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WE'VE LEARNED THAT THE ARKANSAS P-B-S CHANNEL HAS DECIDED NO TO RUN AN EPISODE OF THE CARTOON SHOW "ARTHUR" ... BECAUSE IT INCLUDED A SAME- SEX WEDDING. IN A STATEMENT -- AETN SAYS IN PART .. QUOTE "In realizing th many parents may not have been aware of the topics the episode beforehand, we made the decision not to air it ALABAMA PUBLIC TELEVISION ALSO DECIDED NOT TO RUN THE EPISODE, WHICH AIRED NATIONWIDE ON MA 13TH. YOU CAN READ MORE ON AETN'S DECISION ON OU WEBSITE ... 4029TV.COM.

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AETN, the PBS station in Arkansas, has decided to air an episode of a popular children’s cartoon featuring a same-sex wedding. However, it will only air on the station's AETN-3 channel. The “Arthur” episode aired nationwide May 13 as part of the show’s 22nd season premiere.AETN decided not to air the episode at that time."While ideally parents watch our programming with their children and discuss it afterwards, the reality is that many children, some of them younger than age four, watch when a parent is not in the room," AETN said in a statement."In realizing that many parents may not have been aware of the topics of the episode beforehand, we made the decision not to air it," the statement said.Alabama Public Television also decided not to air the episode.In the cartoon, Arthur and his classmates attend the wedding of their beloved third grade teacher, Mr. Ratburn.The show does not specifically address the sexuality of the cartoon rat, nor does it show a wedding ceremony.Viewers see Mr. Ratburn and Patrick, a chocolate maker, walking down the aisle.One of the cartoon characters asks, “Who is Mr. Ratburn marrying?”Patrick replies with a wink.The episode is available online.A spokeswoman for PBS Kids said programs are “designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation.”"We believe it is important to represent the wide array of adults in the lives of children who look to PBS Kids every day,” PBS Kids spokeswoman Maria Vera Whelan told CNN.Show creator Mark Brown said his friend, the iconic Fred Rogers, taught him how television could be used to help children understand the world."So many of us have family or friends who are gay who are not represented in the media," Brown told CNN. "We have people in our family that are gay and raising children and looking for things to validate their families."According to the on-air schedule, AETN will air the episode on an alternate channel, AETN-3. It will air Thursday, May 30 at 6:30 a.m.; Thursday, May 30 at 8 p.m.; Friday, May 31 at 4 a.m.; Sunday, June 2 at 6:30 a.m.; Monday, June 24 at 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, June 25 at 4:30 a.m.