The one mom at One Million Moms says Nickelodeon is "pushing an agenda"

Monica Cole, the one mom at the Christian hate group One Million Moms* (Twitter followers: 4,206), is very angry with the people behind the children’s show “PAW Patrol” for featuring a gender-neutral character… whose gender was never even acknowledged.

For anyone confused, “PAW Patrol” is a very popular show for kids about a boy who manages a crew of skilled dogs who help protect their community. The show now has a spinoff called “Rubble & Crew.”

Last week, queer YouTuber Lindz Amer announced that they had written an episode of “Rubble & Crew” that focuses on a new friend named River, who happens to be non-binary.

They brought me on to consult on the first nonbinary character—meet River!!—for the PP universe and write their episode, talk about a bucket list item.

I wanted to write a nonbinary character that was aspirational and incredibly cool, someone for the pups (and kids at home) to look up to. They found an awesome non-binary actor (@cihang_ma) to voice River and I’m so so happy about how it turned out. Swipe to peep River’s ‍⚧️ kicks! 

If that sounds perfectly innocuous, it’s because it is. Just look at this short clip in which River helps the dogs take a picture of a shooting star.

(Follow link to view photos/videos that accompany article.)

At no point does River’s gender come into play. The character may be non-binary, but it’s irrelevant to the plot.

And yet Cole is furious about it (because it’s the only emotion she possesses):

Though River’s gender is not mentioned openly in the episode, Amer’s social media information makes it difficult for Nickelodeon to deny their intentions. Plus, the character gives subtle hints, including the <strong>transgender</strong> pride flag’s pink, white, and light blue color scheme displayed on socks and shoes.

Obviously, River is a blatant attempt by Nickelodeon to normalize children identifying as non-binary.

The Nickelodeon that parents knew as children is long gone. Nickelodeon has now decided to be politically correct instead of providing family-friendly programming. But Nickelodeon should stick to entertaining, not pushing an agenda.

That’s the Christian equivalent of a conspiracy theorist’s evidence board. Cole is just a deranged person looking for reasons to be offended. There isn’t a single kid who would watch that show and come away with any thought beyond, “That River character seems awesome!” Which, to be fair, is exactly what Cole is afraid of. If there’s a positive depiction of anyone who doesn’t fit a traditional gender role, her mind jumps immediately to indoctrination.

Monica won’t be satisfied until she can see that character’s fictional genitalia. For science.

One Million Moms* is now calling for followers to send angry letters to Nickelodeon under the assumption that the network hates Christians:

I do not agree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families in either of the animated series of Paw Patrol and Rubble & Crew. My family and I will not watch this indoctrination. Nickelodeon has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid Paw Patrol and Rubble & Crew since both shows go against our beliefs and values. My family will not support Nickelodeon; you have lost our trust.

If you get offended by a children’s TV show for portraying friendship and cooperation, then the problem is you. No one will notice an “agenda” in this episode unless they’re actively searching for a reason to be angry.

In Cole’s ideal world, LGBTQ people wouldn’t exist and no one would ever acknowledge them. Her version of neutrality is bigotry. I’ve seen plenty of shows with a husband and wife and I never saw it as promoting straightness. But Cole sees a kids’ show with a character whose gender is undefined and thinks the network wants to turn her kids queer. Because she’s a lunatic.

It’s important to note that One Million Moms* is affiliated with the American Family Association, a hate group currently being sued by a former employee for ignoring same-sex sexual misconduct and retaliating against a possible whistleblower.

Cole should be far more concerned about what’s happening within her group than she is about the person a bunch of fictional dogs are befriending.