US broadcaster PBS has come under fire from Republican lawmakers after Sesame Street celebrated Pride Month with an inclusive message, prompting accusations of “grooming” children from conservative politicians.
To mark the beginning of Pride Month, Sesame Street‘s official social media account shared an image showing characters with multi-coloured arms – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo – holding hands in a formation resembling the Pride flag.
The caption read: “On our street, everyone is welcome. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy Pride month.”
On our street, everyone is welcome. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy #PrideMonth! pic.twitter.com/6JJFhxO9dC
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) June 1, 2025
Republican Response Sparks Controversy
The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a prominent conservative caucus in the US House of Representatives, responded to the post by sharing a meme featuring Senator Bernie Sanders with the words: “I am once again asking PBS to stop grooming children.”
The post was later deleted but remains archived online.
The incident comes amid ongoing political battles over public broadcasting funding in the US, particularly under the administration of President Donald Trump. In recent months, Republicans have renewed calls to defund both PBS and National Public Radio (NPR), arguing that both platforms operate as “radical, left-wing echo chambers” with “anti-American” bias.
During a congressional hearing earlier this year, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene accused PBS and NPR of promoting “brainwashing” and “transing children,” asserting their audiences consist mostly of “wealthy, white, urban liberals” who allegedly “look down on rural America.”
Executive Action and Legal Pushback
In May, Trump signed an executive order titled Ending Taxpayer Subsidisation Of Biased Media, aiming to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasters. The directive stated: “Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased and non-partisan news coverage.”
PBS and NPR have since filed lawsuits against the administration. PBS stated that the move poses a serious threat to public broadcasting’s editorial independence and violates First Amendment protections.
“After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television’s editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations,” a spokesperson said.
Despite growing pressure, PBS has remained steadfast in its commitment to inclusion and diversity, particularly in children’s programming – a stance that aligns with the network’s long-standing educational mission.
