"Arthur" Celebrates Mr. Ratburn's Gay Wedding

soozievt
Thu, 23 May 2019 01:41:15 +0000

Earlier this evening, I included the following point in one of my posts:
Shouldn’t gay children see themselves represented by characters on TV and in books? By including all types of people in a TV show, it demonstrates to all children that they belong even if they are not all the same as one another.

Thinking about this further, I am reminded of the Tony Award winning musical, Fun Home, which I was fortunate to see, and is based on a true story. Part of the story focuses on Alison Bechtel’s discovery of her sexuality as a lesbian. There is a point in the show where Alison, as a child, sings a song, called Ring of Keys, when she first encountered a person who seemed like herself and with whom she identified. The child sings the following lyrics:

Someone just came in the door.
Like no one I ever saw before.
I feel…
I feel…

I don’t know where you came from.
I wish I did
I feel so dumb.
I feel…

Your swagger and your bearing
and the just right clothes you’re wearing
Your short hair and your dungarees
And your lace up boots.

And your keys oh
Your ring of keys.

I thought it was s’pposed to be wrong
But you seem okay with being strong
I want…to…
You’re so…

It’s probably conceited to say,
But I think we’re alike in a certain way
I…um…

Your swagger and your bearing
and the just right clothes you’re wearing
Your short hair and your dungarees
And your lace up boots.

And your keys oh
Your ring of keys.

Do you feel my heart saying hi?
In this whole luncheonette
Why am I the only one who see you’re beautiful?

[Spoken]
No, I mean

[Sung]
Handsome!

Your swagger and your bearing
and the just right clothes you’re wearing
Your short hair and your dungarees
And your lace up boots.

And your keys oh
Your ring of keys.

I know you
I know you
I know you

Thinking further, imagine a child in a wheelchair who sees a character on Sesame Street just like him/herself in a wheelchair. Imagine a Muslim child who sees a character on TV wearing a hijab. Imagine a child with two daddies who watches Arthur and sees two men getting married. Imagine a child who feels different about their gender or who they like and they see someone like themselves on a TV show. It must feel empowering to know they are not alone and they belong and are depicted along with everyone else in a story on TV.