Governor Of This State VETOES PBS Funding, Accusing Station Of Indoctrinating Children With LGBTQ+ And CRT Propaganda

Stitt, a Republican, accused the station of indoctrinating young children and not aligning with Oklahoma values.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Stitt said, "OETA, to us, is an outdated system. The big question is, why are we spending taxpayer dollars to prop up or compete with the private sector and run television stations? And then when you go through all of the programming and the indoctrination and over-sexualization of our children, it's just really problematic, and it doesn't align with Oklahoma values."

If the legislature fails to override Stitt's veto, OETA, which broadcasts shows like "Sesame Street," "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and "Clifford The Big Red Dog," will cease operations this year. The governor's office cited examples of OETA content that it considers objectionable, including a segment from "Let's Learn" featuring a children's book titled "The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish" read by Lil Miss Hot Mess, and a "PBS Newshour" feature on parents' support for various gender care treatments such as puberty blockers.

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Stitt also took issue with the gay character in "Work It Out Wombats," LGBTQ characters in "Clifford the Big Red Dog," Pride Month programming on OETA, a special about a town of Christians and drag queens who "step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes," and a same-sex wedding featured on PBS Kids' "Odd Squad."

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May 08, 2023

The governor argued that these programs are not particularly educational, stating, "When you think about educating kids, let's teach them to read and their numbers and counting and letters and those kind of things. I mean, some of the programming that we're seeing… it just doesn't need to be on public television."

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The governor suggested that if OETA programming is popular, it could be picked up by other networks like CBS, NBC, or ABC, which do not rely on taxpayer dollars. Stitt believes that Oklahoma tax dollars could be better allocated elsewhere and emphasizes his role as a representative of the taxpayers, saying, "Oklahoma taxpayers are going, 'Hey, hang on, time out for just a second. That's not my values.' I'm tired of using taxpayer dollars for some person's agenda."

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Stitt argued that the current media landscape vastly differs from the one in 1957 when OETA first aired, making public television stations outdated. He said, "There's so much television, there's so much media. Maybe in 1957 you could have argued that you needed a public television station. That's outdated at this point."

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In response to concerns about the potential loss of Amber Alerts, Stitt clarified that the Department of Public Safety system, which rolls out Amber Alerts, would not be affected by the defunding of OETA. He said, "None of that's going away. So that's just people confusing the issue, not being clear with their mission, trying to make excuses of why the tax dollars should still fund this outdated system."

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The governor's decision has drawn criticism from the left, including State Rep. Monroe Nichols, a Democrat, who accused Stitt of "continued attacks on public education and underrepresented Oklahoma communities."

Stitt dismissed these accusations as "nonsense" and countered that he has increased public education funding in the state. He said, "Since I've been governor, we have put more money in public education than any other governor before me. I'm actually requesting about a 15% increase in public education funding. We've increased it over $1 billion, so that's just simply nonsense."

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Other critics, such as MSNBC blogger Ja'han Jones, characterized the decision as "nothing more than anti-LGBTQ government censorship." Some liberals have also portrayed the move as an attack on Big Bird. OETA board member Ken Busby objected to the decision, stating that a civilization cannot survive without supporting arts and culture. However, Stitt dismissed this argument as another "red herring" from the left.

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He said, "They're grasping at straws if they're talking about civilization surviving. They want to confuse the facts, they want to confuse the issue… this has nothing to do with the arts. My gracious, we have the most beautiful capitol here in the country, here at Oklahoma City, and it's filled with beautiful art."

Stitt is not alone in expressing concerns over PBS content. Last week, Citizens Defending Freedom, a nonprofit organization advocating for transparency in government, called on the federal government to strip funding from PBS due to the organization's promotion of an LGBT "toolkit" for teachers and Critical Race Theory principles.

In a press release, Kristen Huber, the Chief Communications Officer of Citizens Defending Freedom, said, "PBS is clearly engaged in promoting inappropriate LGBTQ+ and critical race theory propaganda to our children."

Governor Stitt also recently banned all sex reassignment procedures for minors in Oklahoma, including irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies, joining at least 15 states with similar laws.

Stitt believes that Republicans are unified on most transgender and LGBTQ issues, which could benefit the party in the 2024 presidential election. He stated, "We believe in traditional family values. We won't let biological males participate in girls' sports."

Stitt also believed that the left has gone too far, stating, "I believe it's going to be more and more important in a general in 2024 because the left has gone too far. They have gone way too radical. We have an obligation to protect our children and protect sports and protect free competition and fair competition in Oklahoma. And so to us, it's pretty common sense. And I hope it's an issue in the general election in 2024 because I think we win on that with Americans."

In the face of opposition, Stitt's veto on funding for OETA has ignited a debate on the role of public television, taxpayer dollars, and the potential impact on education and arts in Oklahoma. With both sides presenting their arguments, the future of public television in the state remains uncertain.