As Sebastian Gorka feeds off wingnut welfare at his "radio show," from time to time his bosses clearly want to see some action for their money. So Seb says something flagrantly stupid, yet pop culture-y, to get Twitter to notice him. Transcript via Media Matters:
I think that whole trans thing started with Teletubbies. Remember? One of them wore a tutu.
Speaking as a mother who was immersed in Teletubbies 20 years ago (my son learned so many social skills from that show), I see no other reason why Gorka would invoke "Teletubbies and trans rights" except to get attention.
Right-wing provocateurs like Gorka often invoke cartoon characters as somehow sexually corrupting "our kids." This is far from the first time that Tinky Winky and his skirt (which was a lesson on sharing, not transgender political action) yielded shock and horror from the right. But as I quoted a now missing blogpost in 2005, opinions on Tinky Winky differ:
"According to Bishop Sharon A. Brown Christopher of Illinois, Tinky Winky is a bishop: "The episcopal color is purple," she notes, "and our liturgical shirts are purple." She also points out that "the purple Teletubby has a triangle on its head – the Trinity!"
However, this episcopal theory doesn't go far enough, according to Freethinkers website. The triangle on the Teletubby's head, plus the fact that like Tinky Winky, Jesus is often shown wearing a purple robe (see above), means that he is actually a new representation of Jesus. "Perhaps this is the Second Coming," the site helpfully concludes. No prominent theologian was available for comment on this vexatious doctrinal issue."
I'm not the only one who rejected Gorka's claim:
Here for your enjoyment is the full episode of Teletubbies. The "skirt" episode starts at the 15:45 mark. And yes, the Teletubby with the giant green phallus on his head, Dipsy, won't wear the skirt. No judging!
