More complicated, less traditional

Back in 2005, the PBS kids show Postcards from Buster did an episode about going to Vermont to make maple syrup. That episode got yanked from the schedule when people complained that the hosting family in Vermont was headed by a lesbian couple. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings got involved, sternly reminding PBS where a good chunk of their funding came from.

Recognizing an intriguing idea when she hears it, playwright Cusi Cram has written a play about the incident. Dusty and the Big, Bad World premiered tonight in Denver. Dusty, a dustball, takes the role of Buster. He invites viewers to write and explain why he should come visit them. One intriguing letter is from Lizzie, an 11 year-old girl with two dads. The play has two components -- an actual episode of the Dusty show and the backlash from the Fundies, including a woman based on Margaret Spellings. It includes a scene in which Lizzie confronts the Education Secretary. She says (quite a mouthful for one her age), "Sometimes I do wish my family was more traditional. I got something more complicated, but that doesn't mean it's wrong." The playwright hopes she did a good enough job on the Dusty show that it can serve as a model for an actual children's show. The website has a few clips of the play.