The Teletubbi embrace Pri, more than two s after 'gay' Tky Wky sndal

Contents:

• THE TELETUBBI EMBRACE PRI, MORE THAN TWO S AFTER 'GAY' TKY WKY SNDAL
• THE WHOLLY UNSURPRISG STORY BEHD TKY WKY’S ELEVATN AS A GAY IN
• YEP, THE PURPLE TELETUBBY WAS GAY
• THE TELETUBBI ARE ‘GAY MONS’ BEE THEY WANT TO WORK WH LIL NAS X. Y, REALLY
• THE GUY WHO PLAYED TKY WKY, THE ‘GAY’ PURPLE TELETUBBY, HAS DIED
• NATNAL NEWS BRIEFS; FALWELL SE 'GAY' IN A TELETUBBY

THE TELETUBBI EMBRACE PRI, MORE THAN TWO S AFTER 'GAY' TKY WKY SNDAL

The character’s queerns was brought to light by, of all people, anti-LGBTQ televangelist pastor Jerry Falwell, who, 1999, clared Tky Wky a gay role mol bee he rried a purse, sported the gay pri lor, and had an antenna shaped like a triangle (a symbol of Pri. Not sayg that me beg gay and also beg Po mem and gmod had anythg to do wh this but this merch is meant for me — Fna Nova (@FnaNova) May 22, 2021.

Anti-LGBTQ televangelist says gay people need warng labels on their foreheads.

Des after gay mors rocked Tky Wky -- the purple one wh the triangle antenna -- the beloved kids' TV characters have released their first le of Pri merchandise. (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.

THE WHOLLY UNSURPRISG STORY BEHD TKY WKY’S ELEVATN AS A GAY IN

(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.

"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.

YEP, THE PURPLE TELETUBBY 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. " 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. More than 20 years ago, Teletubbi were at the center of a so-lled gay ntroversy surroundg [...

THE TELETUBBI ARE ‘GAY MONS’ BEE THEY WANT TO WORK WH LIL NAS X. Y, REALLY

More than 20 years ago, Teletubbi were at the center of a so-lled gay ntroversy surroundg the quirky children's televisn characters (particularly Tky Wky), but tim have changed. In 1999, televangelist Jerry Falwell acced one of the Teletubbi, Tky Wky, of beg gay, wrg a piece tled "Parents Alert: Tky Wky Com out of the Closet" which he claimed that the character's purple lor and triangle antenna were both symbolic of gay pri. The time was ripe for a homophobic Teletubby nspiracy.

THE GUY WHO PLAYED TKY WKY, THE ‘GAY’ PURPLE TELETUBBY, HAS DIED

That antenna stuck on s head was shaped a triangle – a gay pri symbol.

NATNAL NEWS BRIEFS; FALWELL SE 'GAY' IN A TELETUBBY

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”. “He’s not gay.