http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/2 ... index.html

http://www.workingforchange.com/article ... emID=18386


SpongeBob GayPants?
American Family Association blasts children's television characters for participating in 'We Are Family' video that 'promotes the normalization of homosexuality'

Fundamentalist Christians are increasingly involved in the political process, organizing ambitious voter registration drives to institutionalize their gains, and threatening to take down Democratic Senators that attempt to block President Bush's conservative nominations to the Supreme Court. It's enough to make one nostalgic for those late twentieth-century days when the Rev. Jerry Falwell outed Tinky Winky.

Back in 1999, the Tinky Winky Affair became a major media story complete with late night talk show hosts having a blast at the Reverend's expense. The fact that the brouhaha became a Christian public relations disaster didn't stop fundamentalist organizations from their appointed rounds. Despite their grasp for political power, there's always room for another "culture war" battle.

And, where there's "culture war" smoke, you can count on the Reverend Donald Wildmon's Mississippi-based American Family Association to be there fanning the fire.

These days, the Rev. Donald Wildmon's organization's fangs are nipping at the We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) an organization that recently put together a video remake of "We Are Family" -- a popular song recorded by the group Sister Sledge.

The video uses the voices and images of more than 100 characters from popular children's television programs including Arthur, Barney, Blue's Clues, Bob the Builder, The Book of Pooh, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dora the Explorer, Jimmy Neutron, Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch, Little Mermaid, Madeline, The Magic School Bus, The Muppet Show, Rugrats, Sesame Street and SpongeBob SquarePants.

The video, a collaboration of WAFF and the Anti-Defamation League, Crown Theatres, Disney Channel, FedEx, Nickelodeon, HIT Entertainment, Nile Rodgers/Sony Publishing/The Bernard Edwards Estate/Warner Chapel, Nelvana, PBS, Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, Toni Mendez Shapiro Estate, and WGBH, will be simultaneously telecast March 11, on Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS. And, according to a WAFF press release, a PSA will also air in Crown Theatres across the nation.

"Cooperation and unity are the most important values we can teach children. We believe that this is the essential first step to loving thy neighbor," says Nile Rodgers, co-writer of the song "We Are Family" and founder of WAFF. "And the fun and exciting format makes it a lesson that's easy for children to learn."

So what's not to like about a video promoting diversity and tolerance, true family values? A lot says Ed Vitagliano, the news editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association, who sees the devil -- also known as the homosexual agenda -- at work: The effort by WAFF, he writes in the January issue of AFA Journal, "is as unprecedented as it is cunning, using all the right words and happiest faces in an attempt to speak directly to the nation's children about 'tolerance and diversity'." For Vitagliano, the whole project smacks of "homosexual advocacy."

In addition, writes Vitagliano, "the DVD of the song will be distributed to 61,000 public and private elementary schools across the country" in March, "accompanied by a teacher's guide, designed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group that, among other things, promotes the normalization of homosexuality."

Lurking beneath an attempt to celebrate diversity amongst young children, Vitagliano has spotted something nefarious: "A short step beneath the surface reveals that one of the differences being celebrated is homosexuality," he writes.

"The [WAFF] website is filled with pro-homosexual materials," Vitagliano charges. "A 'Tolerance Pledge,' for example, created by Tolerance.org, part of the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center, encourages signees to pledge respect for homosexuals and work against 'ignorance, insensitivity and bigotry.'"

"Most Christians are now aware of what those code words mean," said AFA's chairman Don Wildmon. "If you are a person who accepts the homosexual lifestyle, then you are tolerant," he said. "If you don't, then you are a bigot who is motivated by ignorance and hate."

The Rev. Wildmon's organization has been in the forefront of "culture war" campaigns for twenty years. Recently on its Web site, it celebrated a successful effort making sure that Kid Rock -- the Republican-leaning rock-rapper -- will not be performing at one of President Bush's inaugural balls. Another high-profile AFA target is Procter & Gamble because it made a $5,163 donation of P&G stock "to help the homosexual community repeal a law in Cincinnati that prohibited giving special rights to homosexuals."

Within two weeks of 9/11, the We Are Family Project was launched by songwriter/producer Nile Rodgers and Tommy Boy Music president, Tom Silverman who brought some 200 celebrities together to re-record Nile's hit song "We Are Family" as a step towards the healing process. WAFF, as a not for profit 501(c)3 corporation, "was formed in July 2002 to continue the work of promoting our common humanity and the vision of a global family through the use of a simple song and message -- We Are Family."

The We Are Family Foundation is issuing a special package with lots of "We Are Family" bells and whistles. Each package includes a DVD of the music video and a booklet containing educational lesson plans developed in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League's Miller Early Childhood Initiative of A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute. According to WAFF, "The lessons aim to put the video's themes of respect, understanding and appreciation of diversity into practice and are designed for pre-K through first grade audiences with additional teaching guidelines for grades two to six."

On the face of it, "We Are Family" might be an ideal theme song for a group with the name American Family Association. Now, however, given the song's association with diversity and tolerance, it's doubtful that the Rev. Wildmon, Ed Vitagliano or other AFA staffers will be humming the tune anytime soon at the organization's Mississippi headquarters.

All teaching guides will be available to be downloaded from the Web sites of both the Anti-Defamation League and WAFF. You can catch a preview of the children's video at the WAFF Web site.

Spongebob is soooo gay.

I hope PJDoll and jayscott denounce this article as gay.

For the record, I think that SpongeBob is fucking hilarious and I probably watch two hours of his show a week.

--SpongeDavid

Why are the press devoting more and more time to idiot christian groups?

Because their employers and the people running the country are idiot Christians?

Because they hate you snifflebiscut, they fucking hate you.

I had a pretty conservative upbringing, but where my parents succeeded (or failed according to the rest of my family) was in instilling in me the desire to reason and think for myself. I had to give up on religion when I was accosted for laughing at a movie named (I shit you not) "The homosexual agenda to overtake America". Now I am not the most liberal person on earth when it comes to this issue, but the idea of an army of tranny hookers led by Richard Simmons overthrowing my governement came across as far fetched. I see a direct correlation to this news item.

I thought those employing the press were leftist fascists who hated all things right-wing. I'm confused.

Ever hear of Clear Channel?

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... ongebob_dc



And pretty soon, we'll just take all the books and music and audio/visual means of communication away, .... and we will just sit and listen to people read from the scriptures,.... and we will be assimilated.



What the F! Spongebob? Holy Mother of God and Christ Almighty - These people are just completely out of their minds with self-righteousness.



I am so so so very sick of this crap and all the paranoid morons censoring every thought it can twist and manipulate for it's own purpose.


~ rant over ~

There is really no discussion here, just venting. I'm just so sick of it.

I think I'm having deja view.

--PunkDavid

GAY!


Seriously, Christian fundamentalists should be stand-up comedians. They'd make more money touring the blue areas.

My daughter loves it. We have the first season on DVD set... I've seen every one of those episodes at least half a dozen times (and it's a 3 disc set)

Has your child presided over any unnatural unions between Barbie and Stacie yet?

my daughter isn't a fan of barbie

I don't get the whole excitement over Sponge Bob

when that little guy says, "I love you Gary" my whole heart melts.

Well maybe Sponge Bob's sexuality is a little more overt than we all though, eh?

heh. Gary is his pet snail

So Sponge Bob likes beastiality then? Well, I'm reporting this the National Family Values Council, IMMEDIATELY.