THE MEDIA, JERRY FALWELL AND TINKY WINKY

By Bob Ward

The body of Rev. Jerry Falwell had barely begun to cool off when the media and other liberals began to insult him.

Among other things, he was ridiculed all over again for his remarks about Tinky Winky, the Teletubby cartoon character. Falwell, according to the media, made himself and all Christians look foolish by suggesting that Tinky Winky was gay.

We are indebted to columnist Ann Coulter for reminding us about some others -- including prominent liberal publications -- who made similar observations before Falwell ever mentioned Teletubbies in February, 1999.

Coulter, in her current column, tells us that People magazine reported that Teletubbies was "aimed at Telebabies as young as one year. But teenage club kids love the products' kitsch value, and gay men have made the purse-toting Tinky Winky a camp icon."

In 1998 alone, she writes, there were numerous mentions of Tinky Winky being gay in ““Newsweek, The Toronto Star, The Washington Post (twice!), The New York Times and Time magazine (also twice).”

In its Jan. 8, 1999, issue, she notes, USA Today accused The Washington Post of "outing" Tinky Winky by putting him on a list with Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche who famously came out about that time.

Coulter recalls that Michael Musto of The Village Voice boasted that Tinky Winky was "out and proud," calling it "a great message to kids ———— not only that it's OK to be gay, but the importance of being well accessorized."

She has supplemented her column with a list of instances when the major media have characterized Tinky Winky as gay – before Falwell mentioned Teletubbies in February of 1999:

Gays have championed Tinky Winky and his beloved red purse, and night-clubbers have adopted the show as a sort of druggy daydream.” -- Newsweek, April 6, 1998

“Tinky actually became a gay icon in Britain because, for no apparent reason, his voice is male but he sometimes carries a flashy red purse.” -- The Toronto Star, April 6, 1998

“Tinky Winky, the heaviest, looks a little like an eggplant with cellulite. He also sometimes carries a red purse, which has won him popularity among gay viewers.” –-The Washington Post, April 6, 1998.

“Tinky became quite the celebrity, especially after gay-rights groups fought for his reinstatement, partly because Tinky Winky has a male voice but skips about Teletubbyland carrying a red purse.” -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 6, 1998.

“And what's with Tinky Winky, whose voice sounds strangely mature and who sometimes carries a red handbag?” -- The New York Times, April 6, 1998 “But today many forms of gender nonconformity have actually become mainstream. . . . Even Teletubbies, a show for toddlers, features Tinky Winky, a boy who carries a red patent-leather purse.” -- Time Magazine, July 20, 1998

“The way the original Tinky Winky carried his tote-bag-size red purse reportedly made him a gay icon in Britain.” -- Time Magazine, July 20, 1998

The treatment that Falwell has received since his death is additional evidence that liberals are willing to distort the record in order to malign a Christian conservative.