Arthur's Gay Wedding: a Review
I’m in the middle of finals right now so watching TV and writing about it isn’t exactly a top priority. But when I saw a news article about Mr. Ratburn having a same-sex wedding on PBS’s Arthur, I knew that I had to write about it. I know everyone else is busy right now too—what with finals, SATs, college apps, graduating, etc., so instead of writing a think piece, I’m going to list the top five reasons why this episode was important and why you should watch it ASAP.
PBS = Public Broadcasting Service. It receives government funding and is free to anyone with a TV. It isn’t some niche show on Netflix or Showtime. It’s representation that’s available to everyone. This also prevents it from being yet another example of “rainbow capitalism” since no one really cares about a spike in Arthur ratings.
This is a children’s show. In 2019, it isn’t unusual to see queer representation in adult shows but conservative parents often boycott children’s shows with discussions about queerness, fearing that their children will become “corrupted.” By writing and airing this episode, PBS sets a precedent for inclusion that other networks can follow.
It wasn’t treated as a big deal. In the episode, the students in Mr. Ratburn’s third grade class find out he’s getting married and become worried when they see that he’s planning a wedding with a very rude woman, who they assume is his future wife. They try to set him up with their female librarian in order to prevent him from making a mistake and decide to object at the ceremony if he goes through with it. However, at the wedding, they learn that the woman he was with was his sister and that Mr. Ratburn is in fact marrying a very kind male chocolatier. The episode’s lesson is to not meddle in adults’ lives. It isn’t a “special episode” about homosexuality that makes it seem rare or taboo.
The queer character was a teacher. Gay men are often stereotyped as “predators” who shouldn’t be around children. On the contrary, Mr. Ratburn is a third grade teacher who is close enough to his students and their families to invite them to his wedding. That decision normalizes the existence of queer people in children’s lives. Although television shows like to depict queer people as self-hating and lost, Arthur proves that they can be role models and mentors. That optimism is important for queer youth, who tend to be more pessimistic about their future.
It teaches children not to make gendered assumptions. Now, kids who watch Arthur know that if a man gets married, it doesn’t have to be to a woman and if a man and woman are out to lunch together, they don’t have to be in a relationship. Screwball comedies historically tend to treat homosexuality as a joke, à la Tootsie or Mrs. Doubtfire. Arthur turns the kids’ ignorance into the joke, teaching kids that being open-minded is cool.
Find the episode now! It’s only twelve minutes long.
by RIA BHANDARKAR