I dunno ... I am sure a number of 2-5 year olds must know what a virgin is: not being a Christian, I dunno how this works, but doesn't it come up when Christians (especially Catholics and Orthodox ones) talk about "the Virgin Mary"?

actually, I was raised in a pretty religious home and I didn't know what the word virgin meant for years. It isn't really a big part of the bible, and since she's the only woman referred to that way, ever (thank goodness) it's pretty easy to ignore the word completely.

All in all it's pretty stupid to say that an adult cannot teach children unless they somehow have a childlike knowledge of sex themselves. It harkens back to the days when teachers instantly quit if they got married and pregnant women hid in the house in shame.

DAS - Everything except why she walked funny.

DAS:

I'm not a Christian, but I did ask that as a child. The answer? "It means she didn't get married until after Jesus was born." I didn't know what a virgin really was for years either.

I don't understand how children would find out. If a bright five-year-old has learned how to read well enough to navigate the internet, what are they doing online without their parents supervising? And if the parents are doing their job, wouldn't the title "Technical Virgin" be enough to tip them off?

This is what happens when a tiny minority of people get together and use their resources to place undue pressure on organizations.

Interesting. The folks on Blue's Clues had no problem when Steve played a serial killer (a sniper, no less) on Homicide: Life on the Street. You'd think that might have undermined his character a bit too, eh?

Nah. A serial sniper is much less offensive than a woman who feels comfortable joking about sex.

So how long does it take to emigrate from the United States to Canada again?

Cheers,

TH

What about all of these years Bert and Ernie have spent, comfortable in their gigs on Sesame Street? Is nobody aware of their gay-porn period prior to getting hired by Jim Henson?

Now, in all seriousness, a commenter to the Washington Post's article makes a great point...

"So... let me see if I have this right.

George "seven dirty words" Carlin can host a PBS children's show as Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station, and that's cool.

Melanie Martinez appeared in a "Saturday Night Live" style comedy bit almost a decade ago, and she's fired.

Sexism much?"

DAS: My 4-year-old has heard the word virgin before - we aren't religious ourselves, but many of our extended family are - but has no idea what it means.

I had wondered why Melanie looked different, but didn't give it too much thought. I don't think they've even changed her name. Now I'm upset enough to not bother with Sprout anymore. First they chop up the shows, and now this...

I shudder to think about my son knowing some of the things that I was doing 7 years ago...

When Madonna's "Like a Virgin" came out, I was about 7 years old, and I didn't know what it meant. I grew up in a Christian home, and I heard the "virgin Mary" in sunday school and church, but again, I didn't know what it meant, and really didn't care.

My 4 year old son doesn't have a clue what virgin, sex, vibrator, or anything related are. But even if he did, and if he happened to see the video (which I'm not sure how he'd do it, since he doesn't have a clue as to how to get on the internet, much less find a specific website!!), he has no sense of sarcasm or satire or paradox , so he'd think it's a message promoting virginity...and isn't that supposed to be a "good' thing, at least to people like those running PBS??

In all of the stories that I've found about this, they all mention that Melanie has a 3 year old...but they don't mention a husband. Could that mean that she's a--GASP--single--CHOKE--mother???? Maybe she should just be put down like a lame horse...

In case anyone is interested, this is a link to e-mail PBS and also a page of links to petitions addresses of Sprout affiliates and advertisers:
http://www.pbs.org/aboutsite/aboutsite_emailform.html
http://bringbackmel.blogspot.com/

I know I'm being rather long-winded and probably obnoxious for a first time poster, but I am so infuriated over something so sexist and hypocritical, and I guess I'm getting it out here, so I apologize...

I am a Christian and I don't have any problem with Melanie keeping her job. Besides, aren't we supposed to teach our kids that virgin isn't a dirty word?