSY, HAS DIED AT 52
The show me for long-nng ntroversy over suggtns was promotg homosexualy to children.
He claimed that Tky Wky mt be gay bee he was purple and had a triangle on his head; symbols of gay pri. In 2007, Polish polician Eva Sowska said she would ask psychologists to vtigate whether the purse-rryg character was gay and promoted homosexualy to children. Sabemos que el título tan creíble que parece engañoso, pero la realidad que ant l ic nuevo siglo enzó a rrer el mor que aseguraba que Tky Wky era gay y to tomó por sorpra clo a s props creador.