Gay couple on cartoon TV series draws parents’ fury

Parents have strongly opposed cartoon television channel Nickelodeon’s introduction of two gay characters in one of its programmes.

They told the Sunday Nation on Saturday that the interracial gay couple in Nickelodeon’s Loud House series would erode the country’s morals as minors often imitate what they see.

Psychologists have also warned that, much as the scenes may not be explicit, depiction of homosexuality as normal would negatively affect youngsters.

A snippet of the programme shared on Twitter shows the two characters, Mr McBride and Mr McBride, taking their son for a sleepover.

They play the role of overprotective parents who give the boy lots of items and tips to stay safe while they are away.

The scene has no particular reference to the men’s sexual orientation. London-based paper The Guardian reported on Wednesday that the episode has already aired in US markets, Asia, France and Italy.

But Kenyans might not see the gay scenes on their TV sets because, according to South Africa-based Channel 24, the episodes will be censored for DStv subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Channel 24 adds that the announcement was made by Viacom Africa, which provides content to DStv’s parent company, Multichoice.

But Viacom’s move does not eliminate the possibility of Kenyan children accessing the show, given the many channels of receiving TV content, including Internet.

Kisumu-based secular rapper Calvin ‘June Rapsha’ Odongo, whose five-year-old son is an ardent fan of Nickelodeon shows, says: "They are trying to tell our children that this is right. What children watch, they practise."

"For instance, my son knows how every Nickelodeon advert starts and the names of many characters... just imagine if he sees such a thing. I grew up in a family where romantic relationships were about Eve and Adam,” he added.

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Mr Michael Njeru, a parent in Nairobi who is a staunch Christian, said depicting gay characters was against the teachings of the Bible.

“It poisons children. If I can nip it in the bud, as early as now, the better for me,” said Mr Njeru, who is a film maker, director and actor.

Dr Philomena Ndambuki, a child psychologist and lecturer at Kenyatta University, said it was wrong to expose children to controversial issues they know little about.

“They need to be able to process the information given,” she said.

Dr Ndambuki told parents to inspect what their children watch.

She said technological advancements are likely to ruffle more feathers in future. “Children know how to operate gadgets; even small tots. When they see something exciting, they will want to watch it — sex, nudity, name it,” he said.

Nickelodeon is not the first channel to allow gay or lesbian cartoon characters to be depicted in its programming. As early as 2003, a show on America’s Public Broadcasting Service had an episode that depicted gay parents.

In 2014, the Clarence series on Cartoon Network also had a gay couple kissing on the cheek. There were also lesbian parents depicted on the series Good Luck Charlie that ran on Disney Channel between 2010 and 2014.

Dr Rose Opondo, a lecturer at Moi University, said cartoons may cease being the safest entertainment for youngsters. “This Liberal Age is destroying children. We are telling them that the idea is right from the onset.” Psychologist Mbutu Kariuki concurred.