A couple weeks ago, a hurricane hit “Sesame Street.” As the characters prepared for its coming, they educated viewers about the causes and properties of hurricanes. This was an attempt by the Children’s Television Workshop to teach kids about a current event in our country. The content was accessible and understandable for children as young as 2. This is no different than the HIV-positive character introduced two years ago in the South African version of the show. Since HIV/AIDS affects one in nine people in that country, it’s important to teach children about it as early as possible.

In these examples, “Sesame Street” described current issues on a child’s level. The producers made it very easy for children to understand the topics. I would challenge any toddler to discern the homosexual undertones Nathan Meno described in Bert and Ernie’s relationship in his Oct. 18 column “Homosexual themes corrupt Sesame Street.” The homosexuality example is not one intended by the producers of the show; it is simply one that homophobic college students and evangelists invented many years ago. When I started reading Meno’s article, I thought it would be a tongue-in-cheek mockery of these absurd claims, but it turned out to be an endorsement of them.

I was appalled by the lack of unbiased sources throughout the column, but was especially unsettled when I read the following: “The bottom line is this: Even though homosexuality is an immoral act, it still exists and should be treated with extreme sensitivity.” This is a clear confusion of fact and opinion. It is not a verifiable fact that homosexuality is immoral; it is Meno’s opinion. Perhaps the fervent opinions surrounding this issue are exactly why we don’t see “Sesame Street” episodes about it. The show teaches children manners, grammar and current events, but chooses to leave this sensitive issue up to parents and guardians.

Jessica Baldwin

Instructor, communication